So I still can’t believe the state of crazy this country has come to. Last night I saw the news to find out that Paul Pelosi was attacked by….an evil hippie. Yeah you read that right. I knew it was going to be a right wing extremist. But a right wing hippie? Seriously? Is California now in competition with Florida over how insane to be? Mother Fucker is crazy.
This looney toon protested all laws that force people to wear cloths. His girlfriend “Gypsy” had a show called “9/11 Uncensored” where she talked about 9/11 truth conspiracy theories……. while naked. And he also thinks the 2020 election was stolen. Oh, and he makes hemp jewelry š¤. I laughed when I read that part in the article.
American Media has such an anal retentive obsession with putting every inch of detail into their stories. That they actually think people will care if this guy made hemp jewelry or not. You know, after reading that some psycho attacked somebody else with a hammer and that he protested wearing cloths, I don’t think anyone is really interested in that part of his history. Really I just summarized the whole article for you with this. The only thing I didn’t mention was his name. Which is in the article.
What I really want to know is, how the Fuck did he get inside her home so easily? Don’t these people have security? King Ben! What’s your take on this shit?
Manatee mating ritual according to National Geographic.
I’ve always known that Florida is full of perverts. Just check out the Republican Party over here. Especially Matt Gaetz. We have to hide our Girl Scouts when he shows up. But this is ridiculous.
Now we have people in Fucking Florida interrupting Manatee Orgies. Which btw awesome! Good for them. Kinky sex is perfectly natural. Our manatees prove it. I’m just waiting for Ron DeSantis to pass a law prohibiting “immoral sexual relations” between manatees.
Cause you know, that occupies a lot of his time. And GOP in general. It’s been a while since I actually made a post. So it’s only fitting that my first post in a while should be a Florida Man post lol. Next time there’s a furry convention I fully expect people to wear manatee suits. Here’s the Young Turks video on the subject.
In Florida even our animals are perverted
I just made your Monday more interesting. You’re welcome.
I havenāt done these in a while. But I am so glad to have the energy to do it again! So here we are. Tonight is a rare planetary alignment.
Rule of the Gods
From left to right : The Roman Gods Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus
This information comes from Magical Recipes Online. Apparently this is a 666 portal. The 6th day of the 6th month of the year resulting in 6 (2+0+2+2= 6). According to the article, these numbers align with the planets on Monday. Now even though the names of the Planets in Western Culture are of the Roman Gods, it could apply to other Gods as well.
For instance in Santeria it would Elegua, Ochun, Shango, Obatala, Iku for Kronos, and Olofi for Uranus. The point is the rulers of these cosmic forces are aligning tonight. So itās necessary to work with them. To pray to them. To ensure that we can channel these energies for good.
Most people think of using power for themselves. Donāt do that tonight. Tonight think of humanity, the other non human animals, the trees and stones, and soil. The very air in fact. And call for a regeneration.
Ask your Gods whatever blessings they deem you are worthy of.
Numerology
This number is super misunderstood by a bunch of people thanks to Christian thinking. Iām not saying that it doesnāt have at least one demonic connotation or definition. But most of the time the number is actually positive, image from this video
In China, 666 is the number of Prosperity. It brings great wealth. And many Chinese businesses utilize the number. In conjunction with special shrines to get more customers and make more money. I first learned of this after working in a restaurant for a Chinese business woman here in Florida.
Hell, itās even used in Gamer Slang in China. And some people pay extra just to have those numbers in their personal phone number or license plate. So starting with that, itās a vary prosperous number. And will bring blessings to everyone. So perhaps give offerings of six pieces of food, with six candles, and six incense sticks.
Itās a simple offering that can be used as a ritual to focus your intent. And to spread the healing energies and good things everywhere.
It should be also noted that some associate the number 6 with the Goddess Venus and the literal planet Venus (others believe itās the number 5). Venus rules over love, prosperity, healing, peace, harmony, stability, and fertility. Mercury opens the Road for us. But itās Venus, who is the second to first Deity in the line up, who brings us these things.
Astrology
The alignment extends towards the month of June. The best time to watch the alignment of worlds is thirty minutes before sunrise. June is also the month of the highest spiritual light. Because itās sacred to Juno, the Queen of the Roman Gods. So all of this brings blessings into the astrology.
Astronomically speaking, this type of event hasnāt happened since 2004. Tomorrow, the waning crescent moon will also be a part of the alignment. So now is the time to do all good workings. And let the Gods bless you as they will.
This is on the Saturn, Mercury, and Neptune Reyrogrades
From Pandora Astrology
Thatās enough for now everyone. The only thing I will remind you is that the world will become extra liminal. This alignment will thin the veil of it hasnāt already. So protect yourself well. Spirits will try to trick you.
āSeriously, fuck Daylight Saving Time. What a pointless and stupid thing it is,ā
Daylight savings is one of the most idiotic inventions ever. And no, it wasnāt Benjamin Franklin who invented it. Franklin had satirized the idea of Daylight savings. Because he also thought it was stupid. It was a New Zealander who invented the idea.
And to think this man proposed the idea because he liked having extra time to collect BUGS. No, I shit you not. This atrocity against humanity is so bad, that even my friend George apologized on behalf of all people named George.
But seriously, poor Hudson had no idea how it would be used. Mr. Hudson had a job that allowed him to shift his schedule. And it gave him extra time to indulge in his hobbies. He proposed Daylight savings so people would have extra time to relax and have fun. Unfortunately, thatās not at all what happened. Businessmen/women have used it to squeeze extra hours of work out of their workers.
In effect making our lives more stressful. All to make them wealthier. So like all things, Daylight savings time has been perverted from its original purpose. Perhaps what we need to do is to reclaim it. And try to enjoy ourselves and have hobbies again.
On the upside, Puerto Rico said fuck you to the corporate DST we use today from the get go. They have never used it lol. But donāt blame poor George. Blame the Corporate world that uses this initially wonderful idea, to screw with our bodies further for a buck. And now I leave you with one final thought.
Itās an interview done years ago with an elderly Native American. They told him what Daylight savings was and what the purpose was for. This was his response.
Actual picture outside my window right now. Obviously you canāt tell itās raining. But you can tell by the grey of the skies how the weather is
So it was 2:21am Eastern Time when I began writing this. Now itās 3Am. And I am consumed by so many thoughts. I was exhausted hours ago and could have slept on the couch and taken a shower in the morning. Canāt do that.
Itās disgusting. So I shower and when I finally come out Iām not sleepy anymore. I lay here in my bed with all this energy. But I donāt want to do anything. I wrote some more of my story.
Got that done. Now what? I donāt know. In the old days I wrote poetry. This weather is perfect for it. I love the rain.
I have loved it since I was a child. I remember my Abuela baby sitting me and I pretended I was under the ocean in a submarine. Like the Nautilus. So many places I want to go.
One of the Roller Ships created by American Inventor Ross Winans. Itās believed by many that this strange ship was the origin of the Nautilus. Itās not a submarine though.
So many things I want to do. But for now, I am where I need to be. And Iām happy. But I have trouble silencing that annoying little voice. That voice that tells me I need to be āon the roadā as if Jack Kerouac were rising from the grave to whisper in my ear.
Sorry Jack, I donāt want to die. Omicron is everywhere. I seek, I seek, I seek……something. For once it isnāt food. I had some Cuban pizza and my belly still feels full to bursting.
I am consumed with desire. Iām horny all the time now. Before the pandemic I was anti social but I could still date. Or fuck, as dating implies some level of emotional connection. Now besides fear of STDās or unplanned pregnancies, I feel like every time someone coughs I have to be baptized in hand sanitizer.
Yay!
Iām thinking of road trips I never took. Beach days I should have gone to. Even girls who liked me in high school and college that I didnāt like back. And now Iām think : What a dick! You should have given them a chance. Thereās more to life than looks. Thereās heart.
And when we get old, most of us get ugly anyways. Better to take the time to get to know someoneās heart. And spend your life with someone who will actually care about you and you them. I wish I had done that instead of being so vain. So much I would do differently now.
Youth really is wasted on the young.
Gods what I would give just to meet someone in a mall. And date or have an affair like the old days. No, not a real affair. It wasnāt with anyone who had a man in her life (or woman). I mean keeping it discreet.
When will my unquiet, horny, mind and my bored soul just shut the fuck to let me sleep? To sleep. And to let me dream of my own nautilus. And perhaps some Mermaids beneath the waves,
Thereās something very strange this yearās Halloween
To say this year is weird is an understatement. It feels like a bridge between one era and another, Trump and post Trump. The Pandemic and us trying to undo it. Like a slow recovery from a long disease. And itās fucking annoying.
But it seems to be going on overdrive as our year draws to an end. The energy lately seems poisoned. At least through some of my friends and associations. Something odd is going on. I plan to do a separate divination on that at a later time.
For now I am going to focus on the Full Hunterās Moon in the sign of Aries. The Hunterās Moon is a warriorās moon. So add Aries to the mix and you have a semi violent lunar event. I say semi because I am sure many annoying people out there will talk about how it revitalized their lives. Or they experienced it differently.
Or it gave them energy and blah blah blah you must be morning people so no one gives a fuck what you think. Iām not sleeping well and I am grumpy as hell. Can you tell?
The God of War is kicking my ass right now. So perhaps this is happening to a whole mess of other people. Here are the cliff notes version. The God of war is all about self control and self discipline. Taking control over your own life.
This is something that he and his siblings all have in common with their parents Zeus and Hera. The ability to take control of oneās destiny. Of oneās life. Unfortunately, that also means you have to face the issues in your life that are after you and going at you. And that part is me speaking.
I didnāt get that from any article. My experience with Aries is that sometimes he causes conditions similar to a retrograde that causes turmoil in your life. Nor everyone feels that way. Some people find themselves energized by it and theyāre jumping up and down happy ready to take on the world. I hate those people. Those people tend to be sports people or socialites or whatever the fuck.
And they tend to be so damned optimistic that you just want to strangle th- oops sorry. I feel like Iāve entered the dark side of the force. Anyways, Iām doing my best to go through it. Because for whatever reason the higher powers are sending shit my way. And not all of it is mine.
All Hallows
This also happens to be the Halloween full moon. So we have a triple aggressive power here. A chthonic pulse which has been slowly growing since August. And is building up to a magical explosion. Now what that explosion is? I have no idea.
Mostly because everyone has a different path to take. And also cause Aries is a God. So good luck trying to find out his secrets and plans. This is also a time for power reclaiming rituals and ceremonies. Lord Aries wants you to re-examine what does and doesnāt work in your life.
And then, to get rid of it. Burn it in the ceremonial bonfire of the soul. Destroy it so completely and utterly so that you can get out all the things you need to get out.
Let the Fire of the Ancestors burn brightly within you
Itās time to work with Chthonic Aries and the dead. Now, we donāt have any of his old names or titles as far as I know because it has been lost to time. But there are ancient accounts that say he was considered a God of the dead on the battlefield. And that the blood of the dead satisfied him. So in this way we should we honor him.
Lots of Greek Gods had a Chthonic aspect. It would be weird if he didnāt. Because the primary function of a soldier is to kill people in war. Using Bombs for peace is like fucking for virginity as the hippies say. Although I have heard that there is an aspect of him as a God of peace.
So itās not totally unheard of. As a blood red warrior he takes us down the path of destruction. So that from that destruction we can rise again. This moon is as important as All Hallowās Eve is. Itās the moon of our ancestors.
The moon of our blood and our kin. Here are some more articles on the moon to read. From Cherokee Billie these two articles. Article 1 and Article 2
It should also go without saying, that all about tough love. So my advise is, enter a deep meditation and actively work with him and this moon phase. And start destroying crap you donāt need and severing ties you shouldnāt have. For that I actually do have two recommendations: Shadow Work, immediately followed by a Hoodoo Cut and Clear Ritual. And maybe a healing and cleansing ritual bath after it.
That way you replace what you have destroyed in favor of something better. With that said, I have articles here on how to do these things.
Now I use the term āCut and Clearā because itās popular. But thatās actually a modern phrase that isnāt tied to traditional Root Work. Itās always been called āA Clearanceā or something else. All it is, is removing negative ties that hold you back. Bad relationships, bad luck, bad things you may have done etc…So I recommend doing a clearance after each shadow work.
Why? For the same reason you take a bath after a work out. Think of the Shadow work as an exercise routine. And the cleaning up after as personal hygiene. Itās all to be clean of what you are working towards removing. In fact you can actually combine the healing bath with a clearance and do them both at once.
For that I like to use herbal soap. My Godfather in Santeria makes them. I like Rue Soap. Rue has all sorts of magical powers associated with the breaking of hexes. And warding off of evil.
So to me itās perfect. For you, something simpler or stronger may be needed. It all depends on you. But here is a simple advise on how to do it. You should be good.
Also give Aries an offering of food. Just make sure you have washed your hands in holy water before you do it. And give the first and last part of the offering to Hestia before you give him his portion. That way she will sanctify the offering and bring it to him. Be well my friends.
Remember when I said the Earth was purging him/herself during this period? I knew it was going to more or less end with the New Moon. But damn, I didnāt realize it would die so hard. Eclipses of any kind bring out the shadow self. New Moons do it to lesser degree in comparison. Retrogrades really bring out the shadow.
This is some serious reaping being done. I hadnāt even realized there was a Juno retrograde in progress. Which is actually worse. Because Juno is the Queen of the Roman Gods. Queen of the Universe.
So everything is backwards. The New Moon which is a time for the dead as well as shadow work, is the sign of Gemini. Gemini being the twin already deals with the duality of the soul. So this is perfect time for Shamanism, Introspection, and anything that requires deeper spiritual insight. Those born under this sign will obviously be effected more than usual.
And of course any dark art including necromancy will be at its strongest now. When I say dark art, I donāt mean evil magics or consorting with demons. I mean any energy or magic attuned to the darker spectrums of energy. Whether itās talking to the dead, using special forms of divination like a scrying, or calling on the Winter Court of the Fae (Dark Fae). Thatās what I mean.
Iām not advocating any form of harmful magic. Though you should be forewarned that harmful spirits, energies, and magics will be powered up at this time.
Now this is sort of a weird one. The bloodmoon was still stronger. But a New Moon with an added Solar Eclipse increases the darker energies of nature. Add in the retrogrades and this is a far stronger time for the emergence of our shadow selves than before. Iām beginning to think that the danger I alluded to in my other blog post was the shadow of the bloodmoon and its aftermath effecting us all.
I suspect that this is another time where the veil is thin. And we may yet see deeper into the other side is coming. So do the same as before. Salt all doors and windows after a cleansing and blessing. Use either dark wards or nature based wards for protection.
White wards for lighter energy wonāt do it.
If youāre a Christian it doesnāt matter. Because the cross is a multifaceted system. It is a symbol of nature to some, a chthonic symbol of the dead to others, as well as a symbol of spiritual light. You just need to make sure itās attuned with special prayers against the eclipse. Specifically mention in your prayers the victory of life against death or Christ against original sin etc..
Recite Psalm 91, the Psalm of Protection. And keep a Bible under your pillow after reading the psalm. You might still have the nightmares or undergo whatever was happening when the bloodmoon got here. But it will go away. In addition to this, we have the Phita Khon Festival from Thailand.
Itās a variation of the Ghost Festival of the Chinese, only more positive. Instead of angry ghosts or dark ghosts, this focuses on happy and positive ghosts. Essentially, the Buddha had gone in a journey for a long time. No one knew if he was alive or dead. When he finally returned, everyone became so happy that even the dead rose from the happiness.
So every year the Phita Khon Ghost Festival is celebrated where people rejoice for three days. They wear ghost masks and party. As well as give offerings for the dead. So this adds both light and dark energy to this time. It is a good time to call on the Buddha and his disciples for protection.
So thatās all for now. Please take care of yourselves. I am going to observe what happens these days as they follow.
The Virgin of Mount Carmel or simply La Virgin del Carmen in Spanish. Mary as the Queen of the Dead. She has the power to free souls from Hell and Purgatory.
A few days ago, I got a nasty feeling. My land lady is a Romani woman. One of her animals almost died. And the red scarf around her neck that she uses to protect herself from the evil eye was loosening. Some nasty person whom she is already aware of had sent her a curse.
And said animal absorbed it. After the incident, I started getting a warning from my own spirits. And I am now doing special protective rituals for myself.
Leading the lost and angry souls out
Not too long after that, I received a blog post notification from an Orisha Temple in California. And they had a very interesting thing to say. They were warning of sudden death.
In Yoruba religion, we have sacred signs. And they have different stories attached to them. They tell various stories that are sacred texts. But this sign I did not recognize. It’s called Oturaoyeku.
I had to call up an old Santero from Cuba to look it up. Apparently it’s referred to as “the devil’s mark” and a “sign of demonic power”. It means there are people plotting mischief or harm of some sort. Betrayal that could lead to murder. Curses from unethical practitioners.
Strange deaths, bad luck of every sort, the works. I looked it up later for myself and yes. This is a sign of corruption and vice. It symbolizes the “rot of corpses”. It means “even the Devil has a protective Egun” (spirit of the dead, a spirit guide).
This is a metaphor reminding us that everyone, even bad people, have spiritual protectors. And these evil spirits aid them in causing harm to good people. Speaking from past experience, that’s very true. Also we have a Mercury Retrograde headed our way next Saturday (Jan 30th, 2021). Which means Hermes is headed towards his cthonic aspect of Terrestrial Hermes.
Terrestrial Hermes, the guide of the dead
Hermes as a God of the dead. Their guide and protector. Hermes is a God of many things. From magic to technology, to languages, and business. Not just communication.
So when he enters his reaper aspect, everything he’s in charge of goes in reverse. Marriages break down, businesses go down, friends become enemies, etc.. And of course money problems. So now is not a time to make projects. Now is not a time to argue with anyone or try to prove yourself right. It will all backfire on you.
Now is the time to honor your dead through Hermes. Ask for his guidance. Retrogrades happen for a reason. And that reason is that things need to be corrected. And given the clusterfuck of a year we had in 2020, that’s an understatement.
Meditate, be a hermit. And stay the hell out of trouble. If someone mouths off to you, ignore them. Be polite and move the fuck on. It isn’t worth it.
Because all it takes is one confrontation. Just one, and you could get beat up. Or arrested, cursed, hell even killed. It isn’t worth it.
Leading them to their eternal resting places
So we all need to slow down. Don’t go out as much. Try to avoid dangerous situations. During a normal retrograde, accidents happen. But given that the Babalawos have sensed death in the air this isn’t something you want to tempt. And have a lot of patience because you need it.
They prescribe using Iyerosun. It’s a type of magical powder that comes from a tree named the Iyosun tree. Loosely translated it means Iyosun powder. It’s wood dust normally made by termites. And it’s blessed with ashe (divine grace) by the Babalawos.
The instructions are in their post. However, you should only do this if you are either a Babalawo or have some kind of knowledge on it. For non initiates that will be a lot harder. Unless you can find someone in your area who practices. If not I would suggest doing an offering to Orula and Odudawa for some heavenly protection.
You don’t have to be a Santero for that. I’ve seen Rootworkers pray to Orula and give him offerings. Do a divination and ask for help. Ask them what they want as an offering. Or even look it up.
It won’t have the exact same effect as what is prescribed. But the Orishas always listen to those who wish for help. Same with other divine beings. Just make sure you respect the culture and heritage. If you have questions book a reading with the Babalawos.
I normally offer that myself. But in these matters, these are high priests and have greater knowledge and spiritual authority. Or if you have a God you already feel comfortable with or a Saint or whoever, ask them. This isn’t a contest. Everyone has their own spirituality that works for them.
If you wish to work in your own culture, but need a few tips, book a reading with me. Studying folk magic prepared me for helping others to carve out their own rituals. Make it there’s. Regardless, there’s a few things that the Santero I spoke with gave me as advice during this time.
– He said I should pray to Orula and Odudawa. For protection of myself and family.
– Make offerings to Babalu Aye and Oro.
Babalu Aye handles disease. Oro is a very strange being that didn’t quite make it to Cuba. Essentially he is a God of the dead and necromancy, and he punishes the wicked. When he kills them, their ghosts join his group or entourage and they punish people for him
him.
A Babalawo first told me about him. But good luck getting any real information. His cult in Nigeria is a mystery religion, for men only. It’s a secret society. And when they do their night time rituals, people know to stay in doors.
There was a controversy in Nigeria a few years ago. It was over a Muslim woman at was out on the road at night. The cult was doing a procession in the streets with drums. People are supposed to stay in doors. But she was out at night and had encountered the men doing their rituals.
A taboo that hasn’t been broken in a long time. I can’t remember too much except that I think she got hurt. And it made a huge religious debate. The question was raised about whether or not everyone in a community, should be subject to taboos from religions they don’t practice. Regardless, Oro’s cult and it’s secrets are known only to those who initiate.
What I do know from a Paranormal case where I asked a Babalawo for help, is that Oro and Babalu Aye are often called upon together. They’re given offerings and called upon for protection from evil spirits. From Black Magic. From cursed lands and weird deaths etc.. So it makes sense this old Santero would tell me to call upon them. Apparently we are to ask from protection from them as well.
– Wear a Cross or Protective Charm around your neck.
He says that at this time, the Devil’s power will be at it’s strongest. That in his day, he was told to wear holy items around his neck if something like this came about. It wasn’t always a cross either. Sometimes he would wear some kind of amulet in the form of a small charm bag around his neck. At other times a tiger’s eye stone, or a medal of a Saint.
So no matter the religion, wear something protective around your neck. A crystal, a small bag or ring. He even mentioned having small family heirlooms blessed. You could wear that around your neck and it would work too. He didn’t go too deep into it except that it was a taboo he observed.
In my case I don’t have my necklace because it broke recently. So I am using a red band blessed by by the Romani woman with the medals of St. Benedict around my wrist. The use of charms is a very important taboo to follow now.
– Avoid all forms of negative thinking, action, or speech
What he was told when he was a young man, was that the bad spirits can hear you more clearly under this sign. So if you complain about something, or just say something nasty in general, they’ll make it worse. They’ll take it as an open invitation to come bother you. Even if it’s something nasty about a person who is nasty themselves. Don’t speak on it.
Don’t do curses or just retribution spells. Instead do offerings to your higher powers and let them handle stuff for you. These beings want to give you enough rope to hang yourself with. Don’t give them that satisfaction. And with a retrograde, that is likely to happen almost anywhere.
So don’t just quarantine because of the pandemic. Staying out of the streets is a good thing even if we didn’t have a plague on our hands.
– Beware of betrayal. And beware of gifts from enemies.
You have no idea what they’re really giving you. A special emphasis was made on witches who curse objects they gift you. These objects are supposed to turn your life upside down.
– Beware when divining
He mentioned something about these spirits trying to reach us when we divine. If we must divine it should only be in daylight hours. Never in the night. And only if we know how to block negative spirits from messing with our visions and messages. This is something very prevalent in this sign.
Especially with the use of cards I am told. Which is probably some kind of psychic interference these entities do in this sign. They seem to cause confusion and misinformation. Which leads me to the next taboo.
– Don’t make decisions with a bad mind
The bad spirits will make life more stressful. They will try to spin you every which way. To get you off guard so that you can make a mess out of your life. These are things that sound a lot like a Retrograde. But unlike a retrograde, this is not for your own good.
It’s meant to take you backwards in life.
– Beware of dark spirits
Specifically, beware of Eggun Buruku or “dark dead”. These are the angry ghosts of people who either weren’t good in life. Or they died in horrible ways, were forgotten and lost by their descendants etc.. They’ll be roaming the streets more than usual. Many cultures or faiths have their own version of dark ghosts. The Japanese even had their own books detailing what kinds of YÅ«rei (angry ghosts) were out there.
So probably brush up on your banishing rituals and recharge your charms. And when walking into your house, walk backwards with your back entering the home. Otherwise, certain spirits can follow you inside. This is something they do in Trinidad to break your tracks so entities can’t follow you in.
– Avoid being out at night if you can. If you have to be out, ward your car and yourself with charms and prayers.
– Treachery from children. Whatever that means.
There’s a bunch of other stuff associated with this sign and all of it is bad. But I think I made my point. Oh and one last thing, cleansing baths. And the use of holy water. To cleanse your soul and mind.
Or if you are good with herbs, cleanse with that. Cleanse daily to avoid dark energy in yourself and your body. Be safe everyone,
I sat up for about a half an hour to an hour looking for an image of a witch to put up on this damn post. And that was almost as daunting as the subject matter I am going to write about. When I typed in “witch”, there were pages upon pages of women dressed in ugly, long nosed, masks or with green paint on their skins. It seems that in the 21st century we still have an image to shake. And it sucks because I like the Wizard of Oz books.
It seems for any positive thing to appear on a practitioner of magic, I had to use other words. At first I was going to go with an image of a Medicine Man or Woman. But many fellow natives will be offended by the term witch as much as white people are. Yay! Colonialism! Yay Christian Brainwashing! I’m sorry. I guess the pisces moon started out with nice emotions last night.
And today I went back to being a Cuban asshole. I typed in the word Osainista instead. It basically means Osainist or follower of Osain, the Orisha of herbs and nature. He teaches his followers how to do magic with plants. Which includes healing medicines.
That’s where I found this image. I try not to be overbearing. This is a character flaw that I struggle with. I can come off as extremely egotistical. Maybe I am.
I try not to get into long winded debates any more because in the end people will believe what they want to believe. And I’ll be the annoying prick in the corner no one wants to drink with (okay, I don’t drink, but still). Every once in a while I come across something. Something that demands a moral position. Something that would make me feel like a coward if I don’t voice the issue.
So at the risk of alienating other people, I try to say what’s on my mind. As politely as possible. It doesn’t always work though. Such a thing happened earlier this morning. It was on Good Reads.
For those who don’t know, this is like a facebook for book readers, writers, and authors. You get to follow your favorite authors (sometimes even if they’re 100’s of years old). People also buy and sell books on there. This includes everything from text books to novels. A friend in New York introduced me to the site.
I was looking up a book I have wanted to read for two years now : Bless Me Ultima. It’s an amazing book about an elderly Mexican shaman woman named Ultima. She teaches a young boy as her apprentice and shows him some of her magic. I saw the movie, but I still want to read the book. As I have heard the book is even better.
Now the main conflict in the book, is that the Curandera (Spanish : Curer or Healer) is battling three evil sisters who are “witches”. In many cultures, the word witch is used for a satanist or at least a practitioner of black magic. That’s why English wizards and witches began calling themselves “Cunning Folk”. Instead of witch or wizard. It’s why Native Americans often view that word in a negative light. Associated instead with evil spirits and black magic.
And a person in a book review sort of echoed those same negative sentiments toward the term witch. So I went into a long winded post that I swore I would never make again. Explaining that No, we’re not all evil assholes that lure children into gingerbread houses.
I’m going to say something that will probably piss off a lot of people anyway. Curanderismo is in fact Witchcraft. Any magical practice is witchcraft. I wasn’t going to say anything, but too many people accept the Christian dogma that witchcraft is “evil”.
The fact is, many witches stopped calling themselves witches, because Christians label everything under the sun as “satanism”. Witchcraft is the science, philosophy, and art of working with energy. And most energy has positive and negative components. This doesn’t make one type of witchery good or the other evil. Witch translates as “wise” a person wise to the spiritual world.
Can you imagine someone stealing the word “curandero” and using it to define something that is evil or selfish? That would be crazy right? And yet witch, which is a term for a wise man or wise woman is used as a label for anyone that practices black magic. And this kind of demonization of our practices comes from the Burning Times. Who many witches believe never really went away.
Moreover, Curanderos can and do use negative magic if they believe it will benefit the people they are trying to protect. Because it depends on the context. To the other person being hexed for whatever evil thing they did, there is very little difference between a Curandero and any other type of enemy witch.
In Puerto Rico, a lot of Sanse Brujos won’t do return to sender rituals (like what Ultima is doing in the book) because they believe it will propagate an endless cycle of violence between witches. That’s why they have the saying
“Un brujo no puede comer otro brujo”.
(A witch can’t eat another witch).
Regardless of whether a return to sender is justified or not. I keep seeing people put down the old ways unintentionally or define things through a Christianized, European lens. I have seen some Curanderos speak of the term witch with such disgust as if that’s a Satanist or some other black magician. But it’s a dogma forced on our people’s across Latin America by Christian conquerors. By people who thought they were doing Indigenous and African peoples a “favor” by conquering them.
Remember that is where the root of this anti witch sentiment comes from : Colonialism. If someone speaks like that about witchcraft in my presence, I would definitely be offended. And no matter the context they were using. That’s why I use terms like “black witch” “enemy witch” or things in other cultures. To the English and Wiccans, a warlock is a black magic user.
In Haiti bokor is the term for an evil practitioner and so fourth. I write this with the hope that other people will read this and understand the history, and the context. Too many times, we see in movies, books, and shows these old tropes being used. About the good witch and the bad witch. And granted yes there are witches who only practice positive magic and others who specialize in negative magic.
But good and evil are points of view. For instance, I’m sure many of you reading this, associate using magic dolls and putting needles through them with evil right? What if I told you about Witch Doctors or Witch Masters. These are Christian Magicians from the Appalachian Mountains. They are basically magical witch hunters. They battle evil witches.
In Appalachian culture, witches and pagans are all “satanists”. So magic users in that culture who practice positive magic are called doctors. Christian witch doctors will make wooden dolls that they stab with needles to curse a witch. They do this to hurt them in order to prevent them from casting their evil spells on their victims. And how about all those white witches who are trendy and have lots of wealthy clients? Their clients ask for good luck and good energy.
Here’s the problem though, their clients are scum. Their clients are wealthy Jeff Bezos who use magic to get wealthier while their workers starve. Or worse, they could even be rapists and they need the extra mojo to stay out of jail. You see what I’m getting at here? The magic itself is not good or evil. How it’s used determines that.
A fellow blogger on here (Neptune’s Dolphin) once said we needed to break free from the Christian paradigm. That bad habit of defining everything in black and white. Just good or just evil. Now I do believe there is real good and real evil. I do believe in malevolent Gods and spirits.
I do believe in black witches. And yes, I do believe in certain magical practices that are entirely or mostly malevolent. But even these things can be salvaged. For instance, in Ancient Sumer, some demons were beneficial and useful. Like Pazuzu, who frightens away other demons.
He protected the ancient Sumerians from every type of evil spirit there was. The Obeah practice of stealing someone’s Sasa or shadow (for death magic), was used by one Obeah man in his book, to actually heal a person. The magic us used to suspend a person, for the practitioner to heal them and remove damage. Even things as view as negative, can have beneficial uses for people. And similarly, positive energies could be used in a negative way.
Such things have to be carefully defined. Using proper context and with the awareness that we need to be careful of the colonial mindset that these biases came from. Unfortunately, many witches like Curanderos, have fallen into that trap. They view witchcraft as evil and what they practice as “different”. As other.
To me this is being a self hating witch. This is trying to get acceptance from people who hate us. So what’s the point of being open about your magic or your mysticism then? You might as well just stay in the Broom Closet. It would be less hypocritical, and it wouldn’t turn our image back by a thousand years in the public eye. Who knows? Maybe some day, we can type in witch on a search engine and find a less ridiculous depiction than a green skinned lady.
So, I am writing this in jest. But fucking hell Cubans are annoying as hell (I should know, I am one). Actually most people are. But Cubans go out of their way to be extra nosy and annoying. So, my home is a Pagan Temple.
No, that’s not a joke or a metaphor. It is an actual Temple. I even consecrated it much the same way that Christians consecrate their own churches. I took the time to bless it for a week, ending with a final Pagan Mass of dedication with a food sacrifice on the grounds. When you open the door you’ll see altars everywhere.
I have a Hellenic altar on my refrigerator which has more than just Greek Gods actually. My Olympian altar is an altar for the Heavenly or Sky Gods. They all get along. My kitchen is a hearth altar which is also for nature. My one window has a whole mess of mini altars.
My entrance has a witch’s staff, a black bag for my Door Gods and spirits, a horse shoe with a cross, a shit ton of small crosses everywhere, and a picture of Tutankhamun. And that’s just the inside. Not mentioning the smaller idols in my garden outside. My Garabato (Santero conjuring staff), and a few other things. Plus all my tree altars.
My night stand has a primordial altar. And my book case with all my books which includes grimoires and my handwritten book of shadows is also where my altar for the dead is. A massive altar from top to bottom. Don’t even ask what I got in my closet. So this guy comes to install my new air conditioner.
Now, you’d think he would be polite and not stare. No, that mother fucker stared ALOT. It’s one of those things my community does that gets on my last damned nerves. They’re all a bunch of busy bodies, sticking their nose where it don’t belong. I’m sure this guy has a Catholic altar with dead saints and a dead crucified Jesus hanging on his wall somewhere.
But that’s not necromancy, that’s Christianity! But I have a skull on my altar for the dead. And that’s somehow more morbid than churches keeping body parts of dead saints. Or having an image of your own God being tortured to death on a cross.
Nah, I must be doing Satan worship. Well I guess I’ve been offering fruits, bread, and milk to El Diablo all this time and nobody warned me about it. Who knew the Devil liked Farmer’s Market? Go figure. So he stared at my altars the whole time he was in there. Stealing quick glances as if I were too stupid to see what he was doing.
Even my mother noticed when she came by to help clear stuff. I almost started jumping up and down pretending to speak in tongues. I wanted to see if I could trigger him all the way. Apparently even the landlord’s sister was staring at my stuff too. Which is funny because they’re both Romani folk witches.
As in Gypsies. And the inside of the main part of the house is a temple as well. But somehow my shit turns heads more? I don’t know. Thank God I keep my restraints and BDSM equipment hidden in the closet. They’d all have a stroke.
Maybe I should hang a portrait of Vladimir Lenin with a July 26 Flag near my door. Or a picture of Castro eating a bowl of black beans. Maybe that will calm everyone’s nerves down. No? Oh I know! I’ll wear a black hood and walk around in broad daylight chanting in Gregorian Latin! If they ask I’ll tell them I’m a monk. That way I can be creepy and it will be totally okay!
Adventures of A Mage In Miami 