I discuss how cursing can be a form of healing and why if we look at it from that perspective it can help us reach a state of healthier equilibrium within ourselves because we're not holding onto feelings and experiences that would otherwise traumatize us.
Can social media become an expression of magical workings
When I recently asked my Facebook group what questions they had about social media magic, because of a book I’m getting ready to write on the topic, it didn’t surprise me that some of the questions I received were skeptical ones that questioned if social media could even be used as a medium for magical work. I understand why that question is asked, because the prevalent image and associations of magic are all based around traditional perspectives of how magic ought to work, with traditional tools that don’t really touch on modern technology and using it for magical purposes.
Yet nonetheless modern technology has been used in conjunction with magic and is being used with magical workings in order to get results, by myself and many other people, because the simple fact is magic isn’t limited to a specific toolset or way of doing things. Those limitations are human imposed and say more about how we limit our understanding of magic and how it can be practiced and what can be done with it. If we recognize the limitation as self-imposed then we can let go of it and start exploring how to adapt social media or anything else toward magical work.
Now available for pre-order: Walking with Elemental Spirits
In Walking with Elemental Spirits I share the modern system I’ve developed for working with elemental spirits that gets you consistent results while helping you build collaborative relationships with the elemental spirits.
The elemental spirits can be potent allies to work with and in this book you’ll learn how the practical magic skills that you can use to forge strong relationships with the elemental spirits that allow you to work with them as allies. In this book you will also learn the following:
The classic Hermetic and Taoist systems of the 5 elements, and my modernized system of elemental magic.
How to connect with elemental spirits using evocation portals and experiential embodiment
How to do internal work and health magic with the elemental spirits.
How to work with the elemental spirits to get practical results
and much more!
If you’re ready to learn a new approach to elemental magic, this book will teach you how to work with the elemental spirits and use elemental magic to get results that transform your life.
Magical Experiments Podcast: Incense and Orphic Hymns with Sara Mastros
Sara Mastros and I talk about her magical path and past as well as her books The Big Book of Incense and The Orphic Hymns. We discuss how to work with incense and how the sense of smell can play an important role in magical work as well as discussing how to modify and experiment with existing magic rituals and why some customization of such rituals can be helpful.
Sara Mastros, author of Orphic Hymns Grimoire and Big Book of Magical Incense, is Pittsburgh's leading Witch for Hire. In addition, she teaches tarot, witchcraft, Greek and Near Eastern mythology, Pan-Levantine folk magic, and practical sorcery online and at festivals all over the east coast. You can check in on her courses and lessons at www.WitchLessons.com, sign up for her newsletter at www.MastrosZealot.com, or follow all her witchy shenanigans on facebook at Facebook.com/Sara.Mastros
Magical Experiments Podcast: The Luciferian Current with Anima Noira
In this episode of magical experiments podcast, I discuss the luciferian current with Anima Noira. We discuss spirit work and how to work with Lucifer as well as discussing love spells and magical workings and when one should or shouldn’t employ magic for results driven purpose as well as what its like to do magic for the purposes of internal work.
My magical name has been variously translated as “Breath of Darkness”, “Dark Life Force” “Animating Darkness” or “Dark Fire”. Anima Noira is an occult writer, artist, videographer, and host of the Devil’s Disciples talk show. She has done the Devil’s Work as a model, witch, and priestess. She publishes her essays on the occult on her website, Inner Ignition.
What I am re-learning about creating magical tools
Over the years I’ve created some magical tools for myself. I first started creating magical tools as a teenager, first starting out with creating specific staffs and wands, and then in my early twenties exploring how to meld art and magic together to create magical tools with the paintings I created. However of late, I’ve been inspired to explore the creation of magical tools in further depth. Some of this inspiration has come about because of working with my magical partner, and some of it came about because of a recent interview I did on the Random Illusions podcast and some of it has been inspired by Alison Chicosky’s work on practical occult.
One of the challenges I’ve had with creating magical tools is not feeling like I have the requisite skills to do so, but I realized that’s a mental block on my part so I’ve begun challenging that mental block by considering what magical tools I could actually create. For the moment, I am creating those tools for myself, but I’ll probably make those tools for other people down the line.
Can you work magic with modern technology?
Can modern technology and magic mix? I share my own thoughts on how modern technology and magic can mix and why its important to look at how magic and technology can be applied together for effective magical work.
Magical Experiments Podcast: The Connection between astrology and alchemy with Maria Miles
In this episode of Magical Experiments Podcast, I interview Maria Miles about the connection between astrology and alchemy. She shares her background and how she got into astrology and alchemy as well as explaining how astrology can be used in alchemy and magic to get better results with timing.
Maria Miles is an Alchemist, Hermeticist, Witch and Diviner, specializing in Cartomancy and Traditional Astrology. She has been studying these arts collectively for 16 years, beginning as a teenager. What began as a personal endeavor of self discovery has become her primary vocation as a professional astrologer. She has been seeing clients professionally for six years for cartomancy and astrology consults. Her study of alchemy began around age 21 growing into a practice with the instruction of Robert Allen Bartlett. She aims to integrate traditional techniques of astrology and Hermetic philosophy into the lives of modern people, who ask the same questions that humans have always asked.
Maria is an accomplished Sorceress who offers tutelage and advice to those clients with an interest in the occult. Her studies of magic have ranged from traditional witchcraft and folk-cunning to astrological image magic and the crafting of talismans and spagyric elixirs she sometimes has available. All materia magica is limited edition and only available when the stars are right and the proper rites have been observed. She approaches her consultations from a holistic angle aiming to uplift her clients by promoting a mindful consideration of fate. She lives in the Pacific Northwest of the United States where she has lived for more than twenty years.
To learn more about Maria go to rootedstarsastrology.com
Breaking out of the 5 Element model: A different approach to elemental magic
I’m currently writing Walking with Elemental Spirits, which is a book that explores my system for elemental magic. One of the central arguments of that book is that the 5 element model of earth, water, fire, air, and quintessence is a bit outdated. It has worked well as a model, but its evident that there are more elements than just the aforementioned elements. Why are we holding onto an outmoded model that was used to describe reality a long time ago, as a taxonomic means of categorizing the experiences of the world? I’ll be bold and just say we hold on to such models because we are taught that something which is old is typically considered better and if it works why change it.
I don’t agree with this sentiment. While I think the 5 element model is a great foundational tool, I also think that when we hold onto an old model and never question it we’re missing out on an opportunity to evolve magically, as well as to evolve the overall discipline of magic. I’ve been practicing elemental magic since I first started practicing magic, and for many years I did rely upon the 5 element model because it was what was available. Yet being the magical experimenter that I am, I inevitably ended up questioning it.
The principle of invitation in spirit work
I discuss the principle of invitation and why going to the right level of interaction with a spirit is both a good boundary setting exercise and a way to build more effective relationships with the spirits. I also share some of my own realizations around how I came to this principle.
Magical Experiments Podcast: Skrying and Spirit Work with Harper Feist
In this interview Harper Feist shares her experiences with skrying and spirit work. We discuss the different types of skrying people can do and why skrying can be a viable alternative to invocation/evocation, as well as leading up to those practices. We also discuss the nature of spirits.
Harper has a class coming up on Skrying
Harper Feist is a member of the OTO, a past master of Leaping Laughter Lodge, an ordained priestess of Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica and the current interviewer of U.S. Grand Lodge’s official podcast, “Thelema Now.”
Why its important to revisit old magical workings
When you have performed lots of magical workings and created specific types of outcomes, it can helpful to revisit that work. I share a few reasons for revisiting old work and also explain why it can be helpful to revise older workings, or shut them down, if they are still working in the background.
How to attune your intuition to the right timing
One of the ways that I work with my intuition involves connecting it to the right sense of timing, in terms of taking action on something that I want to manifest. Not all moments are equal and the right timing can make all the difference in terms of manifesting results that allow you to move forward in the directions you want to go in. Bad timing, on the other hand, can hold you back, preventing you from succeeding because you are picking the wrong time to take action.
Magical Experiments Podcast: Ancient Magical Artifacts with Alison Chicosky
In this episode, Alison Chicosky and I discuss the various magical artifacts she's created and she tells us how she created those artifacts and what her research process is. We also address the recent controversies she's been dealing with in the occult community.
Visit Alison's website at http://www.practicaloccult.com
To see pictures and links of the products we discussed in the show visit: https://www.magicalexperiments.com/blog/2021/11/4/further-experiments-with-pentacles
Featured items from Alison's interview
Picture courtesy of Jennifer G 2022
The Triangle of Hekate - Being used her for skrying purposes and to connect with the goddess Hekate. Comes with a pdf about the archaeological history of the triangle.
Picture Taylor Ellwood 2022
Pentacles - Individual planetary pentacles that can be worked with. Each one has specific attributes that can be drawn upon.
Picture Taylor Ellwood 2022
Hermes-Thoth Prosperity box comes with a papyrus with the spell written out, as well as incense to burn. The box is made of olive wood.
Taylor Ellwood 2022
Mercurial Mind Bracelet - It has each of the pentacles of Mercury on it. Very useful for prompting creativity and helping with communication.
Taylor Ellwood 2022
Bracelet of Blessings - Jupiterian bracelet that lets you tap into the expansive and protection of the Jupiterian current.
Book Reviews January 2022
Book Review: Kinesic Magic by Donald Tyson (Affiliate link)
This is an intriguing book that presents a system of magic that’s based on poses and hand gestures. It reminds me of Pascal Beverly Randolph’s work, but the author does a good job of creating a unique system of his own and based it around the classical elemental and planetary models of magic. If you’re looking for a system of magic that you can do strictly with your body, this is a good book to start with.
Book Review: The Four Elements of the Wise by Ivo Dominguez Jr (Affiliate Link)
If there’s one book I would recommend on elemental magic, its this book. I’ve been practicing elemental magic for over 25 years and I got new insights, perspectives, and ideas for my practice from this book. I don’t say that lightly, because I develop my own systems of magic, but this book gave me ideas on how to further flesh out my own work. It’s a book that will help you go deep with elemental magic. Pick it up today!
Working with Elemental Portals
I discuss how I have worked with elemental portals in elemental magic and share why these can be useful tools for learning and connecting with the elemental spirits.
Now Available for Pre-Order! Inner Alchemy of Wintering
Inner Alchemy of Wintering: How to Recover from Spiritual Burnout is now available for pre-order!
Restore and reinvent yourself through the inner alchemy of wintering
Sometimes we hit spiritual burnout because of events in our lives, or in our spiritual work, or because we’ve just hit the wall and can’t go any further. We hit a state of wintering, where we need to rest, reflect, and reinvent ourselves. In this book you will learn:
What wintering is and how it applies to spiritual and magical work.
How to make peace with spiritual burnout, instead of trying to fight it.
Why we need to integrate rest and reflection into your spiritual and magical work.
How to discover what is truly essential in the face of burnout.
How to use the ritual of reinvention to transform your life.
If you’ve hit a state of burnout or wintering, this book will help you work through those states. You’ll learn how to use the inner alchemy of wintering to turn the burnout in your life into inspiration that drives the reinvention of your life through practical magic.
Magical Experiments podcast: Heart Magic with Irisanya Moon
In this interview Irisanya Moon discusses what Heart Magic is and shares how it can be used to help you heal your heart as well as sharing her work with Aphrodite as a goddess of love and initiation. We talk about what the relationship with a godd can look like and what that entails for one's personal work as a result.
Get Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow and Messenger of the Godds - https://amzn.to/3r7XPgj (affiliate link)
Get Aphrodite: encountering the Goddess of Love, Beauty, & Initiation - https://amzn.to/3ngHfK6 (affiliate link)
Get practically pagan: An alternative guide to health and well-being: https://amzn.to/3Gen3A5 (affiliate link)
Get Reclaiming Witchcraft: https://amzn.to/3tkKjsy (affiliate link)
Irisanya Moon (she/they) is a writer, priestess, and teacher, and has facilitated classes and camps around the world, including the US, Canada, UK, and Australia. She was initiated into the Reclaiming Witchcraft tradition in 2014. She is a frequent contributor to Moon Books anthologies, a contributor to Witches & Pagans magazine, a columnist for Pagan Dawn, a blogger for Moon Books, and a blogger for Patheos.com (Charged by the Goddess). Irisanya has written and published four books: Pagan Portals - Reclaiming Witchcraft; Pagan Portals - Aphrodite; Practically Pagan: An Alternative Guide to Health and Well-being; and Pagan Portals - Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow & Messenger of the Godds. Three more are in the works. She is a devotee of Aphrodite, Hecate, the Norns, and Iris. They seek to find love and to inspire love by reminding us we are not alone, while meeting at crossroads, holding the threads of time, and bringing down messages from the godds. She is passionate about the idea that life is a love spell, a dance of desire and connection, a moving in and out of the heart, always returning to love.
How to apply future success to the present
Have you ever had that feeling, that sense of certainty, a feeling of fate or destiny when it comes to your life, where you just know that certain things will happen? I have and each time I’ve experienced it I have recognized that what I’ve tapped into is a possible future state of being, a potential maybe that could be a reality in my life. It’s an awareness of reality that transcends the present moment and the linear experience of time and aligns you with the future spiral.