Standing Strong in Your Own Magickal Path - The Policing of Spirituality

 If you spend any amount of time on my website, you will see a common theme. My absolute biggest “peeve” right now is the love-and-light takeover. Of course, I am no young lady, and this delusion has been oozing its way into the witchcraft community for a long time (thanks, Wicca). I do my best to counter this modified history by consistently researching and blogging about the true history of Magick—the often malevolent nature of it since early civilization. But with the internet, I find that it’s “us against the world.”

The desire to keep yourself in a positive mindset, on its own, is a noble and good intention. However, it becomes dangerous when the ever-growing community of TikTok witches and forced positivity guardians begins to police those of us who do not take the same path. This policing can lead to harassment. I see it daily in Facebook groups, especially in circles titled “Everything Occult,” which are truly a mix of vastly different beliefs and moralities all crammed together, poking fun at one another or downright verbally assaulting each other over simple differences of opinion. That, my friends, is dangerous.

Many of us left organized religion or simply sought something larger for a common goal of freedom of belief and self. I find it rather disturbing that much of witchcraft has become organized religion. It may be hidden behind pretty crystals and feminine power facades, but at the end of the day, it’s the same ideal: “I believe this, so you should believe this. Or else.”

Recently, I wrote an article highlighting the practices of ancient humans, which were mostly rather malevolent. Generational curses were as common as watering plants, and spiritual practices focused on cause and effect—ritual and result. Ancient civilizations utilized malevolent magick in various ways, such as the curse tablets from ancient Rome, where individuals would inscribe curses on thin sheets of lead to invoke harm upon their enemies. The Babylonians also practiced malevolent magick, employing incantations and rituals to summon demons for vengeance. In ancient Egypt, practitioners used hostile spells to bind and control their foes, often invoking the names of powerful deities to enhance their effectiveness. Additionally, the witchcraft practices of the Middle Ages, influenced by older traditions, included the use of poppets or voodoo dolls to enact curses and manipulate the fates of others. Not “harm none.” Not “love and light.” Not “live, laugh, love.” Again, that’s not to say this path is inherently bad, but it is completely pretentious if it comes with any expectation for anyone else to operate on the same plane as you do, simply because your way works for you. At least, it’s working for now. Speaking of that, how many of these fluff fairies do you think have truly experienced any level of spiritual situation where their daily blessings just aren’t enough? I’ll leave that there.

This flows right into another topic I speak on quite often: the policing or judgment of Christianity. If we are to completely embrace FREEDOM of religion, we must understand that this means respecting all religions. No practicing Pagan who is confident in their path should ever have to go to a social media group to ask questions like, “A family member died, and their service is in a church. How do I cope?” Well, Kathy, you go and pay your respects. That’s what you do. What do you truly think will happen? You won’t spontaneously combust, I promise. To me, that screams insecurity in your own belief system, and when attempting to deal with anything in the realm of Magick, that is really dangerous. A word from the wise, especially if you are a younger person: condemning the Christians in your life could eventually leave you facing decisions to step away from your own family—sometimes even your own children. My own adult son is a Catholic. We love each other just the same. I don’t think these younger “baby witches” consider these things. True confidence in yourself, standing in your truth, means you can operate in all situations with the assurance that you are on your correct path. Nobody on social media should be, or can, guide you through this.

In our lives, we all cycle through changes. We all experiment. How many of us in our 40s and 50s have swapped music genres, fashion, faith, and morality? We all do. You may stay on a general path, but we all experiment—growing, making mistakes, trying and failing, rediscovering ourselves. It’s all part of the larger picture of what we will become one day and the legacy we will leave behind when we are gone. No worries, however, if you feel as though anyone notices your evolution. Trust me, I am thankful daily there was no social media in my goth bar days. That was mortifying. Anyway, it’s all about what makes us feel, within ourselves, that we are on our chosen path—whether you find success, peace, stability, and ability on a darker road, or your path is lighter and brighter. The key to exuding confidence and exhibiting knowledge is to stay true to yourself—not what the Magick communities tell you is the path most traveled. And, my friends, once you find this path, you’ll do yourself no justice by attempting to influence the Magick of others. Stick to yourself, share when asked, and accept that we are all beautifully and uniquely on our own journey.

Be Blessed, 

Dena

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