magickal practice

Music to Craft By

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s question is brought to you by two of the witchy type servers that I’m a member of on Discord. Both servers asked the exact same question within a few days of each other and I thought it might make for a good topic here.

Prompt from Server #1: “What song(s) put you in a witchy mood?”
Prompt from Server #2: “What kind of music do you like to listen to when you work magic?“

Okay, so I love music. I really do. But, there are a number of activities that I can’t do while listening to music. Because I have sound → sensation/smell/taste synesthesia, music can often have unintended distractionary repercussions, so I have to be careful to what I listen to and when. For example, I have a playlist of music I can listen to while driving because none of the songs cause me physical sensations that would distract me from what I’m doing. I couldn’t guarantee that if I were listening to the radio, where a song or sound might come up that could create a painful pinch in my hand or arm, or a pins and needles sensation in my foot or leg.

For this reason, most of the time when doing spellcraft and different spiritual workings, I don’t use music as it can create “phantom sensations” that can be distracting. That said, I do have a playlist full of certain songs that safely “fit the mood” that I will use when I want to include music. Some of those include…

Terra Firma by Delerium


Silence by Delerium


Dissolved Girl by Massive Attack


Black Milk by Massive Attack


All Mine by Portishead


To Be Free by Emiliana Torrini

Not all of these (or all of those on the playlist) are sensation-free sound. But none of them create unpleasant sensations, smells, or tastes that might distract me from my focus. And, of course, all have the same “vibe” to the music that helps “set the mood” that I like for spellcraft and witchy-type activities. I think that for a lot of people, music can really add another level of depth to their practice, and even another element of “flavor” to the magic itself.

#31DaysofWitchcraft Prompt 12 & 13 (non)VR to Heather Carter

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Heather Carter on YouTube put together a series of prompts titled #31DaysofWitchcraft that she’s been working her way through since the beginning of May. I really like this idea, but I can’t handle the responsibility of any more daily posts, so I thought that for the next few weeks, I would do one (or a few at a time) for the end of week “My Pagan Perspective” posts and work through them a bit at a time.

spellbook

12. Do you have a separate witchy name? Why, or why not?

My “witchy name” is the same as my online name.  It’s Twist the Leaf.

This name comes from a line in a ritual that my sister and I wrote together as children.

To be fair, when I first came online, I used just “Twist” and then “Twist the Leaf” for circles and pagan events and activities.  But over the years, the two have melded and I now use Twist the Leaf in most places, and “Twist” as the shortened version here and there.

As for why.  My mother used to take my sister and I to a lot of Wiccan functions, and having a “witchy name” was all the rage in those circles.  I chose my “witchy name” initially in order to finally get them to stop pestering me about choosing one, but over time it’s become… more than that.

I no longer go to those events and haven’t for… at least fifteen years or more. Other than my sister (and our mentor recently as she’s been living with us for a bit now), my practice is primarily solitary.  But the name has stuck, and these days it seems that I’m actually more comfortable being called Twist than I am called by my birth name.

13. Do you write your own spells, use pre-written one or do a mix of both?

I write my own spellwork, or at times work on it together with my sister.

This falls back on the way we were raised. To be honest?  I don’t spend a lot of time reading pagan/wiccan/witchcraft books.  This isn’t how I learned my craft.  Because of this? Although I knew that published books had spells in them, I didn’t realize these were actually spells people used.  Like, letter for letter and word for word, used like a recipe to bake pastry.  This realization that people actually do that was baffling to me.

My sister and I were taught to write our own rituals and our own spellwork.  We were taught that it is a part of the process of casting a spell to do the work behind the spell, which includes doing the research to know what elements to include in the spellwork, and constructing the spell and wordwork ourselves.   I guess that because of this, I assumed that the spellwork in published books was there as a “jumping off point”?  You know, providing ideas and examples… but not there to be used as-is.

Turning the Tables

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This week’s question from the Pagan Perspective YouTube channel is a bunch of questions the hosts have put together to ask the Pagan Perspective viewers.

Topic for the Week of 1/20: “: Our turn to ask questions! This time last year, we asked our viewers some questions! They answered in the comments, or in video responses posted to their own channel. It’s been another year, so what questions do we have for our viewers now?“

rich

Monday Questions from Rich

What are your 2020 goals? And what steps are you taking to accomplish those goals?

I have a few goals for this year.  The biggest of them is restructuring how I run the business so that I can spend the lion’s share of the year catching up on administrative tasks and all the crap I’ve been putting off because it isn’t a part of the business I’m enthusiastic about.

As for the steps I’m taking.  I’m still struggling with getting on track with this, actually.  I know it’s a one-step-at-a-time process, but I really feel as if I’m moving at a snails pace.  Then again, this month has felt very discombobulated in nearly all areas of my life, so why should my goals be immune to that?

Who are your favorite authors?

Rick Hautala, Dean R Koontz (early works), Laurell K Hamilton, JR Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Anthony J Melchiorri, Adrienne Lecter… to name a few.  Obviously, I’m focusing on fiction with this question.

What tarot deck are you vastly consumed by the artwork of or the concept of?

The Stolen Child Tarot by Monica Knighton. This deck has started to actually overtake Tarot of the Hidden Realms, although at the moment they are about equal in my connections with them and preference for them.

What tarot deck do you love the concept of, yet find difficult to interpret?

The Wildwood Tarot.   I’ve written about this before, but it turns out the issue was the system attached to this deck.  After a few years intently studying this deck and the companion book, I finally cut off the titles on the cards.   Now?  It communicates beautifully.  Apparently?  It was the system that I was struggling with all along.

Do you craft?  What kind of things are you bringing to life as far as a crafting skill?

God yes.   In fact, I have so many different interests in the crafting department that I have a habit of overwhelming myself with projects and ideas.   I’m a jewelry designer and run a business with that particular craft which includes a variety of crafts including resin molding, dremel engraving, metal clay, wire wrapping, and more.  I also have projects that include nature photography, macro photography, fabric painting, scrapbooking/journaling, deck modification, etc.

What are some challenges that you are facing right now that you would care to share?  How are you doing with that?

My biggest challenge at the moment is the fact that intimidation and fear are holding me back and making me waver a bit concerning stepping forward into the goals and projects I had wanted to begin dealing with in the new year.    This involves not just my business, but also in the exploration of emotional depths that are new to me, and also the shadow work that I want to tackle.   I’m just having a hard time finding the “oomph” to push into these things as I’d like at the moment.

cutewitch

Tuesday Questions from Cara at cutewitch772

What are you reading currently, whether related to your spiritual path or not? Books, graphic novels, fiction or non-fiction?

I don’t read a lot of books cover-to-cover, primarily because I don’t really have the time for it.  Instead I mostly listen to audiobooks.   Since audiobooks are mentioned below, though, I figured I would add here the books on my nightstand that I am slowly working my way through, and that I occasionally use for stichomancy.

These books are “Why Can’t You Read My Mind?” by Jeffrey Bernstein, “You Already Know What To Do” by Sharon Franquemont, “Nocturnal” by Wilder, “I See You. I Am You.” by Casey Jo Loos, re-reading “Tarot Shadow Work” by Christine Jette, and “The Signature of All Things” by Elizabeth Gilbert.

What about listening to — audio books, podcasts?

Currently I am listening to “The Dark Bones” by Loreth Anne White.  I listen to a lot of mystery themed books on audiobook, and I recently was given a huge list of mystery podcasts to listen to as well, which I’m excited about exploring.

What books or other resources would you recommend to other people to learn about the path YOU are on?

This is a really difficult one, as I didn’t learn my path from books and I rarely read books about paganism or witchcraft. What I would recommend to learn more about my path, though, is anything that has to do with indigenous plants of the pacific northwest and their uses medically, in alternative medicine, and in folklore and magical circles.

What different subjects or practices would you recommend someone learn about in order to get a sense of the many things that may make up your personal path?

Botany in the pacific northwest, magical herbalism, aromatherapy and herbal medicine, Wicca (sans the deity aspect), Buddhist ideology, non-theist spirituality, grounding via the earth, energy work and clairsentience, animism, forest bathing, liminal spaces and physical hedge walking, forest Fae and the mythos surrounding them, as well as the energy properties and spiritual uses of stones and crystals.

What are you watching? Movies, TV, etc.

Emergence, Bull, Stumptown, New Amsterdam, Stephen Colbert, Shadowhunters…. That’s about it currently for stuff I’m keeping up on.  I have quite a few things I want to watch, but I don’t have a lot of time for that sort of thing.   I also like The Price Is Right, Family Feud, and America Says.

Tea or coffee, or both, or neither?

I actually prefer water and milk, to be honest.   But I do also drink herbal teas and hot cocoa.  I do not drink caffeinated tea or coffee, as my energy reacts unpleasantly to caffeine.  I also don’t drink sodas, because I find them too sweet and I find the sensation of carbonation to be unpleasant.

What area do you live in, and what season is it currently? How do the local climate, flora, and fauna influence your practice (if at all)?

I live in the pacific northwest.  Specifically, in the peninsula area of Washington State of the USA.  It is currently winter here, and we just had what is very likely the only snow that we’ll have all year just last week.  It’s already melted away.

As is obvious by my previous answers, the flora of this region are very strongly incorporated within my practice, which includes a good deal of herbalism and plant energy, and a lot of bonding with the rainforests of the area and the liminal spaces found there. I have a special connection with cedar trees, sword ferns, and lichen, as well as damp earth.

Do you grow plants — either indoors or out — at all? If so, what kinds?

I grow plants indoors year round, and most of them are rotated out regularly as I am often rehabilitating plants that are in need of some TLC and have been brought to me by others.  I nurse them back to health, and then give them back.   Permanent residents in my home include a medium sized peace lily plant, a couple of Christmas cacti, and a crapload of aloe plants.

Outdoors in my personal space, I grow plants on my balcony including flowering annuals, a lilac tree, herbs and ivy, as well as cultivating a healthy diversity of indigenous ferns, lichen, and mosses.

Outside of my personal space, I work for a farm that grows raspberry, corn, and pumpkin crops.  I also work part time in a (primarily) advisory position for a local nursery where I am responsible for monitoring plant health and teaching employees how to best care for the plants, and handle pests and disease. During the summer months, I also “moonlight” from time to time for a local landscaping company when they need extra help.

What kind of music do you listen to? Do you think it’s influenced by the music you were exposed to growing up?

I listen to just about anything but country music, as the twang in country music makes me twitch.  My current preferences seem to rotate around a blend of indie music and k-pop featuring male vocals.  I have gone through phases in the past where I’ve enjoyed classic rock, 80s alternative, techno / electronica, dance, 70s rock, and a variety of other venues. I also very much enjoy classical music, especially where the cello is featured prominently in the pieces, as well as crooners of the 50s and 60s.

I don’t think my preferences really influenced at all by what I was exposed to growing up, but has a good deal to do with my synesthesia and whether I find a song pleasurable or unpleasant in relation to my synesthesia reactions.

Do you use music in ritual and other spiritual practice, even if it’s not “Pagan music”? If so, what kind of music and how is it used?

I don’t.  Not that I haven’t and wouldn’t be willing to under certain circumstances, but I don’t want the distraction of music during my spiritual practices, and due to my synesthesia, music is very often a distraction beyond just background noise that most people find it to be.

Yucca

Wednesday Questions from Yucca at Magic and Mundane

What is paganism to you?

The basis of my existence.  I’m not entirely sure how to explain this, but it is the foundation upon which how I see the world and how I see that it works.  A basis for reality as I know it.

What is your vision for the role that paganism will play in your life in the future?

The same.  I grew up in a faith that didn’t quite fit, but was close.  And when I struck out on my own I honed that path to the one that fits for me.  I’m very comfortable in my path and happy with it.  I’m open to adaptation and adjustment as new ideas and experiences shape my view of both the world and reality, but I doubt sincerely that I’m going to be making any major life-altering changes in this area.

What would you want to see Paganism becoming both in society, but also as a community? Where would you like to see it going or see happen?

Acceptance has been a slow thing coming concerning religious diversity in the world, and to be honest… also in the pagan community.    In both cases you have those that insist that their way is the only way, and wish to force others into boxes that do not fit them.  I would like to see this become less and less of an issue over time.

Meghan

Thursday Questions from Meghan aka. Subirasri

What does being Pagan bring to your life?

Refreshment of my soul and a depth of connection with nature.  Being pagan is that “good morning” stretch and deep breath of air outdoors on a crisp morning after a long, cozy sleep under warm blankets.

What spiritual goal do you have for this year for yourself?

I would like to do some work with the shadow that I encountered last fall, although I’m not sure if that’s a spiritual goal so much as a self-care goal with a spiritual aspect.  I would also like to find the pathway that will allow for contact, communication, and a chance to get to know my guides… as opposed to ignoring their presence and allowing them to just “do their thing” in the background.

What progress would you like to see the Pagan community make this year?

I answered this above in the Wednesday questions, but I would very much like to see more acceptance of diversity.

Alduin

Friday Questions from Alduin Royeau

What pagan based practice do you preform to protect yourself and family from sickness such as the flu?

I don’t have anything that is targeted directly at the flu or colds, things like that.  I do regular cleansing, and I have wards in place for negative energies.

What do you think a Pagan based Ghost show would look like?

Probably people helping spirits with closing out their unfinished business so that they can move on.

Are you able to see, hear, or smell things from the other side?

I cannot.  Apparently, if last fall was any indication, I do have some latent mediumship ability, but it is unexplored.

Using Visualization in Spellcraft

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This week’s question from the Pagan Perspective YouTube channel is about visualization and how it’s used in one’s practice and in everyday life.

visualization

Topic for the Week of 1/13: “Although the word makes us think only of vision and our sense of sight, the practice of visualization involves any and all senses, not just sight but also scent, sound, touch, and even taste…”

There are multiple questions included in the continuation of the topic for this week, so I am going to break those questions up below, because I think it’ll be easier to answer that way, rather than taking the whole thing on at once.   So…

1) Do you practice this skill or use it in your path?

Oh hell yes.  All the time.  Anyone that reads a book and imagines what’s going on in the book in your head, or writes fiction, or daydreams about this or that is doing visualization.

In spellcrafting, especially, it is an extremely valuable tool used to set intentions and direct energy into those intentions.

It is also an excellent method of meditation.  One of my favorite meditations when I was first starting out at meditation was to visualize peeling and eating an orange, as it is one that has a very distinctive and strong ability to incorporate all five senses.

2) What do you actually DO when you ‘visualize’ something?

Visualization triggers the parts of the brain that have to do with receptors for each of your senses.   So it’s not just “thinking” about doing something, but awakening those parts of the brain that register sensation and… well, playing with them.

3) Do you find that it comes easily to you, or do you struggle with it?

I’ve been doing visualization all my life, both in my practice and path, as well as in the day to day.  So it’s not really something I think about anymore, to be honest.

4) Are certain inner senses easier to use than others? For example some people may find inner sight difficult, but hear things easily, and so on.

Because of my synesthesia, the hearing one always feels a bit weird because with visualizations it doesn’t always kick in as it does with actual auditory input.   But other than that… not really.  I would say that visualization-wise, my sense of smell is the weakest.

5) What do your physical eyes ‘see’ when you visualize something?

They don’t.   I don’t hallucinate when visualizing.  Whatever I’m visualizing plays out in my mind, not in the physical world in front of me.

6) Do you have any tips for others working on this skill? For those who struggle, what are other things that can be done instead?

I think a lot of people don’t realize that creative writing is a type of visualization.  That reading a work of fiction is a type of visualization.   They think that it’s some esoteric skill they can’t tap into, but have been doing it all along and not realizing it.   Use those ways of visualizing that are familiar to you and take steps to begin reaching beyond them.

Instead of reading a book, make up a story in your head.  Pay attention to what you’re doing in your head beyond just producing words, yeah?  Do you see your character doing those things?   Can you feel what that character feels?   That is visualization.   Practice and pay attention, yeah?

7)  Does struggling with visualization prevent growth in our practice?

I believe it could.   Without visualization, the energy placed into intention setting wouldn’t have the same kind of -drive- behind it.  That drive is what pushes the energy forward into creating the results you seek, so I sort of wonder if spellcasting without it would even work?   I’m not sure, as this isn’t a problem I deal with personally.

 

What is Spell Craft?

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“At some point I want you to do a post for me about spell crafting. What it is, what it does, how you do the process. I saw a Lisa and Peggy video on “to love a witch” and the partner had to answer questions about them and I realized this is an area I’m completely blank on.” – Gideon

spell1

Okay, well I should first explain that until recently?  I found spell crafting and spell casting to be synonymous.  But then, I discovered that people actually USE pre-written spells in books and off the internet that are designed by others… sort of like using a recipe when cooking. Not as a foundation to build from and adjust, but literally as-is letter for letter.

Because of the way I was raised, and how I was taught, this actually surprised me quite a bit.  This is because, in my family, you craft your spells either by yourself of with others.  They are then written down for posterity and to be reused and improved on in the future.  BUT, these spells are yours.  They are, by the very nature of having created them yourself, tailored to you and your energies and your particular affinities and abilities.

Until this recent discovery mentioned above, I couldn’t imagine anyone taking one of my spells and using it, letter for letter, to do their own spell casting.  It would be like someone deciding they wanted to wear my decade old, worn and still hanging in there pair of underwear, and  not just wearing them, but trying to make them fit their body in the way they have over time stretched and molded to fit mine.

Spells get passed down, of course, but they are not used letter for letter.  They are altered and adjusted, rewritten and reworked to fit the person using them. Because without personalization, how is it supposed to mesh with your energy and intentions?

So with that said… lets do a little bit of defining of terms.  Keep in mind these are my definitions of these terms.  This is not a general consensus, nor are my views on this spelled out anywhere that I’m aware of where there’s some kind of adopted agreement where others are concerned.  It’s just me and my definitions.

Spell (as a noun) – The gathering of your intention, your will, and energy (yours, ambient energy around you, and/or the blend of energies belong to the tools and supplies you use), and pushing them into a ritual, item, or magickal action of some sort that then projects them toward the goal behind that intention.  You are the microphone, the spell is the speakers.

Spell Craft (as a noun) – Working with spells, including any creation or designing of magickal workings, whether that be ritual spells, free form spells, etc. Spell craft is an “umbrella term” (much like the word “witchcraft”) that is used to encompass the process of creation through to casting of spells, and the practice of magickal workings as a whole.

Ritual Spells (as a noun) – This type of spell is much like a recipe when cooking.  You have an ingredient list (supply list) and a set out series of steps involved, usually with a pre-planned incantation.  They are often planned well in advance to be done on certain powerful days that align with the spell’s intention (such as a full moon ritual).

Free Form Spells (as a noun) – Returning to the analogy of cooking… this is when you “wing it”.  It’s still a spell, as you are directing will, intention, and energy into a magickal working… but it is not as rigid and regimented as ritual spells.

Spell Casting (as a verb) – Very literally, the casting of a spell. Spell casting concentrates and directs energy, and it does not necessarily require tools or supplies (although they can definitely help).  It is, at its core, a projection of intention and energy.   Tools and supplies are simply used to hone, wield, and better direct that energy.

Spell Crafting (as a verb) – This is the literal act of crafting of spells. The work. The research. Spell crafting involves not just the collecting of items wanted or needed to better direct the intention behind a spell and energies involved, but can include anything from writing incantations to creating incense or oils. Making your own supplies for magical workings is also spell crafting, which can involve the designing or making of supplies such as poppets, sachets, teas or food, candles, etc.

In my case, spell crafting and spell casting can often go hand in hand as one, as I do a lot of free-form spell work. When I am using supplies I am familiar with and that I know are safe, there are many times that I will craft as I go, and cast in the moment.  In other words, I might bring together ingredients to create a brand new spell, make the supplies I need in the moment (such as a poppet out of a piece of paper… also spell craft), and cast immediately.

Other times, especially if working with plant parts that I’m not fully familiar with, or trying something a little outside my familiarity, I will do a lot of research first.  Take notes.  Plan and do more research.  Sometimes spells are complicated and you need to craft different things for them first (again, such as poppets, sachets, oils, sprays, etc), and/or you want to get the wording of your intentions just right and may need to spend time crafting just the right words for the task.   All of this is spell crafting… some of it may also be spell casting if you are instilling your intention into the items as you make them.

I feel like I talked myself in circles here.   But…. maybe it made sense?

I’m sure you have lots of questions after this post, and I’m happy to do a subsequent post on this if there’s anything you’d like for me to go into more detail about, or any curiosities you have.   Just let me know.

 

Picking Favorites

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This week’s question from the Pagan Perspective YouTube channel is about one’s talents and preferences.

sunset

Topic for the Week of 8/19:  “Which areas of magic do you excel in or enjoy most?”

One of the hosts spoke on the word “excel” in their video, mentioning that they believed you cannot really say for yourself what you excel at, and that it’s up to others to decide that and inform you.

I disagree with this, as when I’m good at something?  I know it.  Granted, there are certain things I don’t realize I’m good at and I’m told by others at some point.   But, there are other things that I don’t need external input to know I’m good at.  Personally, I don’t think anyone should need external input to tell them what they’re good at.   Those things that I am so good at that I excel at?  You can bet I know what they are, and in many cases I have worked very, very hard to earn that level of skill.

So, on to the areas of magic that I excel in or enjoy most.  For me, these answers are the same whether it is one of the other.  I know that sometimes that isn’t the case and you can greatly enjoy things you are just no good at, or be really good at things you don’t enjoy, but when it comes to my practice… they align well.

These areas are…

Nature Magic –  Specifically, magickal workings that incorporate spellcrafting with herbs and plants, the elements of the earth, and the gifts that nature gives to us. This type of Nature Magic is my favorite type of spellcrafting, and considering my connection with the element of earth and my studies in botany, it is not surprising this is where my talents and joy lies when it comes to magic and spell craft.  Although some people do, I do NOT include celestial influences or astrology, etc into my definition of Nature Magic, as to me, these are a different thing.

Lunar Rhythms – I have already promised you a post about the lunar cycles and how I incorporate them into my life and practice.  In Lunar Rhythms, that is what I am referring to.  It is the following of the moon’s cycle and timing my magickal endeavors and rituals to fit into that cycle.

Cartomancy – For me, my magickal practice and my faith are deeply intertwined with each other, and so, too, is the addition of cartomancy.   This can be Lenormand, Playing Cards, Tarot, Oracle, or just whatever other cards that speak to me (such as Dixit cards).  They are a connection to my inner voice, and a connection to that energy that is at the center of my beliefs and practice.  I enjoy them immensely, and if cartomancy disappeared off the planet tomorrow?  I’d be reading playing cards and immediately begin drawing on them to make my own deck out of them, because it’s just not something I’d want to be without.

Spending time (and savoring that time) within Liminal Spaces – We spoke about liminal spaces the other day.   That space between the plane of Faerie and our own reality.  That space between sleep and wake.  That place you find when you sink to the bottom of a lake and find the moments between heart beats where the world shifts and time stretches.  Those in-between spaces where mystery and potential and a kind of sacred awareness reside. I know that many people find these spaces uncomfortable, and feel uneasy within them or even find them frightening.   But for me?  They are like coming home.  I love them. I linger in them.  I am respectful of them, but yet they are where I feel as if I am… whole.

Forest Bathing – I’m not sure I would consider this magic so much as a part of my spirituality, but it feels like magic to me.  Walking in nature, soaking in the atmosphere and the energy, and practicing a time of gratitude within these spaces?  To me?  That is the absolute best type of magic there is.