A worksheet for making the first 18/19 letters of your alphabet of desire using the Peter Carrol method. It is important that all the letters you create in the blanks have a distinct top and bottom (cannot be vertically symmetrical) and are simple enough to use as letters. The 19th letter or glyph for laughter can be symmetrical because laughter is its own opposite/has no opposite and could in the center. You can also put a symbol of your tradition in the middle. Peter Carroll’s has the chaos sign.

Chaos magic is interesting because it sources a good portion of its influences from old witchcraft.

The alphabet of desire is originally transmitted by Austin Osman Spare who also credits old style witchcraft as a large influence. In addition to being thought of as the major influence on chaos magic, he also is a major influence on traditional witchcraft and he interacted with Robert Cochrane and Doreen Valiente, major players in the traditional witchcraft movement.

Andrew Chumbley’s Azoetia is primarily a recension of Austin Osman Spare’s witch’s sabbath and alphabet of desire traditions. I decided to begin with creating my own alphabet using the Liber Null instructions instead because I admired @wolfofantimonyoccultism ‘s alphabet the ravens of antimony and that is similar to how he made his and as a preface for working with Andrew Chumbley’s approach. Austin Osman Spare did not publish the method he used for creating his alphabet of desire. I suspect Andrew Chumbley’s way is more similar, but Carroll’s way has a simplicity and elegance to its approach. The Azoetia system could easily take a month of daily dedicated ritual to create, whereas this method could be completed in an afternoon.

A Coptic Mary Magdalene by Sara Star/Spiritscraft. Based on a Prototype by Br. R. Lentz and a photograph by Steve McMurry.

A worksheet for making the first 18/19 letters of your alphabet of desire using the Peter Carrol method. It is important that all the letters you create in the blanks have a distinct top and bottom (cannot be vertically symmetrical) and are simple enough to use as letters. The 19th letter or glyph for laughter can be symmetrical because laughter is its own opposite/has no opposite and could in the center. You can also put a symbol of your tradition in the middle. Peter Carroll’s has the chaos sign.

Chaos magic is interesting because it sources a good portion of its influences from old witchcraft.

The alphabet of desire is originally transmitted by Austin Osman Spare who also credits old style witchcraft as a large influence. In addition to being thought of as the major influence on chaos magic, he also is a major influence on traditional witchcraft and he interacted with Robert Cochrane and Doreen Valiente, major players in the traditional witchcraft movement.

Andrew Chumbley’s Azoetia is primarily a recension of Austin Osman Spare’s witch’s sabbath and alphabet of desire traditions. I decided to begin with creating my own alphabet using the Liber Null instructions instead because I admired @wolfofantimonyoccultism ‘s alphabet the ravens of antimony and that is similar to how he made his and as a preface for working with Andrew Chumbley’s approach. Austin Osman Spare did not publish the method he used for creating his alphabet of desire. I suspect Andrew Chumbley’s way is more similar, but Carroll’s way has a simplicity and elegance to its approach. The Azoetia system could easily take a month of daily dedicated ritual to create, whereas this method could be completed in an afternoon.

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Witch tip:

Dream.

Do the spell and ritual work.

Receive.

Be grateful.

Give.

Dream bigger, and repeat.

And then: be content, grateful and keep giving.

Your home can be your temple.

What if everywhere you looked in your space you saw something that inspired, calmed, uplifted, honored, loved, mysteried, protected, healed and/or blessed you and your spirits?

What if you had a space set aside in your home for facing demons, processing grief, anger, pain and shame? A place to hex? A drawer, a cupboard shelf, a box, just any little space for the shadows to live and be.

Could your home (room, corner, space) be a temple to you and your gods?

This, I believe, is the essence of hearth. Home can become a very spiritual and magical practice in itself.

You can do this with or without the main witchcraft aesthetics.

It truly comes down to the power, purpose and spirit of the home, all you place in it and how you arrange it. Your attention to the spiritual and physical hygiene of the home and the care in which you orchestrate it.

Accumulating Witch Stuff on a budget

First off, when you see witches like myself that have tons of fabulous witch stuff, do understand we didn’t get it all the week we discovered paganism or witchcraft. We have been putting our collections together for years. It is not a game of catch up. If you are just starting out, you don’t need to blow several hundred on supplies. There is a huge advantage to gathering things slowly. In that you will have ample time to become familiar with each object and its inlying spirit.

Wanting some special new supplies isn’t all bad either. When I decided I wanted to do this witch thing innowen tried to dissuade me from buying a mortar and pestle when a bowl and spoon would do. I would not be dissuaded and I bought one from a new age store. Now of course the thing was crap and bits of black enamel broke off in my herbs. But I did learn that I loved grinding herbs in it and I was able to decide what type of mortar and pestle I wanted next and ask for it for yule.

But onto the point. Where does all this stuff come from? How do you get plugged in and develop a great collection?

1) Befriend other witches and pagans, even if they practice way different than you. I can’t say this enough. A good deal of my witchy things were gifts or trades with other witches, pagans and new agers from in person and online. Its easy to get snobby and not want to hang out with the love and light types or to abhor folks who are a bit darker than you on principal. But interactions with others an be your greatest teacher about who you are and aren’t. And most pagan types who have been doing it longer than you have an old tarot deck and a few beginner books they need to rehome anyways. You’ll pay it forward someday.

2) Thrift shop. Don’t go in with anything in mind. Just look for witchy pagan stuff in the isles of the local charity shop. Usually something jumps out at me. Whether it a wall hanging of a pudgy kid with grapes for a bachanal type altar. A candle holder or even a few grab bags of cotton yarn for making charms, something will probably be manipulated for witchcraft and it might only cost a few dollars. I am amazed at what some casual thrifting has turned up for me. Old perfume bottles shaped like hummingbirds? Witchcraft!

3) Mention general stuff you are looking for to thrift gifty friends. Hey thrifty friend, let me know if you see and antlers out thrifting-garage saleing so I can come snap it up. Chances are you friend will delight in surprising you with gifts of their finds. Return the favor and you are golden. My brother is always turning up with loch ness monster themed things for me. I adore him, and the resulting collection.

4) Nature and natury friends. Learn your local trees and stop the car, bike or get of the bus now and then when you see something. This time of year my eyes are peeled for rowan trees and there bright orange red berries. I will take off a sock or my hat to fill up with them and a few branches to take home and make rowan on red thread charms. Get other nature inclined friends to scope out spots for you. Some might even pick up bones and antlers for you. Who knows?

5) Join in on swaps online. After you’ve bought a few things, gotten some gifts, picked up outside, you will someday have extra. Join swaps. Offer whatever you can and take near anything thats offered in exchange. If you don’t like it, gift it to another friend or offer it in an unrelated swap another time.

6) Check your house. I’ve a wand and a few favorite cute witch storybooks from childhood. A nice illustrated Wizard of Oz is a witch treasure! My dad had a cast iron pan in our camping gear. My mom has Irish themed cook books and gardening guides. We even had a few random greek myth books and something on ghosts of Ireland.

7) Halloween clearance sales. The cool stuff I have picked up the day after hallowen at craft and costume stores at 75% off is phenomenal. Always get your black candles this time of year, otherwise they are hard to find.

8) Save money aside for special purchases. Then stalk etsy, ebay and various other websites for just the thing.

9) Ask at holidays for specific things you could witchify. A perfume making kit, playing cards, fairytale books, blank leatherbound journal or sketchbook, nature guides, and etc. You don’t havevto tell your grandma you are a witch to adk her for a rock collection for your birthday.

10) Be observant, patient, give it time, and be giving to other giving people. You will have too much stuff before you know it.

Witchcraft as a Martial Art

I had once struggled with the way shielding worked: once I stop visualizing a shield, is it still there? Because with more training and experience I got it.

As Victor Anderson of the Feri tradition stated, witchcraft is a martial art. It makes sense, most martial arts can attack and defend, cause fear or relaxation, are spiritual, healing, and work with elemental powers.

A shield once visualized is there passively, but you need to build up the reflexes to activate it when something big comes your way.

In a martial arts class we practiced the same falls and blocks for weeks. We would fall over and over and do the same move to catch ourselves. Then I stopped taking the class because my ex-boyfriend was there.

Even a few years later, I slipped and fell and automatically did that exact fall move and was completely uninjured except for a scrape on my hand where I caught myself!

I had to learn to make my shields work the same way by practicing visualizing them on the spot over and over. That way when someone sends me some emotional garbage, I didn’t have to think twice and my personal shield just popped into my visual field and reflected everything instantly.

The same as a martial art and artistic abilities (if someone asked me how to be better, the answer would be: 5-10 minutes practice a day. Look after it even in a month and you will be in awe of how much you’ve progressed) witches can benefit from the repetition of tasks.

It’s flexible how much and how many times a witch can repeat things (my Adhd is not the same everyday, sometimes it’s 5 minutes to check my shield and wards, some days it’s much more to even check what’s going on in my astral space) but… Repeat it!

It’s like training for a marathon, you won’t run 5 kms from day one, you need to prepare your body to sustain such an ordeal. Witchcraft it’s the same, you need repetition, you actually need this training!

It’s worthy to say that you can make it fun too, or switch things up if you see the risk of falling out of a routine (I’m thinking of my fellow neurodivergent witches especially) but start implementing a everyday “check in” with your shields, or wards, or protections of any sort.

You do not have to violate your boundaries to be a witch. Saying no is power.

Witchcraft as a Martial Art

I had once struggled with the way shielding worked: once I stop visualizing a shield, is it still there? Because with more training and experience I got it.

As Victor Anderson of the Feri tradition stated, witchcraft is a martial art. It makes sense, most martial arts can attack and defend, cause fear or relaxation, are spiritual, healing, and work with elemental powers.

A shield once visualized is there passively, but you need to build up the reflexes to activate it when something big comes your way.

In a martial arts class we practiced the same falls and blocks for weeks. We would fall over and over and do the same move to catch ourselves. Then I stopped taking the class because my ex-boyfriend was there.

Even a few years later, I slipped and fell and automatically did that exact fall move and was completely uninjured except for a scrape on my hand where I caught myself!

I had to learn to make my shields work the same way by practicing visualizing them on the spot over and over. That way when someone sends me some emotional garbage, I didn’t have to think twice and my personal shield just popped into my visual field and reflected everything instantly.

#Diana #art_details

The Azoëtia by Andrew Chumbley

Intent magic vs Animism magic

The underlying logic of most traditional witchcraft is animism. Animism in the sense that the physical components of witchcraft have spiritual agency and intention that the witch is able to cajole one way or another to their purpose. And furthermore, the power and agency of any target is taken to account as potentially having innate or obtained protections that could backfire should the spell be wrong somehow. Whereas much of modern witchcraft is not animist, and the only figure with agency are the humans involved: the witch and their target–a target whose will is assumed so weak that it must be protected by maxims. These stark differences dog much of the interwitch discourse. The opposite world views are chocked up as elitism by the modern witches against the traditional. And traditional witches dodge the insult that they are still in training wheels for using tools and components. The modern witches say my greatest witch tool is my mind whereas a traditional witch may say a tool is a useful constructed object (usually manmade but a few animals make tools too). Or the idea that magic does not work without taking major mundane actions to further them. That requirement coming from there being less effort taken in the spell itself and perhaps no assistance petitioned from the spirits of the materials employed so much the effort is taken non mystically. Most modern witches say spell components are mere props. Whereas traditional witches often befriend their spell components. I will never say modern witchcraft doesn’t work. It follows its own logic premised on inspiration. Verily inspiration is quite powerful and I won’t knock it. And the logic of inspiration carried out is acting in accord which is very effective combined with the tools of theatrics based off of personal correspondences. It may even be possible to reconcile the two. Many traditional witches in addition to their animistic approach also follow through with acting in accord which doesn’t have to hurt, but can limit the possibilities noticed for the result or can alternately pave the way to allow the animistic powers to flow more productively.

Additionally, traditional witches can find ways to work without tools and materials after learning to contact the spirits of those materials indirectly without the presences of the objects for immediate relating. Witches can use the animist power of words or strengthen their ability to harness fate to be able to do it with energy or psychic ability. But certainly it’s not only their own intent carried out, but a cooperation or dictation of the other powers that be to that end. So basically, there is more than one system. I use the terms modern and traditional merely as stand in identifiers. Of course there are those that identify with one or the other but have differing metaphysical practices than I used for demonstration purposes.

Williams Harvey's Experiment

I once asked him what his opinion was concerning Whitchcraft; whether there was any such thing? Hee told me he believed there was not. I asked him what induced him to be of that opinion? He told me that when he was at Newmercat with the King, he heard there was a woman who dwelt at a lone house on the borders of the Heath, who was reputed to be a Witch; that he went alone to her, and found her alone at home, alighted, and went into the house to her. Hee said shee was very distrustful at first; but when he told her he was a vizard, and came purposefully to converse with her in thier common trade, then shee easily believed him; for say’d hee to mee, “You know I have a very magical face,: and looking upon mee and gathering up his face, I indeed thought hee had.

Dr Harvey asked where her familiar was? And desired to see him. Shee immediately fetched a little milk, and put it in a flat dish, and went to a chest and chucked with her mouth, as toades doe when they call one another; and immediately a toad came from under the chest, and drunk some of the milke. He sayd it was enough, and caused her to take awaye the dish before the toad had done, and asked the woman whether she had any ale to sell, for they, beinge Brother and Sister , must drink together. She sayd there was ale to be sold about half a mile thence; he desired her to go to fetch some, whilst he stayed, and gave her a shilling; away she went for the ale. Hee tooke some milke, when she was a goode ways on her way, went to the chest and chuked as shee did, the toade came out. His tongues (*)were ready in his hand, he catched up the toad in them; his dissecting knife was ready alsoe, he opened the toades belly, out came the milk. He examined the toades entrails, heart and lungs, and it no ways differed from other toades. Of which hee had dissected may of, ergo it was a playne naturall toad. The old woman was melancholy and poore; fond the toad some evening abroad eating spiders, for hungry toades will eat spiders and other reptiles or insects carried it home, made it tame by feeding it, and so it became a spirit, and that spirit a familiar. From hence he concludes there are no witches very logically; his argument was this—A woman had a tame toade, which she believed to bee a spirit and her familiar, the toad upon dissection proved an arrant natural toad, and had really eaten the milk, and not in ap- (pg 407) pearance onely, therefore there are no witches. The good Doctor, upon the woman’s returne, who found him busy in observing what the toad would doe in the pickle hee had put him in, was in danger to have a more magical face then hee had before, and habit too; the woman let or rather threw down the pitcher of ale, flew like a tigris at his face; ‘twas well hee had nothing but bare bones and tough tanned skin, neyther hair nor bearde, and twas well his eyes were out of reach, well guarded with prominent bones, otherwise it had gone ill with him; but for his short very short old black coat, that that scaped not so well, that pay’d for killing the poor woman’s Divell. The Doctor intreeted fairly, offered money, would have persuaded ‘twas not a Divell, but meer toad. That way not prevailing, hee turned his tale, say’d hee was the King’s Phisitian, sent by the King to discover whether indeed shee was a witch; if a witch, to have her apprehended; if not, to undeceave her, if hee could. The name of the King, and the word apprehending, brought her into a netter temper; and after having been called 1000 old cheating rogues, and as many times freely given to the Devill, the Doctor got away; tolde the Kinge, whose leave he had to go upon the expedition, the whole story, which which was a paleasnt entertaynment for that good King at his dinner. I did know the Doctor’s temper well, and that it did not much concern me wht opion he was of in that point. I onely say’d, “I think I have heard their Spirits have recourse to toades or other animals (which the witches keep and feed) at set times, or wherefore Spirits are called upon extraordinary occasions, but doe not exert then constantly, for then the poor divells would have a very bad time of it.” I am certayne this, for an argument against Spirits or witchcraft, is the best and most experimentall I ever heard, and as logically managed as I ever expect to have any. Pardon this long trouble, I beseech you, Sr, and bee pleased to believe there is no one honours you more than, Reverent Sr., [no name.] (pg 408) – The Gentleman’s Magazine Published by F. Jefferies [etc.], 1832. Item notes: v.102 pt.1 1832

Note: (*) Tongs