i’ve written before about how uncomfortable it is being Jewish in most witchcraft/magic/occult spaces, but right now i’m feeling it particularly acutely as i try to navigate this queer & trans witchy renaissance we seem to be having (which is, i think, a direct response to the terror & loss of control we all feel in 2017 - magic has always been about resistance & survival to me & a lot of other people)
i’m tired. i’m scared a lot of the time. i want community & inspiration to help keep me going, so i reach for something like a zine that bills itself as an inclusive mix of queer & trans voices on witchcraft, resistance, activism - because it’s a group of marginalized folks, i (maybe foolishly) have this expectation of seeing myself in it, or of the editors being conscious of the many forms of cultural appropriation that happen in these spaces & working to educate about them
but what i’m finding, over and over, is two things: the first is that despite the fact that we exist in greater numbers than i’d ever have expected, there are no Jewish voices in any of the witchcraft-focused publications (indie or otherwise) i’ve ever encountered. the second thing, that cultural appropriation of Judaism & other forms of pervasive anti-semitism DO exist in these publications, just makes the lack of Jewish perspectives more glaring
so in the interest of being direct, here are a few things the queer & trans witchcraft community (i’d like to ask the ENTIRE witchcraft community, but i am speaking to people with whom i share something right now) can do & think about to help:
include us. if you didn’t think that any Jewish folks were involved in witchy communities, ask yourself why! is it because you thought Judaism was a religion only? or incompatible with ideas about magic? Judaism is an ethnicity & a culture - or more truthfully, a group of ethnicities & cultures - with long & complex histories of magic, mysticism & folklore. some of it is considered traditionally “kosher” & some of it isn’t! our relationships to that are individual, fascinating, & worth being shared!
stop throwing around the words “Abrahamic” & “Judeo-Christian” - especially when you want to talk about cultural values or historical oppression. 9 times out of 10, you just mean Christianity. yes, we share some text, but we have VERY different relationships to it. plus, if you’re talking specifically about the persecution of people believed to be witches, that’s the history of Jews being murdered by Christians. honestly just do us a favor & remove “Judeo-Christian” from your vocabulary, there’s almost no context where it’s an accurate description of anything.
educate yourself about appropriation. i should never have to see someone mention “practicing Kabbalah” in a zine that includes no Jewish people. our mysticism is connected to our culture, our history, our faith - not only do you have no business taking it, what could it possibly mean to you without its context?
understand that anti-semitism runs deeper than current appropriation - if you engage at all with any Western occultist or “ceremonial magic” literature or practice, you need to learn its history. what does it mean that the 15th century grimoire you’re drawing inspiration from contains Hebrew & calls itself Solomonic, but has no actual connection to Jewish people? what does it mean that the person who created the most iconic image of Baphomet, something beloved by a lot of queer & trans witches for being androgynous, gave himself a fake Hebrew name? i’m not asking you to throw all of these concepts & traditions out entirely - i have something of a love/hate relationship with ceremonial occultism myself, i collect vintage & antique things related to it & some of it is really interesting - but please at the very least educate yourself about it. specifically, educate yourself about how medieval Jews were treated while non-Jewish occultists were incorporating (often misunderstood or mangled) Jewish mysticism, language & folk practices into their frameworks.
if you’ve stayed with me this far, i appreciate it - i know this post is long & that confronting this stuff can be difficult, but i urge you to do some reading & listening before you push back. i’m writing this because i want to see things change - i want to see communities where people connect meaningfully to their own heritages & participate in actual cultural exchange & learning based in equity & mutual support.
i’m speaking to my own experience, but all of this goes for ANY marginalized culture/tradition being “drawn from” in witchcraft communities without actually including members of said culture.
many of us got involved in witchy things because we felt locked out of mainstream religious practice due to a mix of oppressions - let’s not replicate that in our own spaces.
Someone (I won't mention them because I didn't ask permission first) asked me to make a post about the ways in which tarot can be helpful for mental health maintenance. I've been thinking about witchcraft and health in general and also about tarot and health. Anyways here is the post!
Disclaimer: This will not be a post about how to use tarot to predict mental health outcomes. This is also not a substitute for help from a licenced or certified mental health professional.
Using tarot for when you don't know what you're feeling
There are times when you might feel something but don't always know what it is you're feeling or why you're feeling that way. I always reference Blanche from the Golden Girls when it comes to this feeling, she called the feeling "magenta". You can simply ask two questions, "what is this feeling?" and "why am I feeling this way?" This might be helpful for anyone but especially those that attend mental health therapy. Having at least some insight into your feelings to share with a therapist.
Tarot to ease your mind about potential outcomes
Even the most calm and collected person can have moments of doubt or worry about the outcome of a situation. Instead of asking your cards for a concrete outcome, ask the cards the following question "what is the best possible outcome of this situation?" If the card is what you consider a positive card then meditate, pray, and/or do spellwork to encourage that outcome. If the card is one that makes you feel uneasy or one that you'd rather not have as an outcome for a situation. Ask the cards again "what can I do to change this outcome?" or if you feel that this is not applicable to the situation "what can I do to find peace with this outcome?"
Tarot for self reflection
Tarot can also be a great tool to gain a deeper understanding of yourself, you can ask yourself some of the following questions.
What are some of my strengths?
What are some of my weaknesses?
What parts of myself do I hide?
Why do I hide certain parts of myself?
Who would I be if I felt completely safe to be my most authentic self?
I hope you found this post helpful and please reach out to a medical professional if you are having mental health struggles. Tarot and divination in general are wonderful tools but there is nothing wrong with realizing that you need medical intervention. You owe that to yourself and you are worthy of receiving the best care possible, mind, body, and soul!
- Erika, The Clumsy Witch
Just in case you have a few hours free, here's a spread that will take all of them up. Have fun with your afternoon.
1: Birth
2: Parents
3: Life
4: Childhood
5: Passion
6: Friends
7: Responsibility
8: Partner
9: Work
10: Success
11: Shortcoming/Failure
12: Death
13: Children
14: Legacy
15: What I Brought To This Life
Z.M. Wilmot’s Personality Tarot Spread
1. Central Characteristic: This card represents the most important part of someone’s personality; it is the card that best describes and sums up the the personality of the entire person. It is both the primary factor and the summary of the rest of the spread.
2. Influencing Characterstic: This card is the second most important aspect of someone’s personality, and influences, mitigates, or complements the Central Characteristic; in many ways it also the secondary characteristic of a person, and provides a second dimension to one’s personality, adding depth to it.
3. Influence of Past: This card sums up the influences that past events have had on one’s personality; memory is an important part of our personality, our desires, and our own identity. This card represents and shows the influence that this memory has had on a personality.
4. Goals of the Future: This card represents what one are striving to accomplish; another aspect of one’s personality is their drive, and what makes them motivated: that motivation and drive is represented by this card, which shows the thing that the person is striving to achieve, and their most important desire for the future.
5. Unconscious Thoughts and Motives: This card represents the unconscious thoughts and concerns of a person, and also represents this person’s motives. It answers the questions of “why do they do this?” as well as those of “what are they really thinking?” This is their unconscious drive (rather than the conscious drive of Card 4), and represents the deepest aspects of their personality, hidden from themselves. This card also serves as the synthesis of cards 8 and 10.
6. Conscious Thoughts and Concerns: This card represents the person’s conscious thought. It helps one examine what the most important things are to this person, and represents their most pressing concerns, and what is most important to them at this time. This card also serves as the synthesis of cards 7 and 9.
7. Public Face: This card is the public aspect of one’s identity; this is how others perceive this person, and how their environment (including other people) affects them and notices them. This card is similar to Card 8 (second from the bottom of the Staff) on the Celtic Cross. This card represents how they want others to see them as well.
8. Private Face: This card represents the concept of self-identity and self-image, and shows how a person really thinks of themselves. This might line up with one’s public face, but often is at least slightly different. This card is similar to Card 7 (bottom of the Staff) of the Celtic Cross spread. This card shows how this person really feels about himself, and what they think their own identity is.
9. Public Desire: This card represents what one says they want; it is the stated hopes and fears of a person. This is what the person wants others to think they want and what they want others to think they are afraid of; this card represents those desires made public.
10. Private Desire: This card represents one’s true hopes and fears; their heart’s desire or their deepest, secret fear. These are the desires that people keep repressed and hidden – sometimes even from themselves – for various reasons. These are the inner passions and repressed terrors that often motivate people’s actions unconsciously.
Candle dressings
Knot magic and witches ladder
Updated: July 31, 2017
[Animist Wishing Well Shrine]
[A Basic Wishing Spell (Green Witch Edition)]
[Bay Leaf Wish Spell]
[Birthday Spell] (tw: music autoplay on blog)
[Birthday Spell]
[Birthday Wish Spell]
[To Bring Your Wish Into Reality]
[Dandelion Blossom Oil]
[Firefly Wish Spell]
[Full Moon Wish Spell]
[Full Moon Wish Spell]
[Full Moon Wish Spell]
[Full Moon Wishing Spell]
[Flying Wish Paper]
[Genie in a Bottle]
[To Have Your Wishes Answered]
[How to Make a Wish Spell Jar]
[Jar & Candle Wish Spell]
[Jar of Wishes]
[Jirachi Wish Tag Spell]
[Karou’s Necklace of Wishes]
[Lemon Juice, Red Ink Spell]
[To Make a Wish Come True]
[To Make a Wish Come True (2)]
[Mermaid’s Tears]
[Rosey Wishes Spell]
[Shooting Star Wish Spell]
[Simple Full Moon Ritual]
[Simple Text Message Wish Spell]
[Simple Wish Spell]
[Simple Wish Spell]
[Sweet as Snow Spell]
[A Two-for-One Moon Wish Jar]
[Winds Wishing Spell]
[Winter Wishes]
[Wish Board Conjuration]
[Wish Ornament]
[Wishing Powder Mix]
[Wishing Spell]
[“Wishing Well” Spell Jar]
[Yule Wish Bottle]
[Elemental Manifestation]
[Manifestation Bowl]
[Manifestation Box] (cw: sigil)
[Manifestation Spell]
[Manifestation Spell]
[Manifestation Spell]
[Manifestation Triangle]
[1-2-3-4 Multi-Purpose Spell]
[Planetary Decagram]
[The Polar Spell]
[Simple Candle Magic]
[Simple Origami Crane Spell]
[Simple Way to Cast a Spell]
[Spell of Manifestation]
[Spell: Find What You Need]
[Want Spell]
Symbols Chart.
fire dominant: candle magic, burning dried herbs and incense powders, pine bundles, full moon rituals, calendula, constantly changing witch aesthetics and wanting to get rid of old practices, vengeance magic, 7-day candles, working with potent essential oils like myrrh and frankincense, eclectic witchcraft
air dominant: wands and bundles of baby’s breath, stocking up on books about the occult, enhancing the throat center, speaking spells and incantations aloud many times, incorporating singing into spellwork, journals full of correspondences and notes, divination, getting really intrigued with niche spiritual practices
water dominant: selenite towers, sound bowls, womb magic, rose petals and bath magic, floral facial steams and tea infusions, curling up and practicing dream/astral magic, leaving offerings for ancestors on altar, asking guides for love advice/working with love deities, storm witches, practicing divination and crying about it after, glitter and whimsical aesthetic
earth dominant: late night witchcraft, collecting crystals, specializing in manifestation and abundance magic, having a familiar, making jars of dried herbs, working with their hands, crystal grids and floral mandalas, is friends with their plants and local trees, dancing under the moonlight and telling butterflies their secrets
A common post request.
How to begin:
Begin by reading everything you possibly can about witchcraft, plants, other religions, etc.
Take notes on everything you can.
Be creative and use your imagination, look for symbols in your day-to-day lives.
Re-read your notes and important information,
Do your research.
Make sure you research all paths and philosophies.
Start a consistent meditation and visualization regime.
Find a path you love.
Learn about yourself and your path and beliefs.
Work with your energy and practice harnessing it.
Start practicing your spells after enough research.
Write your own spells and start a grimoire.
Continue reading and learning.
Topics to research:
Herbalism
Different witchcraft paths
Witchcraft history and its origins.
Different deities in different cultures
Folklore, superstitions, and wives tales
Mythology from different cultures
The elements Air, Earth, Water, Fire
Basic tools and supplies for the craft
Sabbats and esabats
Witchcraft misconceptions
Nature cycles and lunar phases
Divination
Alchemy
Chakras
Auras
Working with spirits and angels
Tarot
Crystals
Runes Magickal theory
Spells
Curses - the dangers and how to cast them properly
Sigils
Familiars
Incense
Ways to stay safe when practising
Types of Witches
Cheap witchcraft supplies
Dangers of witchcraft
Solitary v.s Coven witchcraft
Ritual structure
How to set up an altar
Study Nature
Negative energy and how to rid of it.
Candle magick
Astrology
Psychic Practises
Faeries
Protection against harm
Things to practice:
Grounding and centering
Meditation
Casting and closing a circle
Raising, releasing, and visualizing energy.
Record any magick practices, visions, or dreams you receive.
Spend as much time as possible in nature.
Listen and observe.
Practice invoking Gods, Goddesses, and elements.
Cleansing
Charging
Warding
Keep your grimoire up-to-date
Find a mentor - Someone to help you find your path
Practise staying concentrated
Intent
Remember:
All paths are good paths, do not insult anyone’s path.
You do not need any fancy equipment to practise
You don’t need to practise everyday
Follow your path don’t let others tell you what to do or force their beliefs on you.
Believe in yourself!
Take care of yourself
Be respectful of others paths and beliefs
Never stop learning
Ask questions
Make lots of friends in the community
Stay safe
Make sure you do not steal from closed religions!
Have fun!
May the moon light your path!
==Moonlight Academy==
🌱🌱Earth Magic🌱🌱
To Lose Troubles: 🌿
Take a handful of earth and gaze into it.
Pour into it all your problems.
Outline in minute detail all of those problems plaguing you.
Once finished, throw the dirt behind you and walk away, not looking back.
Earth Charms:🍀🌻
Firmly tie up in a small green square of cloth some fresh, rich soil.
Carry this with you if you have troubles with stability, security, and self-control; if you are apt to let your emotions rule your life or if you are constantly angry or nervous.
Earth Scrying:🏵️🏵️
Fill a small flat vessel at least 7 inches in diameter with earth.
Sir relaxed and gaze into the soil.
You will eventually notice the symbols staring uo from the earth.
Earth Protection Bottle: 🌼🌳
Pour fresh, clean soil into a bottle.
Fill it to the top and close it.
Place the bottle near an entrance, preferably a window, to guard against evil entering into your house.