The Divine Feminine In The Left Hand Path WITHOUT Appropriation

Sapphomanteia (or ‘Sapphomancy’) is a divination system performed by casting dice to identify one of sixty-four possible number combinations, each referencing a fragment of Sappho’s lyrical poetry. This line of poetry can then be interpreted to answer the posed question, or as a guide to think over.

I have carefully selected sixty-four fragments from various translations of Sappho’s work – Diane Rayor, Anne Carson, Aaron Poochigan, and Mary Barnard. The end of each fragment is marked with its relevant reference number as per E. W. Voigt’s numbering system.

To perform Sapphomanteia:

Roll 3 four-sided dice (or roll one dice three times) and use the three digits rolled to reference the corresponding fragment in bold below.

(Online dice rollers here or here).

As with many forms of divination, you could say a prayer to Sappho or another god for guidance in your reading before you start.

~

111 - Yes, we did many things, then - all beautiful (24a)

112 - Golden-crowned Aphrodite, may I draw this lot (33)

113 - I hunger and I struggle (36)

114 - In the dripping of my pain may winds and anguish take him who condemns (37)

121 - You scorch us (38)

122 - To you I sacrifice on the altar a white goat and I will leave for you (40)

123 - My lovely friends, how could I change towards you who are so beautiful? (41)

124 - Their hearts grow cold and their wings fell slack (42)

131 - As long as you want (45)

132 - On a soft cushion I will lay my body down (46)

133 - Without warning as a whirlwind swoops on an oak, Love shakes my heart (47)

134 - You came and I was crazy for you, and you cooled my mind that burned with longing (48)

141 - The gorgeous man presents a gorgeous view; the good man will in time be gorgeous, too (50)

142 - I don’t know what to do - I am of two minds (51)

143 - I don’t expect to touch heaven (52)

144 - Having come from heaven wrapped in a purple cloak (54)

211 - Dead you will lie and never memory of you will there be (55 partial)

212 - I think no woman of such skill will ever again see the light of day (56)

213 - What country girl seduces your wits wearing a country dress not knowing how to pull the cloth to her ankles? (57)

214 - Yet I love the finer things … this and passion for the light of life have granted me brilliance and beauty (58)

221 - Because the blessed Graces grant gifts to the garlanded and snub the worshipper with no flowers on her head (81)

222 - I will love you … as long as breath is in me … will care (88a)

223 - Clothed her well in delicate linen (100)

224 - The evening star is the most beautiful of all stars (104b)

231 - The sweet apple reddens on a high branch, high upon highest, missed by the applepickers: No, they didn’t miss, so much as couldn’t touch (105a)

232 - Like a hyacinth in the mountains, trampled by shepherds until only a purple stain remains on the ground (105b)

233 - Superior as a singer from Lesbos to those of other lands (106)

234 - We shall give, says father (109)

241 - I can best compare you to a slender sapling (115)

242 - Come, divine lyre, speak to me and sing! (118)

243 - I have no spiteful temper but am calm in mind (120)

244 - A delicate young girl plucking flowers (122)

311 - I myself once wove garlands (125)

312 - May you sleep on the breast of a tender companion (126)

313 - Come close, you precious Graces and Muses with beautiful tresses (128)

314 - But you have forgotten me (129a)

321 - Once again Love, that loosener of limbs, bittersweet and inescapable, crawling thing, seizes me (130)

322 - I conversed with you in a dream Kyprogeneia (134)

323 - Messenger of spring, nightingale with enticing song (136)

324 - I want to tell you something but good taste restrains me (137)

331 - Stand before me as a friend and flaunt the charm in your eyes (138)

332 - Ambrosia mixed in a bowl that Hermes, flask in hand, poured for the gods (141)

333 - Golden chickpeas grew on the shores (143)

334 - Don’t move piles of pebbles (145)

341 - Neither the honey nor the bee for me (146)

342 - Someone will remember us, I say, even in another time (147)

343 - Wealth without virtue makes a dangerous neighbour, while their blend holds the pinnacle of happiness (148)

344 - When nightlong celebration closes their eyes (149)

411 - For it is not right in a house of the Muses that there be lament, this would not become us (150)

412 - As the full moon rose, women stood round the altar (154)

413 - Far sweeter in song than a lyre, more golden than gold (156)

414 - When anger spreads in the breast, guard against an idly barking tongue (158)

421 - Now I will sing this beautifully to delight my companions (160)

422 - With what eyes? (162)

423 - The Moon and Pleiades have set - half the night is gone. Time passes. I sleep alone (164b)

424 - Gaia, richly crowned, adorns herself in many hues (168c)

431 - I would lead (169)

432 - A vine that grows up trees (173)

433 - Easy passage (181)

434 - I might go (182)

441 – Danger (184)

442 – Honeyvoiced (185)

443 – Mythweaver (188)

444 – Manyskilled (190)

~

This has been a project of love and devotion, and I am very excited to share it with you all. Many, many, many thanks to @ofhoneyandflame​ and @thegrapeandthefig​ for all their help, guidance and input through this process <3

Sea Magic : A Sea Witch bottle for Protection

Sea Magic is that which is practiced by the ocean, or using objects related to the ocean or coastline. It has been practiced for hundreds of years, as populations have always resided close by.

The oceans have always been worshipped, feared, revered, and cherished; and many stories of ocean gods, goddesses, sea creatures, and mermaids have been passed down through the generations, adding to the mystery and magic of the Sea.

Today I am sharing a simple spell from Scott Cunningham’s Earth Power, which is used as a protective device.

A SEA WITCH’S BOTTLE

Take a medium or large jar with a tight-fitting lid and a bag to the ocean very early in the morning, and preferably after High Tide.

Walk on the beach gathering small pieces of driftwood, shells, rocks, and any other natural object which has been thrown up onto the sand by the waves. When you have gathered several things, stop, sit on the beach, and spread them out before you. Please each item in the jar, and as you do repeat the following verse.

"Amulet of the sea which I have found, protective energy in you is bound."

When each piece is placed in the jar add a half-handful of sand and then fill with seawater. Tightly cap and take it home with you. On your property bury the bottle. As you place in the hole repeat the following.

"Waves on sand, the tides in motion; you are now a silent ocean. Avert all evil to the sea; this is my will, so mote it be."

Cover, and return the earth to a normal appearance. If you can’t bury the bottle bury it in a flowerpot instead. The jar will act as a protective device for the home and all those who reside in it.

Warning about @/jesusrules, I was followed by them so they may be going around the occult/witchy side of Tumblr, likely with focus on Infernal practices. Their whole blog is bigotry, nationalism and conspiracy theories.

Offerings for Lucifer

Fruit and anything made of fruit - especially apples, pomegranates or whatever your culture pictures as The Fruit. Strawberries for Venusian (Morningstar) associations, citrus for Solar. Cider, wine, juice, kompot, fruit teas. Cakes and other sweets made with fruit.

Strong spirits - often associated with the Devil.

Roses - Venusian. You can also give him rose water, alone or mixed with vodka.

Dandelions - for their chaotic, wild, untamed, unconquerable spirit.

Any plants associated with the Devil in your culture. Research your local lore and especially folk names to find them. Check their biological properties too - many of them can be poisonous so be careful.

Snake imagery - pictures, figurines, photos, any kind of arts and crafts. You can even make something yourself. As well imagery of goats and other animals associated with him.

Star imagery - especially Morningstar and falling stars.

Shed antlers - for Lucifer in his horned Devil of The Forest aspect.

Sunflower seeds - Solar.

Perfume or oils, especially of scents associated with him (apples etc.)

Your art of any kind dedicated to him.

Picrews of them - they enjoy it in my experience.

Queer symbols - Lucifer is a nonbinary shapeshifter.

Cakes, cookies and chocolate - just a delicious UPG.

(Made for Lucifer the Devil, offerings for the Roman Lucifer may vary.)

Since Esoteric Archives is down, let me remind y'all I have a drive full of demonology pdfs!

I have:

Abremlin 1,2, and 3

Aradia Gospel of the Witches

Three books of Occult Philosophy

A letter by John Dee

Ars Goetia/Lemegeton

Psuedomonarchia Daemonum

Liber Officiorum Spirituum

Book of Oberon

Ars Notoria

A Guide to Grand Jury Men

Forbidden Rites

Faust Tragedy

Grand Grimoire

Grimoium Verum

Grimoire of Honorius

Grimoire of Turiel

Grimoirum Imperium

Livre des Esperitz

Munich Manual of Demonic Magic

Hygromanteia

FASCICULUS RERUM GEOMANTICARUM

Black Pullet

The Demonology of King James 1

Testament of Solomon

Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie

Dictionairre Infernal

Daemoniality or Incubi and Succubi 18+

Irish Witchcraft and Demonology

I also have:

Demonolatry:

Goetic Common Sense

Satanism:

Paradise Lost

Modern Satanism: A Review

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/173UJXWyDMHvsEpFSAZCMWRKVKHO_m4Uh

Library Tips For Magic Practitioners

As a Missouri librarian, I've gotten to know my library district pretty well. So here are some tips for you!

Tip 1: Dewey is your friend.

And by that I mean the Dewey Decimal System (a more in-depth list is in that link) is your friend. It breaks down as follows:

000: General Knowledge (encyclopedias, newspapers, almanacs, etc)

100: Psychology & Philosophy (feelings, logic, friendships, etc)

200: Religions & Mythology (Bible stories, Native American myths, classical mythology, etc)

300: Social Sciences & Folklore (families, career, money, government, etc)

400: Languages (English, Spanish, American Sign Language, grammar, etc)

500: Math & Science (arithmetic, animals, rocks, plants, fossils, etc)

600: Medicine & Technology (inventions, machines, farming, health, etc)

700: Arts & Recreation (crafts, painting, music, games, sports, etc)

800: Literature (poetry, plays, novels from other countries, etc)

900: Geography & History (countries, biographies, etc)

If you're looking for ghosts, divination, and witchcraft specifically, look around 133. That's where I've found most of my magic-based books to borrow. You'll also find books talking about people's near-death experiences or reincarnation around this point.

While fiction technically falls in the 800s, most libraries will have it separate from nonfiction. You may still find things like poems or memoirs in the nonfiction section. Some libraries will have the biographies separated into their own section. A few libraries (at least here in Missouri) will have state-specific sections where you can learn more about local stuff.

Tip 2: There are computers and printers to use.

If you can't research something at home for literally any reason, getting a library card will often grant you access to using the computers and printers in the library.

When using the printer, some libraries will charge based on how much ink you use, other libraries will charge based on how much paper you use, and other libraries will charge based on some other criteria.

Be aware that you lose access to these if you reach a certain level of overdue materials or money is charged to your library card until the materials are returned/paid for or the money is paid off. Luckily, librarians are here to help you and can tell you what's missing.

Tip 3: Libraries have more than books.

Seriously. The main branch of my library district has 3D printers, telescopes, gaming systems to use in-building, and more stuff that I didn't even pay attention to because I was scrambling to learn the behind-the-counter stuff. Feel free to ask us for something and we can see if it's in-county for ya!

Audiobooks are often available on CDs and in the form of Playaways, which are like MP3 players with a single book on them. You will need a wire-connected set of earbuds or a wire-connected headset and batteries. Some libraries sell earbuds, but not batteries.

Large Print books will often have their own special designation as LP, but more often they have their own shelf sections. You'll find a surprising number of Westerns there, but there are Large Print nonfiction books.

Tip 4: Requesting materials.

Not finding something you're looking for? Ask the front desk for help! In Missouri, we have the Missouri Evergreen system, which means we can borrow books from all over the state* on the topic you're looking for.

If we can't find it (or you're in a library that doesn't have such a monumental reach), then you can often fill out a book request form. We will then do our best to order the book for you - but be aware that it could take many months, and most of the time, people will cancel their order of the book well before our budget catches up or we even have time to get the book processed and integrated into the system. Patience is key when ordering a new book.

*At participating branches - not every library district in our state is part of Missouri Evergreen.

Tip 5: Self-checkout is a thing.

At least, it is here in Missouri. If you don't want to interact with the front desk, there are often self-checkout stations for books, DVDs, audiobooks, et cetera. Even my middle-of-nowhere branch has one!

Unfortunately, this won't work for other things, like updating your card once it expires or resolving monetary charges (which will both send you to the front desk).

Tip 6: Search the new shelves.

Some libraries like mine will have specially-designated "New Shelves", where you can find a lot of the most recent releases. If you're trying to find something in a particular number that you saw on the search but can't find it, it may be on the new shelf. These get cycled out whenever new books come in, which may mean that you have several months' worth of new releases to dig through.

In short, I hope this helps you in your search through the library! Best of luck to you!

~Jasper

What're some witchy uses for sea glass??

Thinking about seaglass, try to describe it.  Most of the time, sea glass is foggy. It is definitely smooth, being tumbled in the ocean among rocks and sand.  It’s certainly been through a lot to look the way it does.  Think about color too, and how this could impact any correspondences–is it blue, green, brown, white, clear? What does it make you think of when you hold it? 

Some uses I can think of:

Foggy sea glass:

a curse to interfere with the target’s ability to think clearly.

a glamour that masks your intentions, or certain physical characteristics that you want to keep hidden.

scrying

Smooth:

use it similar to a “worry stone” [external link]

a spell to “smooth over” a rough situation or relationship

added to any spell to make your desired outcome manifest “smoothly”

Green:

in money spells

in fertility spells

in abundance spells

Blue:

in calming spells

in healing spells

in water-related spells or to invoke the element of water

White:

in purification/cleansing spells

in moon magic

in peace spells

in protection spells

Etc & Etc

With some wire wrapping, you can turn a piece of sea glass into a piece of jewelry to make a charm that you can wear.  Or just slip it into your pocket.

Or you can just add it to a spell bottle or charm bag.

A quick google search brought up quite a few results of others exploring this idea as well.

Faces of Lucifer #2

Fallen Angel

As one of the Fallen, Lucifer has been through Hell. And yet he survived, and he lights the way of those who go through Hell of their own.

Lucifer knows sorrow, he understands pain and grief. He is there for the hurt, the outcast, the oppressed. He understands those with religious, family, or any kind of trauma, and he will be there for them.

He knows how is it to be hurt, vulnerable and angry, and will teach protection and baneful magic to those who need it. He knows maleficium is not synonymous with malice and doesn’t expect anyone to be nice to their oppressors.

Some say he has become a monster consumed by hate, wishing only suffering on human beings. But it is so far from true. He knows what suffering is like, and has compassion for those who are in pain.

His light could not be extinguished, and it is warm. And he understands.

Luciferian Journal Prompts

What does the story of the Fall mean to you?

Do you relate to it in some way? How?

What are your thoughts on the idea and symbolism of Hell?

Ritual Acts

Contemplating falling stars.

Reading / watching a catharthic story.

Expressing feelings through music.

Offering ideas

Feathers.

Blackberries. He is said to have fallen in a bush of bramble on his way to Hell, and since then, they are one of his plants.*

A cup of nice, warm tea and a place at your table. He gives so many his warmth and kindness, he deserves some too.

*Source of the bramble lore piece: Plants of the Devil, Corinne Boyer. More demonic lore about blackberries and other plants can be found in the book.

EVERYTHING YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT LILITH

Lots of people are interested in Lilith, and understandably so: she’s fascinating! Unfortunately this interest often leads to a lot of cultural appropriation, misinformation, and even antisemitism, so here’s a quick (ok… medium) rundown of everybody’s favorite mythological femme fatale:

WHO IS LILITH?

The most central and most popular story of Lilith comes from a midrash, a Jewish Rabbinical text designed to fill holes/answer questions within Jewish teachings. Lilith was the world’s first woman, created alongside Adam from the same clay. Adam insisted that Lilith must “lie beneath him” (either literally during sex or figuratively through general submissiveness, depending on your translation/interpretation) but Lilith refused, asserting they were equals. When both sides refused to relent, Lilith spoke a sacred name of Gd and took flight, choosing to leave the Garden of Eden completely rather than stay and be subjugated by Adam. Here her role shifts to something traditionally more “villainous:” she becomes the mother of demons, corrupted seductress of human men, consort to Samael, and an explanation for infant mortality. Sometimes “big” Lilith (Demon Queen, demon mother) and “little” Lilith (succubus, baby killer) are separated as two different sheydim, but usually she’s treated as just one singular figure. 

It’s easy to see why a figure like this would scare the shit out of a patriarchal society. Lilith was considered a threat to Jewish survival, killing babies, corrupting the women and emasculating the men. Her image scared people of all genders into submission. However, Lilith’s image has undergone a feminist shift in recent decades. While many Jewish communities to this day still perceive her as a totally evil active threat, she can also represent a more nuanced look at what Jewish femininity means, how a patriarchal society pushes and twists the narratives of Jewish women, standing up for ourselves even if we’re viewed as monstrous, and even bodily autonomy, sexual freedom, and abortion rights.

One thing to clear up right away- traditionally, Lilith is NOT a goddess. She is a sheyd, or a Jewish demon. While she often gets absorbed into the Wiccan goddess archetypes and conflated with other entities who ARE considered deities in their respective religions, Lilith was never considered a goddess herself in Jewish tradition. You will sometimes hear the claim that she was a Sumerian goddess that Judaism “stole” and demonized (we’ll come back to this) but the credibility of this take is….dubious, at best. Likely the class of Sumerians called the lilit/u helped influence her depictions, but there’s no evidence to suggest a singular Sumerian goddess figure named Lilith. Her stories come from texts exclusive to Judaism that are not shared with other Abrahamic religions. Her  

CULTURAL APPROPRIATION

The fetishization of Judaism (and Lilith in particular) within ceremonial occultism and a new wave of New Age, goddess-focused spirituality created a perfect storm for Lilith to be picked up and flown away with. As you can imagine, Lilith is a deeply complicated figure, and most of those conversations are internal ones within the context of Judaism. Most of the time, Lilith gets reduced to nothing but a spooky sexy #BossBabe bone-thin white woman with absolutely zero nuance or self awareness. She’s the occult world’s imaginary goth girlfriend. She is declawed, forced into goddess archetypes she was never made for, nonchalantly twisted into whatever entity goyim want her to be, then passed along with ahistorical misinformation about her origins. 

This content then floods the market, making it extraordinarily difficult for Jewish people to find accurate, reliable information about figures from their own culture.

Even better, sometimes people will take the idea that Judaism “stole” Lilith to perpetuate antisemitism, talking about how Jews were/are “rabid monotheists” (a genuine quote I heard once,) how we must all just be so sexist and terrible, The Jews™ ruined Paganism, etc.

WHAT IF I WANT TO WORK WITH LILITH?

There’s definitely nothing wrong with learning ABOUT Lilith, recognizing her or believing in her, but if you want to work with her consider more open, respectful alternatives. She often gets conflated with Ishtar, Hekate, the Morrigan, Nyx. Maybe you’re a spirit worker and can look into succubi or the Sumerian liilitu. Look at WHY she interests you; have you been taken in by the goyiche allure of a declawed goth #BossBabe? Can you simply take inspiration from her stories and use it to reflect on yourself/think about it without worshipping her? If you HAVE to work with SPECIFICALLY her, why? Are you willing to go through the proper channels and convert?

As always, please feel free to ask me any questions and I’ll do what I can to help! 

FURTHER STUDY MATERIAL 

Podcast: Throwing Sheyd, better living through Jewish demonology 

Article: Origins of Lilith: Jewish or Not? by the wonderful @jewitchry

Article: Who is Lilith? (And Everything Else You’ve Ever Wanted to Ask About Lilith) by the wonderful @spiritroots

Book: Which Lilith?: Feminist Writers Re-Create the World’s First Woman (edited by Enid Dame

A Serenity Prayer from the Satanic Sober Faction:

"I grant myself the courage to take responsibility for my Own actions,

The power to let go of that which does not serve me,

And the wisdom to seek help when needed.

Hail Satan"