Thinking Of Jesus At The Gay Bar Again………

"What Epithet of Lady Athena do you worship?"

Every. Last. One.

I...tried to make a meme and got carried away and made A Thing that is like partially unfinished because i spent like 3 hours on it and then got tired.

I think this is mostly scientifically accurate but truth be told, there seems to be relatively little research on succession in regards to lawns specifically (as opposed to like, pastures). I am not exaggerating how bad they are for biodiversity though—recent research has referred to them as "ecological deserts."

Feel free to repost, no need for credit

THERE ARE NO CERTAIN LEVEL DEITIES. COMPLETELY AGREED!

However, there are deities who may not work for you. Just because someone works well with one deity, doesn’t mean you’ll have an easy time with them as well. every one works in different areas at different speeds.

your craft is your own. let none other tell you how to walk your path.

I’ve seen numerous of people saying that there are beginner deities and hard deities. Here’s the thing: do not allow people to stop you from working with deities. You are allowed to work with any deities you wish, and there is no such thing as certain level deities.

Look! It's a Hypnos devotee running in with a message!

You are not a bad person for finding it difficult to go to sleep. You are not a bad peron for finding it difficult to wake up. You are not cursed by Hypnos or Morpheus of the Oneroi for having nightmares. You have not displeased them for not having or not remembering your dreams. Just because you had a nightmare or couldn't get to sleep does not mean you've angered any gods. You are human. Your mind still works on it's own accord. Yes, even if you prayed that night - yes, even if you're a devotee - yes, even if you give offerings - yes, even if they are your patrons - you are not expemt from science. Of course things can have spiritual meanings, but not everything does. Hypnos loves you. Morpheus loves you. The Oneroi love you; no matter any sleeping disorders or issues you may have. Stay safe and mundane before magical my friends.

as someone who spent a long time in that category of worshippers and is still unlearning some of it, i’ve been making more of an effort to use Theoi vs gods (for more of an anthropological perspective discussion.) i’ve wanted to open more of the barrel of monkeys that is reconstructing ancient religion, but in this current day and age, it’s a little more difficult to trust sources.

do you have any known reliable resources for finding the more historically accurate terms (unfortunately digging through texts isn’t always accessible and google can’t be trusted anymore) or is there terms you prefer to use?

I hate a lot of terms adjacent to HelPol spaces. So many of them are indicative of 1. Being raised with Christianity 2. Lack of deconstruction of those beliefs and 3. Utter lack of research (what I call Tik-tokisms)

I do not like the terms deity, misuse of the term “altar”, ever using patron, “my gods or goddesses”, devotee, “reach out” (as in a spirit is reaching out), “talking to the gods”, offending the gods.

I’ve got some REALLLY unpopular opinions about Ares, some primordial spirits, Khaos, like.

I am selective about the term “god”, (Theos and Theoí are commonly more appropriate to my conversations). I’m also slightly apprehensive around the phrase “work with”, but that being said I don’t care as much.

I am a freed gizzard

I am the cheese lizard

What I've Done Instead of Shadow Work

This is going to be the last thing I say on the topic of shadow work, because, honestly I'm getting bored of the subject and would rather go back to talking about spirit work, or spells, or any of the many other subjects that I care a thousand times more about. Some folks seem to be hearing “I refuse to do any introspection” when I say "I have never and will never do shadow work". I have done lots of introspection, I've done therapy that follows evidence based practices, I just see no reason do try and guide myself through a method of therapy with little to no scientific evidence. But in case anyone's curious, or wants some tips, here's what I've done instead! Mindfulness exercises: I love mindfulness exercises that train you to think about your thoughts, but not judge them. Consistent mindfulness practice has really helped me become more aware of my internal thought processes, what I get hung up on, what I struggle with, what emotions I’m feeling and what caused them.

The Artist Way & Embrace Your Weird: These are both self help books for creative folks with a heavy emphasis on journaling and self expression. I found both of these helpful in different ways when I felt like I was struggling with creative burnout or felt like I was stuck in the daily grind of my day job.

Journaling: I keep multiple journals! One is a commonplace book that I fill up with on the spot thoughts, quotes, song lyrics, etc. just stuff I want to remember. The other I write in every morning when I first wake up, a continuation of the morning pages from the Artist’s Way, to just unpack and process whatever going on in my head.

Therapy: Actual real therapy with a licensed professional. I specifically see a pain psychologist because most of what we focus on is the impact my chronic pain has on my and developing healthy coping mechanisms for that.

I think what gets a bee in my bonnet the most about the few negative reactions I’ve gotten on this topic is that these folks seem most concerned about the trauma and “inner demons” aspects of shadow work. There’s always something about how dangerous or unhealthy it is for me or even those around me for me to have not delt with my trauma via shadow work. I don’t like that they presume to know my life and mental health history without having ever spoken to me. And I really don’t like the insistance that everyone has the same kind of trauma that needs to be healed in the same way.

i did not touch a physical spell component (other than paper and pen for sigil work) for the first year i was a closeted witch as a minor.

i performed multiple spells to varying degrees of success (it's been 10 years no i don't remember details) all with energy work basics i had put together from multiple witchblr sources and a long history of therapy and mediation.

witchcraft is INTENTION. physical components only focus and guide your energy to make your working stronger/easier on you. Intention is the basis of all magic, and can accomplish most basic tasks just fine.

You don’t need to work with anything to be a witch.

Not a thing. You don’t need to work with any spirits.

You don’t have to work any tools.

You don’t have to work with any gods.

You don’t have to work with anything, you just need your own energy. Anyone that says otherwise is wrong or trying to sell you something.

You don’t have to work with anything to be a witch. But… you can. You can work with all the things you like.

But a lot of the things you will probably end up working with the most will be gifts, things you made. Things that came to you in odd ways, spirits that come into your craft when you weren’t even thinking about it.

So many witches get $100 books if shadows and never write in them, because they are afraid to “mess it up.”

Nice things are nice, but they won’t make you a powerful witch.