What To Do When The Cards Don’t Make Sense

What is Paganism?

The term Paganism has been evolving for almost two millennia, so there is understandable confusion about what Paganism means. It has always been an umbrella term that includes within it many different faiths and practices. In this post, we are going to talk about what Paganism is (and isn’t) and explore some of the most important branches of modern Paganism (also known as Neopaganism).

Origins of the Term Paganism

The term Paganism was coined in the fourth century by Christians living in the Roman Empire for anyone who did not follow Christianity or Judaism. It comes from the Latin word paganus, which means country dweller. The implication was that these were “country bumpkins” stuck in old ways and not yet “wise” to the modern religion of Christianity. The Roman Empire officially converted to Christianity in 313 CE.

In the Middle Ages, while Islam was also viewed as a non-Pagan religion, the term Paganism continued to be used to refer to anyone who did not follow a religion based on a biblical god. It carried the derogatory connotation that Pagans worship false gods and are barbarians.

But in the 20th century, the term Paganism was reclaimed by various groups that follow religious beliefs or practices associated with pre-Christian religions. The group includes polytheists that continue to worship non-biblical pantheons, animists, magical practitioners, nature worshippers, and more.

The term Neopaganism is often used to distinguish these modern Pagans from our ancestors, who would have never referred to themselves as Pagans. Christians created the term Pagan to create “us” (biblical religions) and “them” (non-biblical religions) categories. This would not have been meaningful to our pre-Christian ancestors or to Norse warriors and Egyptian priests for whom Christianity was just one more religion.

It is worth noting that while Medieval Christians would have referred to religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism as Pagan, they aren’t included in the modern definition. These organized religions, which are dominant in many countries, fall into a class of their own.

Definition of Neopaganism

It is difficult to define Neopaganism because so many different people today identify with the term Paganism. It is possible to identify some characteristics that are common to most Neopagans, but don’t necessarily apply universally.

Pagan religions tend to be non-organized in that they are followed by an individual practitioner or small community rather than being a hierarchical institution like the Catholic church. But there are exceptions; for example, Hermetic orders tend to be small but very hierarchical organizations.

Pagan religions are often polytheistic, either drawing on ancient divine pantheons or following an animistic approach, which recognizes divinity in action within the world without necessarily naming it. Pagans can believe in these gods in a literal sense or as a metaphorical tool for relating to powers that are beyond our comprehension.

Pagans tend to believe that everything is sacred, especially nature, and that we can tap into the spiritual energy of the universe through meditation, invocation, rituals, witchcraft, and various other practices.

In most cases, it is an individualistic path. You choose which deities and beliefs speak to you personally, and you are responsible for creating and following your spiritual path. This very often links to a strong moral code, as you are responsible for your actions and their consequences. Pagans often identify with the idea that you can feed the universe with positive energy or diminish it with negative energy. You attract the kind of energy that you project, and what you receive mirrors what you give.

As we have already said, these characteristics do not hold true for all Pagans, but they are ideas that most Neopagans will identify with.

Branches of Neopaganism

So, if there are various branches of Neopaganism, what are they?

It is impossible to provide a complete and comprehensive list, first because we would be here forever, and second, since it is a personal and individualistic belief system, there is no limit to the number of variations that can exist.

But below, we will look at some of the most popular forms of Paganism that are most widely recognized in the Neopagan community today.

Reconstructionist Religions

Reconstructionist religions attempt to reconstruct ancient religions in the modern world. Pagans of this brand might choose to worship the Greek gods, follow the ritual practices of Egyptian priests, or walk in the footsteps of Druids.

Probably the most well-known reconstruction religion is Norse paganism, also known as Heathenry, which is the belief in the old Norse gods, including Odin, Thor, and Freyja. While exactly how this is done is individualistic, enough people identified with this type of Paganism that Asatru was created in Iceland in the 1970s to provide a common banner under which they could identify as an interest group. It is now recognized around the world.

Magic working is not a necessary part of modern Norse paganism, just as it was not in ancient times when only a few people were Volva (Seidr witches) or runemasters (workers of rune magic). But runic divination is a popular practice in modern Heathenry.

Wicca

Wicca is probably the type of Paganism most represented in pop culture (think The Craft and Charmed). It is a modern witchcraft practice, often but not always associated with the veneration of a great mother goddess and her consort, often but not always portrayed as a horned god. It can be followed by sole practitioners or coven groups led by a high priest or priestess.

Modern Wicca is credited as being founded by Gerald Gardner in the 1930s, and followers of his teachings are known as Gardnerian Wiccans. But today there are many different branches, both formal and informal.

Modern Wicca draws on what is known from historic witchcraft and magic rituals. But it is a thriving and evolving practice in which invention and following your intuition are encouraged.

Non-Wiccan Witchcraft

Not all Pagans who identify themselves as practitioners of witchcraft consider themselves Wiccan. Many follow a more shamanistic or nature-based approach to witchcraft without reference to organized elements such as covens or priests. These, usually sole practitioners, are often referred to as hedge witches.

These practitioners have a lot in common with Wiccans in their use of certain symbols and elements and closely following the cycle of the year and the phases of the moon. Grimoires and Books and Shadows are often used to record knowledge.

Hermeticism

The term Hermeticism originally referred to a religio-philosophical system based on a small number of writings known as Hermetica which gave birth to scientific approaches to magic in the form of practices such as alchemy. But Hermeticism has since become a term for those who engage in “high magic” or ritual magic, usually within a body or organization with specific teaching and hierarchies.

Probably the most famous example of these is the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, an organization dedicated to the study of the occult, metaphysical, and paranormal. It is a spin-off of Freemasonry and incorporates the hierarchies and secrecy of that order. There are tests to enter new parts of the order and learn new secrets. For a number of years, the famous occultist Aleister Crowley was associated with the order.

Animism

Animism differs from other types of polytheistic paganism in that it does not necessarily feel the need to name or identify deities. Animism accepts that there is a divine or spiritual force at work in the world and it can be seen in aspects of life. But they can appreciate and be thankful for these forces without anthropomorphizing them into deities.

Animists often believe that the gods of polytheistic religions are cultural constructions designed to help humans better understand and engage with these forces. They may choose to engage with certain traditional polytheistic gods as a way of engaging with the elements of the world they consider most important.

Secular Paganism

Secular paganism could also be called a nature-based religion. Secular pagans do not necessarily believe in certain deities and could be Polytheists, Christians, Atheists, or anything in between. The core belief is that we are part of nature, rather than masters of it, and that we should live our lives with an abiding love and respect for nature.

Secular Paganism often mixes meditative and ritual practices designed to better understand and control the self with a world view based on science.

Eclectic Paganism

Eclectic Paganism is kind of a “catch-all” term for those who don’t fit into other types of Paganism. This is for people who identify with the general principles of Paganism but haven’t tied themselves to a single belief system or set or practices.

For example, they might believe in the mother goddess, but not practice witchcraft. They may feel a deep spiritual connection with the universe, witch manifests in practices such as reading Tarot cards, and cleansing spaces with incense and herbs, but may not necessarily consider these practices linked with any kind of divinity.

Eclectic Pagans often have broad interests in terms of researching different new age practices and approaches. They may also identify with Paganism aesthetically through gothic-style fashion.

Meso-Paganism

Meso-Paganism is a term used for practices that are a result of mixing non-Christian religions with Christianity imposed by conquerors, missionaries, or both. Haitian Voodoo and Candomblé in Brazil are probably the best examples, in which African deities are syncretized with Christian Saints and elements of Christian religion are incorporated into traditional rituals.

While many of the characteristics of Neopaganism apply to Meso-Paganism, followers and practitioners are less likely to identify with the broader Pagan community. These are traditional religions passed down through communities, rather than sought out by individuals. So, while they may not be the dominant religion in a certain place, they have this in common with religions such as Hinduism.

What kind of Pagan are You?

While this whole post has been dedicated to trying to define and categorize Paganism, what it really equates to is following your own spiritual path outside of the biblical context. There are no rules about what you have to believe and practices that you have to engage in. It is all about finding your own spirituality and expressing it in a way that works for you.

But we would still love to know what Paganism means to you! Let us know in the comments section below.

[Full blog post here]

Hello Tarot Friends! So I’ve had some lovely opportunities to teach tarot over on discord, and one of the questions I notice most often is how to read court cards. While I do agree that they can be a bit trickier than the rest of the deck, they aren’t too bad if you think of them as one of three possibilities. This is how I understand and read with court cards. I hope this little info graph can help someone out at least a little! Maybe a little later on I will create something that goes into each court card more in depth.

Also, please keep in mind that this is only my own personal reading preference for court cards. Their are so many different possibilities. If you read them a different way and that’s working for you, then that’s perfectly ok.

Witchcraft doesn’t always have to be complicated. Sometimes it’s writing a symbol on your sandwich with honey, or painting your nails a specific color to deflect negativity. Try these low key witchcraft ideas to add a little magical energy to your day-to-day.

Use music lyrics to invoke a certain feeling or vibe before you have to do something. (Confidence to take a test for instance)

Stir your tea or soups clockwise to add an increase of abundance of whatever you want. 

Paint your nails black to absorb negativity. (or wear black clothes)

Draw symbols (runes or sigils for people who do that) on your foggy mirror after a bath or shower for protection. 

Enchant your morning cup of coffee to what your intentions are for the day and drink up. 

Use your shower to wash away negativity from the night before. 

Practice visualization and see what you want to happen in your life in your mind. 

Sprinkle salt over your entrance for protection. (bonus if it’s black salt)

Enchant your mirrors by cleaning them and saying out loud that they will only reflect positivity. 

Look up your dream meanings. 

Make a pendulum with a necklace and a key. Ask yes/no questions. 

Collect witch supplies on walks. (Sticks, leaves, rocks, flowers…dead things)

Charge your witchcraft items with your intents. 

Say prayers to your ancestors. Or leave them out offerings of food or whatever they liked when they were alive. 

Practice your kitchen witch skills and make a hardy soup for abundance for the year ahead. Or a cake for prosperity and wealth. 

Use a random deck of  cards laying around the house for divination. (Clubs - Wands / Diamonds - Coins / Hearts - Cups / Spades - Swords)

Wear blue if you’re taking a test or going on a job interview to invoke calmness. 

Wear pink makeup to invoke self love. 

Enchant your jewelry to have specific meanings to you. A necklace for protection, a ring for clarity, a bracelet for confidence. 

Sweep your room or living space. All the corners and sweep everything right out the door for an easy old-fashioned cleanse. If you have carpet just sweep the ‘energy’ metaphorically and open the door boot out the energy.

✶*✧Introduction to Spell Sealing✧*✶

Everything must come to an end.

This is an area of spellcraft that doesn’t get a lot of publicity because for most people it just becomes a natural part of the process.  However, if you want to mix up how you do it, try something new, or otherwise let go of the way you were originally taught, this might be a good resource for performing rituals!

What are Sealed Spells?

In the context of magic you usually hear about sealing and binding like binding a person or something from being able to do something.  Here we're talking more like a binding contract.  This is a binding or seal locks in an action or intent.  It is binding in the way an agreement is binding.  You have given it firm parameters that it must follow and you have endeavored to finalize the action.  You have provided certainty, locked in your answer, sealed the deal.  

The benefits of this are inherent in the finality.  You have a set thing that now is much harder to alter and is much harder to waver in its purpose.  This is no longer some multi-purpose object.  It has varitably been christened for this and this alone.  The work to undo it will be just as rigorous as the work to do it in the first place.  A light cleansing of your materials afterwards might not be enough.  You're gonna need the spiritual bleach.

To some extent you might just feel that something needs to be finalized.  If you feel it in your gut like you need something to formally end the working, these are what you might be looking for.

More Common Than You Think

This might be more familiar to you than you would initially think.  Signing your name on something at the end is a common one, but even in a ritual sphere there are many examples.  This is going to be your “so mote it be”, your “Amen”, and your other declarations of finality.  Even purely secular situations often have rituals of finality.  I think you’ll find that when these things are left out, there is sometimes a feeling of the energy hanging in the air.  In a lot of ways it does not feel right.  Whether this is the social convention of signaling to everything and everyone present that the ritual has come to a conclusion, or just to announce you’re finished, there is some power to it.

Types of Seals

There are several different ways to express finality in your workings.  Here are just a few examples.

Shutting the Door and Sealing the Envelope

If your work involves some kind of lid or package, you can physically seal it.  Whether this is corking a jar, sealing with wax, tying a string around something etc.  If this is a possibility it is a good way to finalize a spell.

Written and Spoken Seals

Whether this is through signing something like you might finalize a formal contract or expressing that it is finalized verbally.  A few examples of this are listed above that you may have heard before, but there is really nothing stopping you from making your own.

Kiss Seals

Sealing with a kiss.  Kissing something to finalize has historical precedent and takes no extra tools to complete besides your lips.  Whether this is physically using your lips or the other means, this is one option for a quick seal.  Just don’t kiss poison.

Burning, Burying, and Bestrewing

Few things are more final than destruction.  Once you’ve set the flame, you’ve pretty much confined what you’ve set on fire to that purpose forever.  Burying something in the ground would be another example of this.  Whether you feel the finality is from returning it to the earth, or because you are sealing it in a tomb of soul, this will certainly signal that it is done.  Some feel like things are not complete until they’ve scattered the ashes, in which case throwing something to the wind could be your version of finality.

Whether this is through signing something like you might finalize a formal contract or expressing that it is finalized verbally.  A few examples of this are listed above that you may have heard before, but there is really nothing stopping you from making your own.

Sigil Seals

An extension of the written or spoken seals are sigil seals.  It accomplishes much the same thing, but can be a little more formal.  Some might think this is kind of a stretch, but wax seals, like what might go on a letter, could fall into this category, technically.

Egg shells in witchcraft

Save your eggshells and make them into a powder. You can use them for protection, peace and cleansing!

Also, can be used to make Black Salt. Just add some incense ashes!

Just rinse them, allow them to dry, crush in your mortar and pestle and store them in a labeled bottle.

Powdered Eggshells can be used in your magical workings to cast circles or for protection.

To add some extra oomph, add a pinch of salt and dragon's blood resin in your protection blend.

music is underrated

Seriously, I've never seen anyone talk about music in modern witchcraft, and that's weird to me cuz I know most if not all of you pagans absolutely adore music. At least I do!

Plus, it has been like, primordial for witchcraft and religion in general since humans have been a thing. It connects people, helps achieve trance or specific emotions, gives you catharsis and is just perfect in every way.

So here's some help for implementing music in your practice if you're interested:

Listen to specific songs that will help you get in the right mood for the spell/ritual/sigil you wanna perform

Cast spells by dancing, create choreography-based spells

Meditate on a song that's important to you, ask why it's important, what emotions it gives you and why

Pay attention to the song you're listening, try to hear the instruments or beats in the back. I've noticed I can hear so many more "parts" of my songs after practicing Zen (not only after meditating, I mean as a permanent upgrade lol)

Compose magic songs/spells in song format

Compose spell lyrics for instrumental songs

Visualize an intention while singing with all your heart to a song that vibes with your intention

Put music in the background while doing your craft

I remember that I dreamt using a song for a spell, then I did and now every time I listen to it I get goosebumps and powerful feelings. I even feel that spell "activating" a bit even though I don't mean to (that's why we don't do hexes, kids! Jk, it was a good spell). I think I can even fully activate it again just by hearing the song if I want to, because it meant a lot to me even before I became pagan.

Seriously, mindfully using music and dance in your craft is really, really worth it.

🌄Sunrise Witchcraft🌄

☀️sunrise is the best time for: healing, positivity, happiness, anti-anxiety/depression, spirituality, self care/love, air magic, cleansing, soft energy/ positive energy amplifier, truth spells, protection, and peace

☀️sunrise associations: citrine, lemon, peaches, ginger, orange, morning dew, orange calcite, coffee, bergamot, lime, earl grey, mint, sage, cinnamon, grapefruit, morning glory, marigold, saffron, calendula, daylily, daisy, black tea, and frankincense

☀️tips and things to try:

🌞yoga (especially sun salutations!)

🌻sunbathe in the sunrise to cleanse and charge with positive energy

🌞if you can’t wake up before/during sunrise, just leave your window blinds open to help you wake up naturally and/or to charge in the sunlight while you’re sleeping

🌻this is a great time for tea and coffee magic

🌞this is a great time to charge stones, especially sun-sensitive stones. (Here’s a post on solar stones)

🌻listen to and charge with soft or acoustic music

🌞 spend some time outside, take some deep breaths of fresh air, enjoy the birds chirping, flowers, dew, fog, and the beautiful colors in the sky that sunrise brings

🌻charge some lemon juice in the sunrise for extra boost of cleansing, positivity, and happiness properties (to make it stronger you can infuse it with mint or grapefruit, which both have similar properties and correspond with sunrise)

🌞if you’re comfortable with it, leave an offering out for sunrise deities and dawn sprites & other sun fae

🌻sunrise is a spiritual time, it’s the perfect time for meditation, exploring spirituality, astral travel, etc.

🌞here’s my post on how to connect to the elements in the morning/dawn

☀️My sunrise recipes:

🍋Sunrise tea: (has cleansing, happiness, positivity, energy boost, and protection properties)

1 part grapefruit (be careful if you’re on medication) optional

1 part sage or basil (whichever you prefer, both work)

1 part lemon

1 part orange

1 part mint

1 part hibiscus

🍊Sunrise oil/diffuser blend: (helps you connect to the sunrise, and it’s energy. It has positivity, happiness, anti-depression/anxiety, glamour, cleansing, and love properties)

Bergamot

Grapefruit

Rosemary

Lime

🍑Dawn faeries/spirtes:

☀️What they’re like- human looking, lots of pinks (their skin as well as ‘clothes’), they love dancing during sunrise, waking up the animals and plants sweetly, happy attitude, gentle, they love dew, pink clouds, they have a soft yet sparkly pink glow (it feels warm but not hot), and can bring about peaceful and positive feelings

☀️Offerings- rose quartz!!!, grapefruit, pink chyroprase, pink roses, peaches, peach roses, peony, geranium, hibiscus, marigold

☀️Deities associated with sunrise- Eos, Aurora, Hemera, Alectrona, Neaera, Mitra, Saranyu

How to read your birth chart (basic)

Part 1 – Reading the Planets/Objects

For this, the only important part of the chart is the box with the planets and corresponding zodiac signs. I’m using my own chart as a reference.

Each planet (eg. sun) and object (eg. rising/ascendant) governs a specific portion of your personality.

The planets each have corresponding symbols, which are standardised for everyone’s birth chart (☉☽☿♀♂♃ ♄⛢♆♇).

The chart will show you what zodiac sign each planet and object was in the moment you were born, which is personalised for you.

Each planet and object has its own meaning,

☉ Sun: your core identity, ego

☽ Moon: feelings, emotions, aesthetics

Rising: how you are perceived by others (technically the 1st house, not a planet)

☿ Mercury: communication, intelligence, socialising

♀ Venus: love, romance, affection

♂ Mars: sex, passion, anger, drive

♃ Jupiter: luck, fortune, ideals

♄ Saturn: restrictions, limitations

⛢ Uranus: changes

♆ Neptune: dreams, sleep

♇ Pluto: transformation, deep meanings, destiny, your soul

and it takes the characteristics of the associated sign.

♈︎ Aries: active, initiating, leading, independent, aggressive, impatient, combative, energetic, pioneering, naive, assertive

♉︎ Taurus: persevering, down-to-earth, stable, stubborn, possessive, prosperous, dependable, physical, sensual

♊︎ Gemini: talkative, mental, adaptable, flexible, changeable, responsive, sociable, superficial, versatile, inquisitive, witty

♋︎ Cancer: gentle, conservative, feeling, nurturing, defensive, contemplative

♌︎ Leo: magnanimous, generous, hospitable, caring, warm, authoritative, active, open

♍︎ Virgo: analytical, intelligent, reserved, critical, helpful, conscientious

♎︎ Libra: just, sociable, refined, accommodating, kind, fair, diplomatic, likeable, indecisive, respectful, artistic

♏︎ Scorpio: passionate, perceptive, resourceful, possessive, psychological, prowling, determined, probing, fixed, focused

♐︎ Sagittarius: optimistic, restless, enthusiastic, adventurous, honest, irresponsible, outspoken, independent

♑︎ Capricorn: tenacious, conservative, resourceful, disciplined, wise, ambitious, prudent, constant

♒︎ Aquarius: individualistic, assertive, independent, humanitarian, inventive, original, eccentric, opinionated, intellectual, idealistic, cool, friendly, detached

♓︎ Pisces: intuitive, dreamy, artistic, humane, sympathetic, sensitive, compassionate, perceptive, tender, impressionable

For example, my sun, which governs my core identity, is in Capricorn. This shows that my core identity is tenacious, conservative, resourceful etc.

My rising/ascendant, which governs how I am perceived by others, is in Taurus. This shows that I am perceived as persevering, down-to-earth, stable etc.

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Now just replace this out with your own info and congrats! You now know the basics of reading the planets and objects in your birth chart!

I’m still working on learning to read the houses, but I’ll link it when I’m done!

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Chart made on https://www.astro.com/cgi/chart.cgi?btyp=w2gw&rs=3&usechpref=1 (more accurate)

Information gathered from my book of shadows and https://astro.cafeastrology.com/ (better info)

im moving into a dorm for the first time in the fall so i wont be able to burn things. that means no candle spells. this whole summer i’ve been researching different ways of doing spells, since candle spells and jar spells are very popular right now and both are difficult without fire. knot spells and sigils have been piquing my interest, but as i looked at my glass of water, ice half melted, i had an idea.

ice spells!

the ice melts just as a candle will. you can add herbs, food coloring, sigils in water and freeze it. once it’s frozen you can melt it and that will be the spell! ingredients can also be added to already formed ice, which would be easier for closeted witches.

depending on the ingredients, the water leftover could be drank and used to make sure that the spell it attached to you. it could also be refrozen and reused!

i hope this helps other witches who live in places where they can’t burn candles!! if you can, maybe this will provide an example of other types of spells too.