Day: August 9, 2019

Spellcrafting vs Spell Casting

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This post was inspired by a video by the HearthWitch on YouTube.  I was watching this video when, somewhere near the beginning, she mentioned that a lot of people cast spells by using spells from books and following them to the letter.

This was a really new concept to me.  And… odd concept to me.   But then I started thinking about it.

L and I were taught spellcraft by our mother from a very young age, and a part of that was creating our own spells.  This was further encouraged when Z came into our lives, as she also does this kind of spellcraft.

And that got me to thinking.   Perhaps that’s why it was always called “spellcraft”.  My mother calls it spellcraft.  Z calls it spellcraft.  In our house, it was never “spell casting”, it was (and is) spellcraft.

I had always thought that the terms “spell casting” and “spellcraft” were interchangeable… but maybe they aren’t.

Maybe (and I think that for me this is more than a maybe, but realization of the truth of something) spellcrafting is crafting a spell.  Whether that is taking a pre-existing spell and crafting it into something that fits you and your needs, or making spells from scratch.

Whereas spell casting would be more of an umbrella term that includes spellcraft, but also includes ANY kind of casting spells.  Whether there is personal crafting involved in the spell or not.

I guess it’s kind of like cooking. Some people use a recipe and follow it strictly. Some use a recipe, but customize it how they wish. And others just go from scratch and make up their recipes on their own, whether that be before they get started, or on the go.

Just some musings, I guess, as I wrap my mind around this new realization.

 

Don’t Be Such a Bastard

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, and focused on our internal dialogue and the language we use.   That is to say, how we talk to ourselves (whether aloud or in our heads).   It went into detail on asking why we would treat ourselves worse than how we treat others.  Are the things you say to yourself something you would ever say to another person?

In my case?  This is a hell no.  I know I’m very hard on myself, extremely judgemental of myself and very confrontational in my language to myself.  This is not how I am with others at all, and yet when it comes to myself… I’m mean as fuck.

The meditation encouraged noticing these times and, when you do, gentling your approach.   It is about being mindful of how you are treating yourself… and it’s something I definitely need to work on.

Today’s draw is (again) a double without a jumper.  In today’s draw we have the 8th card (in some decks this is the 11th card) of the Major Arcana, the Strength card which is represented here by a bee eater bird and a lion.  With the Strength card came the Seven of Pentacles, which in this deck is represented by the peacock.

Like all cards in the Major Arcana, the Strength card deals with the “bigger picture” of one’s life rather than one specific aspect of the human experience.  This card most often represents inner strength rather than outer strength, which includes courage, skills in persuasion and influence, as well as qualities of compassion.   In this deck, the strength card depicts a lion and a bee eater bird, which in the guidebook are described as….

Lion: power, protection, courage, patience, wisdom, and passion Bee Eater Bird: unity, family, tranquility, support, comfort, and balance

The Seven of Pentacles is a representation of progress, sudden leaps ahead, and the unknown in the area of finances, resources and the physical word.  It can also indicate the entrance of spirituality into a situation, and looking beyond the self.    This deck depicts the Seven of Pentacles as a Peacock, which in the guidebook holds the qualities of rebirth, confidence, victory, patience, resilience, and devotion.

Whew… that was a long one for definitions today.

My interpretation of the cards in today’s reading boils down to that I need to spend more time lifting myself up, rather than tearing myself down.  And, in doing so, I will foster more strength within myself and a calmer, more centered outlook concerning not just my family, but the world at large.

It’s a good message, as I have been struggling a bit with being a right bastard to myself lately, and I have a visit coming up with family that will do plenty of that “tearing down” for me.   I don’t need to be so harsh with myself, instead, now is a time to foster my strengths and build myself up for what is coming. (Which, of course, I’m referring to  either visiting those family members out east, or staying here and helping my mother through her surgery, depending on what she decides she wants to happen.)

Deck Used:  The Animism Tarot