Witchcraft thread

[NagemTX]

The black opal is nice with blue eyes.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

The black opal is nice with blue eyes.

It is. I just had to look that up.

 

[igorsMistress]

Blue apatite, jasper or sodalite would be cool too.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Cobalt is super nice with my style right now. The shade I like is egregiously expensive though. The specimen I have is smaller than an eraser

 

[Lillith37]

Witchcraft is definitely a money maker for lots of people and large companies too. You can find crystals in almost any form, herbs from far away places, spells for love and protection and prosperity. There are tons of books including basic guides, herbals, those that teach the lessons in each tradition. You can find items on Etsy, Amazon, eBay. There are even specialty book publishers. It’s mind boggling!

But why do we feel we have to follow these books and teachers exactly? This often prevents us from practicing our beliefs. You’re waiting until you can buy that statue of your chosen deity, or until you can afford that one scarce ingredient that you’ll have imported from across the globe. Why? Our ancestors used what they had at hand.

For instance, our Scandinavian ancestors used fire to create sacred space. Think about where they lived though. It was cold, the land was harsh, and fire was crucial to their survival. It makes perfect sense that it was used to create sacred space, fire protected and nurtured them every day. If you take the time to read the sagas, they likely used rocks for their altars to the Gods; nothing fancy, uses local resources but also, it’s potentially permanent in the sense that it could last for several generations.

The point is, each practice or tradition uses certain things for certain purposes. But what if you don’t live where your ancestors did? Do you think the deities would want you to wait until everything is “perfect,” which may never happen. Or would they rather you offer something wonderful from where you are and know that you are thinking of them?

Be cautious about getting caught up in the commercialism of Paganism. It’s quite unlikely that most of our ancestors had specialized tools reserved only for ritual. Leaving an offering near your hearth fire or outside near a pile of rocks for your deity is no less acceptable than leaving it on your altar. It’s the intent that counts.

I appreciate this point. Something central to Celtic thought which I also see reflected in First Nations spirituality (in Australia) is the idea that the ordinary is sacred and the sacred is ordinary.

 

[Lillith37]

The witch hunts of the renaissance period should be mentioned here as well. The modern image of a witch with a crooked nose and green skin and ugly, bent fingers permeates our society. Many years ago I read a short essay by a modern witch that addressed this image. People who were thought to be witches were often tortured. Their bones were broken, their bodies bruised and their living conditions filthy. By the time these people were put to death, after being paraded through town on the way, they would look horrific. Those bruises would be in various stages of healing, often green and yellow are the last colors of healing bruises. Bent, grotesque fingers and noses were broken and hadn’t been set to heal properly. Their voices were ragged and broken from screaming in pain and people often confessed just to make it stop.

I think it’s really important to acknowledge this too. I did a bit of study about the witch hunts in university. Fascinating, and terrifying. The whole drowning in a cage for example — if she floats, she’s a witch and must be executed. If she drowns, she was an innocent woman.

A lot of people who were “different” e.g. left handed people, people who have what we now know to be autism — were also targeted. One of my favourite authors Hannah Kent wrote a book called The Good People which is set in 1800s Ireland which explores this sort of thing. There’s a little boy in the story who has what we would now consider to have some sort of thing like autism or epilepsy but they think he’s a changeling from the faeries.

 

[NagemTX]

Have you seen fire opal?

 

[Red Mangrove]

Something central to Celtic thought which I also see reflected in First Nations spirituality (in Australia) is the idea that the ordinary is sacred and the sacred is ordinary.

I think that's the default mode of humanity. Only Abrahamic religion and a few other aberrant cults are dualistic in dividing the sacred and mundane apart from one another

It's unfortunate that such views predominate right now because it reduces the world into something to be exploited

 

[igorsMistress]

I think that's the default mode of humanity. Only Abrahamic religion and a few other aberrant cults are dualistic in dividing the sacred and mundane apart from one another

It's unfortunate that such views predominate right now because it reduces the world into something to be exploited

It certainly does.

 

[igorsMistress]

I appreciate this point. Something central to Celtic thought which I also see reflected in First Nations spirituality (in Australia) is the idea that the ordinary is sacred and the sacred is ordinary.

I think it makes the most sense. People had their basic necessities, not houses full of junk they didn’t use or that served no purpose. Thanks again for the book recommendation, I have a copy coming next week.