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lychee-angelica · 2 months

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The Venus Nakshatras 🍓

Bharani, Purva Phalguni, Purva Ashadha

Hi all, I've been gone for sometime now but I thought I may as well post something from my drafts. Hope you all enjoy! 💕

Sukra (Venus) ♀

Sukra is the Hindu God who is known as planet Venus. He not only rules over the signs of Taurus and Libra, but also the nakshatras; Bharani, Purva Phalguni and Purva Ashadha. The word Sukra translates to 'bright' or 'clear', as Venus is literally the most visible planet during night fall, bright, glimmering and illuminated. For this reason planet Sukra indicates all that we desire in life; wealth, material pleasure, love, relationships, beauty and art. All that Venus represents is inherently feminine, beautiful and attractive to us.

Sukra's rulership over Taurus and Libra expresses his desirability in two very keystone ways. Taurus indicates materialism, wealth and sensuality. Whereas Libra indicates love, balance, relationships and beauty. On the other hand, the Venus ruled Nakshatras divide themselves into a more in-depth understanding of Venus.

Sukra was entwined within the two worlds of the Devas and Asuras (Gods and Demons). He was considered the Guru of the Asuras (Teacher of the Demons), yet held strong relations with the Devas, specifically Lord Shiva (The Destroyer).

As Venus represents all that we could desire in life, he therefore is who naturally inspires demonic energy. Although being considered a planet rich in positive and beneficial qualities himself, the negative side of Sukra relates to such sayings as; Desire is the root of suffering or Beauty is pain. Venus is inherently situated on this polarity. All the things that Sukra represents has potential to bring out the worst in an individual, it is important that we don't ignore this fact, rather than simply become mesmerised by his immense beauty and desirability.

One story told depicts Sukra residing within the stomach of Lord Shiva (The Destroyer), meditating for a thousand years. Sukra was later ejected out into the world by the force of Lord Shiva.

Unbeknownst to me as to how Sukra ended up in the pit of Shiva's stomach, I find this story deeply symbolic of Venus. Sukra did not experience this grant of emission into the world by any such Deva, it was Shiva, God of Destruction. This is why the Venus Nakshatras embody fierceness, rather than a quality rooted in tenderness or softness. Ejection is an act that is forceful in nature too, solidifying our understanding that Venus has some inherent magnetism and strength.

Fire and Fierceness

All of the Venus Nakshatras are considered to possess a fierce quality. Fierceness carries with it themes of destruction, fire and confrontations. Fittingly, these nakshatras are all located within the heart of the fire signs, Aries, Sagittarius and Leo. Fire signs are of course the most passionate, intense and energetic celestial locations of the zodiac.

🍷 Bharani Nakshatra

Sign: Aries, Symbol: Vulva, Deity: Yama (God of death)

Bharani is the most intense of the Venus Nakshatras, unsurprisingly so, as Aries being ruled by Mars garners the most potent manifestation of the fire signs. The word Bharani translates to "bearing children", indicating that this nakshatra is that of heaviness, suffering, beauty, transformation and fertility. Understanding this, the symbol of a vulva representing Bharani is needless to say relating to very similar themes, yet additionally, apparent feminine sexual potency.

Yama (God of Death) ruling over this nakshatra deepens the relations Bharani holds with transformation and depth. This nakshatra is intense and fear inducing - beyond what can be comprehensively measured. Bharani resembles best the polarity of life and death, mortality is what essentially ignites our carnal motive to create life.

🍷 Purva Phalguni Nakshatra

Sign: Leo, Symbol: Bed, Deity: Bhaga (God of Love and Marriage)

The word Purva Phalguni translates to "the first reddish lady". The term reddish lady simply means a fertile woman. It is a given that Purva Phalguni nakshatra relates immensely to sexual and romantic pleasures. Considering this nakshatra is the first sequence of 'Phalguni', it carries with it an initiating tone - both inviting and alluring. As Purva Phalguni is symbolised by a bed, this nakshatra deepens it's roots within the realms of sexual pleasure and recreation. Beds are also associated with structure and stability, being which a small key when understanding the nature of Purva Phalguni.

Bhaga (God of Love and Marriage) ruling over this nakshatra deepens it's ties with not only the pleasure received by the outcome of love, but also commitment. All that love has to offer within committed relationships is inherently of the purpose to be stable and abundantly pleasurable.

🍷 Purva Ashadha Nakshatra

Sign: Sagittarius, Symbol: Elephant Tusk and Fan, Deity: Apas (Goddess of Water)

Purva Ashadha translates to the "the first invincible one". This nakshatra relates to a force of impenetrable strength, yet not in a masculine way, Purva Ashadha bridges the tie between strength is the kind that is effortless, fluid and feminine.

Although Purva Ashadha is strong, as signified by the elephant tusk, it is also symbolised by a fan. This is the last of the Venus Nakshatras, where the immense heat of Aries and Leo has metaphorically cooled from the heat bestowed from Mars and Sun. Jupiter is not as hot and harsh as these previous planets, so to say that Venus has cooled off and matured in a sense is understandable.

Apas (Goddess of Water) ruling over this nakshatra creates a dynamic nature of both force and fluidity. She is of course the most feminine of deities to rule over the Venus Nakshatras. Purva Ashadha does not only embody strength and stability, this nakshatra is attuned deeply with emotion, beauty, softness and moisture.

#vedic astrology #astrology #jyotish #sidereal astrology #astrology observations #venus #venus nakshatras #bharani #purva phalguni #purva ashadha

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theartingace · 3 months

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Hello! I’ve seen your work over the years and every time I see it I always get a kick over it. I have a sociological question to ask you about centaurs. How do humans or other races fit into their lives? Both in a general sense of life, platonically, and romantically? Sorry if you’ve answered this before.

Thank you! It always blows my mind that I've been puttering away in my little corner of the internet with my horse people for this long!

I've covered a couple different specific situations in my cultures; re platonic and romantic? but for the most part is it boils down to that romantic would probably be rare and boil down to individual choices for how they approach it? But for platonic I have sort of covered a lot of platonic relationships just from the standpoint that basically all my centaur cultures have a deep societal tie to another race. At first it was a lot of convenience- a way to get around the difficulties of centaur bodies getting in the way of certain ways of life, but at this point I just do it cause it's lovely to me!

Like the merchants build their cities with the dwarves and they both benefit from the dwarves engineering and centaur's strength and mobility re:trade. The centaurs easily manage huge farms, trade networks, and logging infrastructure on their strength and speed but benefit from dwarves (and a small portion of other bipeds) being better set up for building (try to imagine a centaur making a roof, it's vexed me for a year now..) and generally engineering wizzes so it's a mutually beneficial relationship to entwine their cultures in the main Merchant City

Obviously my Riders are wholly entwined with their biped family as I've talked extensively about in.. too many posts probably haha

but then my very lightly covered Mountain folk have a different, almost religious relationship with the Forest Giants in which the relationship between their two cultures is separate other than the spiritual importance they hold with each other. The giants live approximately 300 years but are very slow, sedate creatures who prize a life of peace and telling stories over all else. So the centaurs almost view them as minor deities and the giants keep and love the stories their fiery little companions entrust to them.

As you can tell, I really love building all these races and cultures and then mashing them together and see what comes out! I find it makes the world feel more real and lived in when I'm not only thinking about how a culture would work and operate, but also how they interact with their neighbors! What's their main export and how does that shape their life and relations?? These are the questions I get LOST in so thank you for asking :D

#asked and answered #centaurs #riders #mountain folk #merchants #I REALLY NEED TO COME UP WITH NAMES #but I have commitment problems #man I can't even get into the other merchant connections #they also work with my version of elves #in their logging operations #and their network of mail delivery taurs have a whole seperate thing with harpies #I LOVE CONNECTING CULTURES #in ways that aren't fighting!

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tenofmuses · 3 months

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Free Witchcraft Resources for Beginners

A couple months ago I made a post shouting out the fact that witchcraft doesn’t require any money to get started (or to be practiced, for that matter), and I had a few people ask me about what they can do that’s free, especially as a beginner, so I wrote up this post. I was lost and broke when I was getting started with my craft, and it was really difficult to find tips for beginners that weren’t just “buy these things!” I’m hoping this will be useful for people who are looking for a place to begin.

So. You’re interested in witchcraft and would like to find out more. Maybe you keep seeing those “crystals/herbs/books/etc. beginner witches should have” posts, and you’re frustrated, because you want to begin your practice, but don’t have the money for those supplies. I was once in that spot, and even now that I’m five years into my practice, I have rarely purchased any of the supplies witchtok deems to be fundamental. Here are some places you can begin instead. Let’s get started!

Info continues below.

Foundations

By foundations, I’m referring to things that aren’t explicitly witchcraft, but that I have found very beneficial within my own practice.

1. Before anything, I recommend asking yourself a simple question: why do I want to practice witchcraft, and what do I hope to get out of it? You may not know for sure yet, and your answer will likely change over time, but having some intentions going in can be helpful when you’re in the early stages of research. When I was starting out, I felt very overwhelmed by the amount of info out there, so if you have a bit of an idea of what you’re specifically interested in, that can be helpful to get you going.

2. Meditation: not all witches meditate, but a lot of the skills you develop through meditation can be helpful within witchcraft. You can try out secular meditation (apps like Balance and Headspace, as well as Insight Timer—the former has a mix of secular and spiritual meditations), or you can find a witchcraft-specific guided meditation on YouTube. For neurodivergent folks out there, I recommend looking into active meditation, which I’ve found to be quite beneficial for myself.

For me, it’s always important to remain grounded when I’m doing any spiritual practice, and meditation is a good skill you can work on to help with that. I also find that having a background in meditation can be really helpful later down the line when/if you are attempting visualization and/or astral projection, witch’s flight, and so forth.

3. Journaling: another thing that isn’t specifically witchcraft-related, but is an important skill to harness, on my opinion. To me, it’s crucial to be in touch with what I’m feeling (especially when it comes to doing spellwork), and journaling is one great way to do that. If you’re stuck and don’t know where to begin, look up witchcraft (or general) journal prompts on here or somewhere else. A lot of the ones that come up will be shadow work, which can be intense, so only do what feels comfortable for you.

I’d also like to note that automatic writing/drawing is an entirely free option if you’re interested in communing with spirits or deities. Essentially it involves getting into a trance-like state (usually in a dark room only lit by candlelight or similar—this is to avoid distractions) with a piece of paper and pen, and you write or draw everything that comes to your head without thinking about it. And then you go back and see what sort of messages you may be receiving. It’s a bit hard to explain and I’m not very experienced in it myself, but it’s something worth looking into if it sounds interesting to you!

4. Look at what you have, instead of what you don’t: a lot of beginner witch resources will list specific items that you should have, without really explaining why. And without that knowledge of how/why having an item is important, you might find your Must Have crystal sitting unused on a shelf somewhere. So instead of focusing on the items you want or feel like you should have, look at what you do have. Are there plants or herbs in your house/yard that you feel drawn to? Do you have a collection of cool rocks and stones? How do these items make you feel?

For me, a large part of my craft is my belief in Animism (the belief that all living things have innate spiritual qualities, like a soul, spirit, or specific energy) and this can play into the way you interact with the natural world if it’s a belief you also subscribe to. Try and feel the presence of a plant to see if it gives you any specific feeling. It does? Great! Now you have a correspondance for that plant. And it’s even better than the correspondances you’ll get in a book because it’s based on your own personal connection and intuition. That’s what is most important.

5. When in doubt, use your intuition. You might find a source that says cinnamon should be used for protection. Another will say it should be used for abundance spells. What matters the most is what you think about an herb/plant/stone/colour, or whatever else you may utilize. I recommend to start keeping a list of what you associate these things with. It can take awhile to build up a personalized list, but once you have one, it’ll be a lot more useful than what a correspondances book says to do.

6. Scour your pantry and get cooking: are you wanting to try out a spell but you haven’t bought the ingredients? Look in your pantry. You may be surprised by how many commonly used witchcraft herbs you find in there. And if you have been starting to associate certain herbs or spices with specific feelings or energies, that’s a great way to get started with creating your own spell.

You can do a spell in many ways, but when I was starting out, one of my favourite ways was to incorporate a certain herb or spice into food I made. Say you’re making a soup and maybe you want a bit of protection, so you add some ground pepper with the intention of that pepper protecting you as you stir it into the soup. Same goes for any other ingredient you’d like to use. A little intention goes a long way!

7. Dedicate your actions, time, or energy: if you’re interested at all in working with deities, ancestors, and other spirits but don’t have the time/space to build an altar—or maybe you aren’t sure how involved you want to be with this part of witchcraft—you can devote an action to the entity. This can be simple. For example, when I worked with Apollo, I would use taking my meds and vitamins as an act of devotion to him. This is an offering. And offerings can be anything you want them to be. They don’t have to be expensive or fancy!

It’s also important to note that you do not need to work with deities or spirits to be a witch. You don’t even have to believe in them. Many witches are atheists or don’t work with any deities at all. But for those who are interested, simple offerings can be a good place to start.

8. Practice energy work: in my view, energy work is the most important skill to learn for your craft, since so many things build off of it. And with energy work, you don’t need to spend any amount of money on it. All you need is yourself, your intuition, and anything else—I mean that quite literally, you can practice feeling the energy of other people, pets, trees, buildings, foods, socks, your favourite pen, and whatever else you think of!

Once you get to know the energy of the things around you, you can more effectively utilize them as tools within your practice (this builds off of the intuition point I made earlier).

For example, as a child I lived in a house that was surrounded by cedar trees. It was a place where I felt very safe. To this day, when I see or smell a cedar tree, I feel safe and protected. You can read this any way you’d like—to me it’s both a spiritual and psychological phenomenon—but this is one example of sensing energy.

As a witch, you can practice that skill and use it to get to know the tools you’d like to use within your own craft (the things that connect to you personally, not what you’re told you should connect with). This isn’t an easy skill by any means, so if it doesn’t come naturally to you, that’s perfectly okay!

For more on this subject, I recommend two books: Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Kimmerer (more on animism in particular) and Psychic Witch by May Auryn (lots of exercises to practice working with and sensing energy).

Where to Go for Learning

After you’ve thought a bit about some of the above, or skipped it altogether if it doesn’t suit you, you’re probably wanting some good resources that will actually tell you how to do the witchcraft thing. But before that, I want to reiterate again that this is your practice, and you should only do what you are interested in. So take what you want and leave what you don’t.

I’m going to point you in three primary directions for learning good information: books, podcasts, and YouTube.

But first, I want to issue a massive disclaimer for the YouTube information (and some books, for that matter). You should not have one sole source for your information. Books that have bibliographies are always the most trustworthy sources. And even though I trust the information coming from the YouTubers I’ll mention—especially because I’ve read similar information in several witchcraft books—don’t take their word at face-value. Be critical of what you’re told. Believe what you believe. This is a skill you’ll learn over time. It can be a bit overwhelming at first, but it will get easier to discern what’s good info vs. bad info, over time.

Before you get started, I highly recommend watching this helpful video by HearthWitch with info on how to vet your witchcraft sources: link.

Books

In my view, books are the Best source of information, period. Anyone can publish an article or video online, but not everyone can publish a book. So there tends to be a bit more reliable info in witchcraft books.

As far as knowing what book you should begin with, there are lots of lists out there for beginners, and I recommend just looking at one of those lists and picking what sounds interesting to you. Take what you like and leave what you don’t.

Most of the YouTubers I’ve listed below have videos recommending books for beginners.

If you’re interested in British folk witchcraft, I started out with Folk Witchcraft by Roger J. Horne and it was a brilliant beginners guide that I recommend to anyone who is interested in that branch of witchcraft.

As always, while you read witchcraft books, be critical of the information you are presented with. Unfortunately, lots of witchcraft books (especially the classic ones) can be rooted in concepts like bioessentialism, colonialism, and racism. My recommendation is to not take any author’s word as gospel and to use your critical thinking skills when reading witchcraft books.

Where I live, books are EXPENSIVE. And when you’re just starting out in your practice, you might not have the money or ability to go out and buy a book just yet. Maybe you’re still unsure if witchcraft is right for you. Or maybe you’re in the “broom closet.” Whatever the reason, here are some free places to find books.

1. The public library: a bit obvious, but a great resource to look at, because you never know what your library might have. Libraries are the best. And entirely free!

2. Library apps like Libby or Overdrive: especially helpful if you don’t want to bring home a physical witchcraft book, or if your branch doesn’t have any copies of what you’re looking for. You can also get some audiobooks on there.

3. Archive.org: aka the web archive. Entirely free and entirely legal, this works as an online library service where you can check out a book for a bit of time right from your computer. Sometimes you can download PDFs as well. I’ve found a lot of my favourite witchcraft books on there, so if you have a specific title in mind, search it there.

YouTube

First, as a bit of a caveat before recommending you to watch YouTube videos on witchcraft: in my view, books are the best source of information for any witch, as they are able to contain a large degree of nuanced and research-informed information. But books aren’t a simple solution for everyone, and I’ve learned a lot from informed YouTubers over the years (in fact, like many witches, I was first exposed to witchcraft via Harmony Nice on YouTube!).

I’m including a list here of witch YouTubers that I personally recommend because I have found that their content aligns with information I have read in books and other research-informed sources over the years, and because I find them to be generally reliable.

I want to note here that this list is rather biased, as I tend to watch witchcraft YouTubers whose practices mirror my own in some ways. So most of these practitioners have practices informed by European folk witchcraft, and are not very diverse as a result. If any practitioners have further recommendations to add on, especially for practitioners of colour and practices that are different from mine, please do so!

My recommendations:

ChaoticWitchAunt: folk witchcraft, specifically in the Italian tradition, some great beginner content, info on working with saints and spirits.

TheWitchOfWonderlust: death magic, spellwork, great beginner content, lots of excellent info on working with spirits.

HearthWitch: truly a well of information on British witchcraft, beginner videos on any topic you can think of, q&a livestreams, and there’s even a video on vetting witchcraft sources that I really recommend for beginners.

The Redheaded Witch: folk witchcraft and folklore, spirit and ancestor work, daily witchcraft ideas, some beginner videos.

TheGreenWitch: such an excellent resource for herbal/green witchcraft, videos on spellwork, ingredients, tools, and more.

Mintfaery: lots of beginner information, videos on working with the fae, nature witchcraft, and lots of fun witchy days in the life.

Ella Harrison: German folk witchcraft, great beginner resources, including some more niche traditional craft topics like witch’s ladders.

The Norse Witch: info on Norse witchcraft and Heathenry, Norse paganism, and some content about astrology.

simplywitched: lots of great everyday witchcraft content, pagan witchcraft, more vlog style.

Warrior Witch Nike: witchy book reviews, paganism, deity work, some astrology content.

Mhara Starling: the place to go for anyone interested in Welsh witchcraft and folk magic related to Wales.

Alwyn Oak: lots of witch’s guides, especially relating to sabbats (those popularized in Wicca), forest witchcraft, gorgeous videos.

Ivy The Occultist: chaos magick and lots of interviews with practitioners from a variety of paths/backgrounds.

Shadow Harvest: personal day in the life witchy content, some videos looking at working with dark goddesses and deity work in general.

Note: some of these YouTubers have written their own witchcraft books geared towards beginners, so if you enjoy their videos and want to learn more, check those out.

Podcasts

The Astrology Podcast: not specifically witchcraft, but if you want to learn about astrology in detail, this is an excellent place to begin. Link goes to YouTube.

Books and Broomsticks: all kinds of good info, especially pertaining to folk magic, witch guests invited on to share more about their own practice. Link goes to Spotify.

Southern Bramble: A Podcast of Crooked Ways: a variety of witchcraft related topics, interviews, and discussions, often revolving around folk magic and traditional craft—interviews show different traditions. Link goes to Spotify.

New World Witchery - The Search for American Traditional Witchcraft: what it says on the tin; various topics and conversations through an American traditional/folk magic lens by the author of the (amazing) book with the same name. Link goes to Spotify.

Salty Witches Podcast by Cat & Cauldron: traditional witchcraft through a modern lens, another podcast that has a wide variety of topics covered. Link goes to Spotify.

—

As always, if anyone has any additional (free!) resources to add onto these ones, please do so.

Good luck to all of the beginner witches who are embarking on their spiritual journeys, and I hope some of these tips have been helpful! :)

-Em

#been working on this post since october first which is just crazy…it took So Long #I searched everywhere for info like this when I was a beginner but all I found were lists of things to purchase #which isn’t helpful when you’re broke and living through a recession!#I hope this hopes someone out there <3 #witchcraft resources #witchcraft 101 #witchcraft info #beginner witchcraft #witchcraft #witchblr #beginner witch #folk witchcraft #baby witch #resources #my post

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azure-cherie · 6 months

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𝑵𝒂𝒌𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒊𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒎𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏

✵ 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝘄 /𝗞𝗮𝗸𝗮

Crow is the animal associated with krittika , pushya , hasta , jyestha , dhanistha

Crows are associated with being the vahan of shani dev , they are a connecting link between the human world and The spirit world , it is believed that our ancestors come in the form of crows to get food and offer us blessings , it is also believed that the caretaker of the crow will achieve blessings from all gods and reach salvation after death

Mythology and lore :

The black crow, also known as a raven in some regions is said to possess clairvoyance by which he can see different worlds,is the tale of KakBhushundi, mentioned in Tulasi’ Das’s epic poem ‘Ramacharitamanas’. Bhusundi who was an ardent devotee of Ram had no respect or devotion for any representation God other than Lord Ram. His guru sage Lomas tried to correct this attitude by teaching him to develop devotion for nirguna brahman or the formless aspect of God. But Bhusundi ignored his guru’s teachings and kept on worshipping Ram as the Ultimate Truth. In a fit of anger Sage Lomasha cursed Bhusundi to become a crow because of his repeated rejection and arguments against the sage’s guidance and advice. When Lord Ram intervened on behalf of Bhusundi, Sage Lomas relented and recalled Basundi who was now in the form of a crow as ‘KakBhushundi’ or Bhusundi the crow and taught him Ramcharitmanas, stories about Rama’s spiritual journey. Thus KakBhusundi in the form of a crow became the ultimate narrator of the events in the life of Lord Rama. He was also blessed with the ability to travel through time and recreate the story of Lord Rama.

He witnessed a cosmic vision in Rama's mouth, observing millions of suns and moons within, and a vision of the sage himself in Ayodhya within each celestial object. He resided within each of these realms for centuries, and returned from Rama's mouth to find himself return to the same moment in time as he had left. Bewildered, he begged for Rama's salvation, and was promptly blessed with the same. He chose to forever remain in the form of a crow as he had been blessed by his favoured deity in that form.

during the shraddha ceremony or oblation offered to ancestors, a ball of cooked rice ( pind) is offered to the dead ancestor. If crows eat ( touch/peck) it, then it is assumed that the dead ancestor’s soul has been released from his or her bindings with the physical body and has embarked on the continuation of the soul’s journey to the next level of existence. In this rite, crows touching the rice ball is considered auspicious and is also seen as a good omen.they are of particular interest in Tantric narratives and Tantric rituals. In the general Hindu context, the crow is often stereotyped as inauspicious and its role limited to that of vāhana (vehicle of a deity). Conversely, in Tantric ritual manuals, the crow’s sphere of influence is based on a broader concept. Such scriptures imply ominous and ‘dark’ aspects of agency in crows, but they do so in a strikingly different way than Hindu classic mythology. Tantra emphasise an ambivalent potential in crows as beneficial to certain rituals and occasionally incorporate a ‘crow potency’ in ritual instructions.

They are the very powerful healers who are able to locate the shadows that create distress for people and bring blind dark spots to awareness in people so healing can ensue. Spending long periods in the dark gives one this Siddhi.Shuni Kah is the Crow of the Dark Moon who has access to the never regions. He is the one in us to bring the eye to the underground sediment that toxifies our lives. If this unresolved sediment it is left in the unseen world there is no healing.Shuni Kah the Crow and gatekeeper to the world of dreams is the grand healer. Just singing his name is a powerful mantra that causes us to see in the dark.

The entrance to Shuni is through the femminine. His Mother is Chaya, the Shadow Woman, and his father is Surya, the Sun. His Mother was not able to realise her power beside her Husband, the sun, for his glow burned and make her feel overwhelmed and insignificant and so she fled leaving behind her shadow.This signifies how the Feminine is brought into insignificance when the Solar or active force is ruled over her.Having left her Shadow with her husband, Shuni’s mother whilst still pregnant performed prayers and yogic austerity to Shiva under intense heat. Her effort was so great and the heat generated became so hot that her child, Shuni, was burned black.This signifies how heat and tapasya (yogic purifying Fire of austerity) reveals the darkness within the unconscious recesses of one’s being.When Shuni was born and seen in his blackness, his father was shocked at how dark he was refused to recognise him as his child, accusing his wife of being unfaithful. He raged greatly and insulted his wife. Seeing his Mother thus insulted raised Shuni’s wrath. Thus Shuni’s gazes is ever down in the underworld and arouses suffering.He Rides on the Crow and his wife rides on the Swan.One is the bird of the underworld and the other is the bird of the Celestial spheres

The completion of Tantrais known as the Kiss of Crow & Swan.The meeting of opposites.She rides a chariot pulled by crows and has a flag with crow emblem (Kak Dwhajini). She has a voice of howling jackals. Dhumavati

In Celtic mythology, the warrior goddess known as the Morrighan often appears in the form of a crow or raven or is seen accompanied by a group of them. Typically, these birds appear in groups of three, and they are seen as a sign that the Morrighan is watching—or possibly getting ready to pay someone a visit.

In some tales of the Welsh myth cycle, the Mabinogion, the raven is a harbinger of death. Witches and sorcerers were believed to have the ability to transform themselves into ravens and fly away, thus enabling them to evade capture.Odin is often represented by the raven—usually a pair of them. Early artwork depicts him as being accompanied by two black birds, who are described in the Eddas as Huginn and Munnin. Their names translate to “thought” and “memory,” and their job is to serve as Odin’s spies, bringing him news each night from the land of men. For the ancient Greeks, the crow was a symbol of Apollo in his role as god of prophecy. Augury—divination using birds—was popular among both the Greeks and the Romans, and augurs interpreted messages based on not only the color of a bird but the direction from which it flew. A crow flying in from the east or south was considered favorable.Genesis tells us that after the flood waters receded, the raven was the first bird Noah sent out from the ark to find land. Also, in the Hebrew Talmud, ravens are credited with teaching mankind how to deal with death; when Cain slew Abel, a raven showed Adam and Eve how to bury the body, because they had never done so before.Philo of Alexandria (first century AD), who interpreted the Bible allegorically, stated that Noah's raven was a symbol of vice, whereas the dove was a symbol of virtue (Questions and Answers on Genesis 2:38)In the Story of Bhusunda, a chapter of the Yoga Vasistha, a very old sage in the form of a crow, Bhusunda, recalls a succession of epochs in the earth's history, as described in Hindu cosmology. He survived several destructions, living on a wish-fulfilling tree on Mount Meru.[24]

The Lesser Key of Solomon: Goetia, The Book of Evil SpiritsStolas, the 36th demon in the pantheon, will first appear as a raven when summoned. Once he becomes a man, he teaches the arts and astronomy, as well as the properties of precious stones and the healing properties of herbs. Malphas, the 39th demon, appears as a crow and won’t change form until ordered. In his human form, he can build homes and fortifications and can give his summoner a familiar

Raven overheard the old man talking to himself about a box he possessed. The box contained a series of ever-smaller boxes, and inside the smallest box was all the light in the world—which Raven decided to steal.There seemed to be no door into the house, so Raven waited until the man’s daughter went to a nearby stream, then changed himself into a hemlock needle in the water, which the girl drank. Raven changed himself into a baby once he was inside her, and once he was born (an odd-looking half-bird, half-boy creature whose true nature was hidden by the darkness), he demanded to be allowed to play with the boxes. One by one, Raven demanded the first box, then the second, and so on. Finally, he convinced his grandfather to open the innermost box and let him play with the ball that was the light. As soon as Raven had the light, he took off with it gripped in his beak.The light spilled from the ball and over the world, but it wasn’t long before Eagle gave chase. As Raven fled, pieces of the light fell to the ground and shattered, bouncing back into the sky to create the Moon and the stars. Other pieces of the light slowly fell as Raven made his way around the world, which is why the light travels across the sky the way it does.Theories suggest that the three legs represent the three ancient clans of Japan or the three virtues of valor, benevolence, and wisdom. Some suggest that the three stands for mankind, heaven, and Earth. Regardless of why Yatagarasu has three legs, he’s seen as symbolic of the navigator, physical and spiritual, and he’s even been adopted by the Japanese soccer association in the hopes that he’ll help navigate the ball into the goal. He’s also closely associated with Kumano, the birthplace of the founder of the sport in Japan

The raven is considered one of the smartest birds. In fact, the raven’s brain is among the largest of any bird species. Ravens also happen to possess an extraordinary number of brain cells compared to the brains of other birds.3When the raven is your spirit animal, you are being called upon to rely on your wits in a given situation or when you are faced with a challenge in your life. Often in life, we can go on automatic pilot, accepting things the way they are, or thinking we don’t have the capacity to change them.The raven spirit animal tells you that with innovation and creative thinking, you can influence outcomes that affect the course of your life. Even if you feel emotional about a situation, remember to rely on the gift of your intellect to solve your problems. This is how you gain deeper intelligence and wisdom.\

Charles Dickens’ Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of Eighty. In both tales, the raven is at first disturbing to the character who interacts with him. But then he provides important insights. Indeed, the raven expands both of the main characters’ level of consciousness.

In many Native American legends, the raven is the wisest of birds, even possessing the ability to speak.8 (In fact, this is an interesting parallel between Native American legends and stories from other cultures, such as Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven, in which the intelligent black bird is capable of human speech.The Egyptian goddess Nepthys, who is the sister of Isis, was the goddess of the dead.13 It’s clear that the ancient Egyptians also connected the raven with death, as they associated Nepthys with this intelligence black bird.

Meaning: Survival and Adaptability

Intuition – Because the raven is so closely associated with clairvoyance and prophecy, on a spiritual level, they remind us of our own ability to connect with our Higher Power and higher spiritual entities through our own minds.

Spiritual Guidance – As they are associated with insight and guidance, the raven is also a symbol for spiritual education. We are all works in progress. Learning about spirituality from more enlightened souls can lead to our own spiritual growth.

Spiritual Transformation – As a powerful symbol of transformation, the raven also embodies the idea of shifting consciousness and opening our minds to greater awareness as we navigate our spiritual journey. reflect on the areas of your life that they might relate to. Even an anxious raven dream can be a gift. It can prompt you to take the time to be an objective observer of your own thoughts. Then, you can improve situations without getting pulled in every direction your thoughts might take.

Sources :

1 2 3

Through various nakshatras

Interpretations are solely based on my understanding and you can have your interpretation as well ❤️

Krittika nakshatra

Krittika is a churner of perfection under the fire of Surya that gave birth to Shani through his mother chaya the first conception of the birth of a crow comes through while Shani is associated with crows , the struggles of not being seen enough is associated here , the outcast themes come through. Along with that the perfection theme while a crow collects the most beautiful stuff to keep in it's nest , it knows what's valuable like krittika sees the value in things , they know what they want and they attempt to take it . Here this relates to the story of yatagarasu believed to be an incarnation of the sun in Shinto mythology. This also associates with Apollo being the god of prophecy and taking the form of a crow , shows that where there exists light ( Surya ) there Exists chaya , they aren't on a scale of horizontal extremes but the flip sides of a coin, one cannot exist without the other , in krittika lies the light so lies the dark , lies the beauty of creation so lies the pain of change .

Pushya nakshatra

Pushya nakshatra ruled by Saturn comes in through the first liberation through pain and trials in the lives of the natives , like a crow one suffers despite what others say , people say various things without knowing about the wisdom of the crow , this forms the initiation of intuition . While pushya relates to the nourishing aspect of a crow , how they hunt for their young ones , how they know pain because they have been the one experiencing it , being outcast only affects them for a small time because they pick themselves up like a true winner. . Here the intelligence and creativity given by the raven shines through with the light of the moon .

Hasta nakshatra:

The playful nature of mercury- moon shines through the crow in being a lover for finer things in life , they are the intelligent ones the smart ones , they are often called deceptive , but that's just cleverness put to use , while the significance here can be seen through the story of raven (mentioned above) stealing the box which contained all the light of the world and convincing the old man to open the box , natives have great communication skills and can easily convince people. As the eagle chased the raven the moon and the stars were created , signified by the moon hasta creates their own pathway through their own efforts. By hook or by crook they get what they desire .

Jyestha nakshatra:

In Jyestha nakshatra comes in the prophetic and astrological nature of the natives . Jyestha nakshatra is associated with the 8th house , hence death and through the mahavidya Dhumavati who is also associated with crows , this nakshatra gives grounding, astrological talent to the one with this nakshatra. When the ceremonial rites of a dead person is performed offering food to a crow suggests the offerings being accepted by the dead , which is suggested here with Jyestha being in Scorpio. In tantra crows are seen as potent symbolism of intuition and transformation in various mythologies, crow is seen as transformation as is seen in Jyestha nakshatra.In the lesser key of solomon a crow reaches the art of divinitions and healing properties of crystals . A Jyestha native transforms throughout their lives and gains knowledge to become a spiritual centre of creativity and intuition. They bring in spirituality and astrology as 8th being the origin of astrology, they are potent in magical arts and healing others as well as themselves.

Dhanistha nakshatra :

When in dhanistha can be explained through the story of kakbhushundi , the disciple who turned into a crow in devotion to Rama , the solar avatar of Vishnu, kakbhushundi explores the spritual aspect of the crow , kakbhushundi who recited stories through ramacharitamanas . Dhanistha associated with Hanuman also shows the infinite devotion the crow bird and the natives of dhanistha have towards their adored and admired one , being a symbol of loyalty they are blessed with spiritual powers like kakbhushundi could travel through time and various realms , Dhanistha are blessed with the power to see various perspectives . Dhanistha natives are associated with the celestial form of a crow , the loyalty , the devotion and the spiritual salvation.

Thank you so much for reading, I hope this thread provided you valuable insights, please know that this is based on my understanding and interpretation I'm open to suggestions and corrections

Have a great day / night ahead 🤍

#vedic astrology #sidereal astrology #astrology #astro community #astrology readings #astrology community #krittika #hasta nakshatra #jyestha #pushya nakshatra #dhanistha

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fandangotales · 1 year

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Getting Isekai’d with your parent/parents in CULT AU / SAGAU

Warnings: Toxic/abusive parent child relationships mentioned, stereotypical parent child relationships, yandere, disturbing content, description of blood!

Summary: Multiple scenarios in which your parents or parent gets isekai’d with you to Teyvat! GN READER!

REBLOGS AND COMMENTS ARE VERY APPRECIATED! THANK YOU!

In which the reader is isekai’d with their mom:

The acolytes would love her, especially since she is related to you.

Oh? She mentioned a favorite perfume, or a preferred dish?

Cue your residence being overflown with gifts not only for you, but also for your mother.

Surely gaining her favor would be beneficial to gaining the Creator’s, right?

Mothers typically know a lot about their children, so it wouldn’t be strange for the acolytes to ask her many questions about your life as a child, your preferences, your favorite acolyte, your typical sleeping position-

I’d also watch out for what she might tell them about your childhood, as the acolytes painstakingly record and revere pretty much anything related to your existence.

You got your ears pierced when you were 5?

It is now a religious tradition for a child’s ears to be pierced on their 5th birthday in honor of the Creator.

In general, your mother is not worshiped as a deity, but is highly respected by all in Teyvat. This is mainly due to your relationship and closeness with her.

Disrespecting or upsetting her is unimaginable, as it would be upsetting to you.

In which the reader is isekai’d with their dad:

“You’re not good enough for my child, stay away from them.”

The second the acolytes hear this line, they were about to fall to the floor in devestation, if it wasn’t for your hasty reassurance.

“Dad! You can’t just say that, they are all nice people-” you protested, nervously scanning over the upset faces of the crowd. “Don’t mind him, this is just something he says often!”

…

After that fiasco, many of your worshipers attempted to prove themselves to your father, much to his annoyance.

—————

“Sir, I can assure you that they would be well cared for! The finest of any kind of item would be theirs the second they asked, and I would do my very best to ensure their happiness!” The ginger pleaded, doing his very best to impress the man before him. “I also consider myself a family man, just ask anyone around about how much I value my dear siblings-“

“…and how much did you say that you make a year?” Your dad asked, gruffly staring Childe down.

His dull eyes seemed to light up, sensing an opportunity to sway the man’s favor. He leaned in close to his ear, whispering his… impressive salary. The older man nodded, as he patted the ginger on the back.

“You can take them out to dinner next week. They mentioned wanting to visit Wanmin restaurant to me the other day.”

⚠️ Dark content starts below this line!!! ⚠️

In which the reader is isekai’d with abusive parents:

The Cult AU is the absolute worst AU for those people to be in.

Your followers do not tolerate any disrespect or negativity directed at you, from anybody.

And if they became aware of they way your parents treat you?

Let’s just say that they’ll never bother you again! :D

Of course if you don’t want them… permanently erased from your life, the acolytes will respect your decision. But that doesn’t mean they will be happy about it.

Perhaps if they changed the way they treated you, and genuinely apologized for the suffering you went through because of them, then maybe they would be forgiven by your worshipers.

However, if they did not repent for their sins against you, then their life in Teyvat, (If your mercy allowed them to keep it), would be awful.

Angry glares from anyone they meet, the inability to purchase items from merchants, the constant harassment from your followers…

It would simply be a shame if they weren’t able to live with it.

And if you felt upset over their inevitable death, whether it be by themselves or some unpredictable accident it always coming for them, you could always seek comfort in the arms of your acolytes.

Hold one of them as you sob into their shoulders, as they become the reason for your comfort.

Let your sweet, innocent followers take care of everything, cook all your meals, brush your hair and maintain your body, let them offer themselves to you fully-

You shouldn’t have to lift a single finger. You deserved their utmost adoration and devotion.

Now that they are gone, you can finally be worshiped and loved in the way you always should have been.

They must’ve tainted your mind, made you think you were unworthy.

They must’ve been the reason your expression contorts into one of unease when your acolytes offer sacrifices and perform rituals in your name.

They must be the reason you felt an underlying sense of wrongness, starting with the very first interaction you had with your once beloved characters.

You are no god, you are unsafe, and these “people” are insane.

YOU. NEED. TO. LEAVE.

…

“We will now commence the offering, in honor of The Divine One. As they created a perfect world for us, we will maintain an obedient and thankful following for them. Let these corpses of those who have committed grave sins against Their Grace serve as a reminder for all.”

The once white altar was stained a dark red, as a large pool formed beneath the two mutilated corpses were haphazardly placed upon the smooth rock.

Your throat constricted, as you fought back bile. The oh-so-familiar faces of your parents burned into your eyes.

The priest raised his arms, beginning a prayer with the worshipers. You could feel the eyes of the people around you searing into your skull. Your head began pounding, as their words became more morbid and deranged.

“Oh Creator, we dedicate the bodies of these sinners to you. As your servants we humbly offer this gift to you, as thanks for all you have done and continue to do. With earnest hope, we wish this simple gift to you brings you joy.”

#sagau #cultau #genshin impact #genshin impact sagau #genshin cult au #genshin sagau #genshin impact x reader #genshin yandere #yandere #gn reader #cult au #sagau brain rot #sagau brainrot

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soapoet · 7 months

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PJO pick-a-card reading

Luke Castellan; A message from above

Soapy scribbles: I opted to format this topic as generally as possible since we all hold various different beliefs. Whether this message comes from your spirit guides, angels, higher self, God, any deity, ancestor or passed loved ones, or anything beyond my comprehension, is for you alone to know based on how it resonates with you. I am just the messenger and it is no business of mine who your particular sender is.

01.

Shufflemancy: Travelling by James Spiteri

You're coming out of a period of stagnation. Either delays entirely out of your control, or the sheer lack of motivation has kept you at a stalemate unable to proceed with your plans. You have found comfort in distractions aplenty. A seemingly never-ending cycle of avoiding the next step because it appears so very daunting, then being overcome with guilt and shame, which you again run from, chasing anything and everything which would put these feelings at bay. Now the first step looks less frightening, and you may feel more motivated to journey onwards.

Growing pains may feature, but you are able to handle them well. You may feel inclined to keep secrets, especially regarding your endeavours. This will prove beneficial as it reduces pressure, you now have nobody to hold yourself accountable but you, and you avoid the urge to run away should anybody dare inquire about your progress. Push yourself forward, as unnerving as it may be. You will quickly notice how light you are on your feet and the distance you can go when harnessing the dopamine from simply overcoming this fear.

Do not be too hard on yourself or expect to run a marathon. A little progress is better than none, but do not use busy work as yet another distraction. You have great gifts and plenty to share with the world, and you are destined to inspire others with your achievements and your accolades. As much as you detest routine, try to keep even a small one. Do a little bit every day to inch yourself closer to your dreams. To avoid feelings of uncertainty and your fears of failure, set aside time to sit with yourself in silence and ask yourself why you want this, where it will lead, and why that is where you want to be and what you hope to achieve, the life you wish to lead and what legacy you wish you leave. Remind yourself of the answers to these questions whenever motivation begins to evade you on your journey.

Sometimes a writer can only muster a sentence, perhaps one they will later entirely eliminate, yet they did something. And sometimes all this writer can do is stare at the manuscript before them and give of themselves nothing. Yet they did something. They got up to look at it rather than wince across the room and refuse to rise to the occasion at all. Celebrate even your smallest victories and allow yourself a cheer when you muster even the slightest effort. Do not expect perfection of yourself and know that many before you had to go through trial and error, and learn and adapt along the way. That is perfectly okay and you do not need a doctorate straight out of the womb to be good enough.

02.

Shufflemancy: Kiss the rain by Yiruma

You must cease this pattern of giving up your energy so easily to so many who are not deserving of your time. When bad news arrive, it is fine to feel whichever way you feel, but anchoring your emotions to this negativity will suck you dry of the life force that you need to shine. You are allowed to have boundaries and you are encouraged to enforce them and guard them closely. Those who would trespass should know punishment swiftly. Do not tolerate things you do not tolerate truly. Do not quietly hope unfortunate things go away and that people notice your discomfort and stop what they're doing that is harming you.

Stand up for yourself and make your thoughts and feelings heard. It is also not your duty or responsibility to translate a simple no or a stop to people wilfully ignorant and always finding a justification for their words and actions. No is a full sentence. Anybody who fails to internalize this fact and look in the mirror to reflect and to change any behaviour that's lead them to ignore this simple command is not a headache to take as yours. You should be unapologetic in your selfcare and demand space when you need it. Set aside your fears and shoo away any prowling feelings of shame and guilt. If you would be happier alone than in bad company, seek solitude and cut off what no longer serves you.

There are lessons some learn only upon a collapse. You may pray for a change of heart and hope for the sun to shine again, but you do not need to weather storms that are not yours to experience. You're not a bad person for stepping back and saying enough is enough in a situation that only causes you distress. Those who need help must want it and ask for it. You can promise to be there when they're ready and aid in their recovery, and still express to them the grief that they have caused you. Sometimes people need to be faced with the harsh truth. The pain and the agony and sleepless nights which they have brought upon you and others and be shown they could truly lose it all lest they stop and strive to do and be better.

If somebody truly needs help and you do not have the heart to abandon them, seek assistance. You need not be alone in a quest which requires more than you alone have to give. There are many sources of help and even more solutions once more hands are there to help, and you only have two and are allowed to seek extra pairs to aid you in this task. You are commended for your resilience and your kind heart. It may break and bleed often, and you must know that things will get better. These rough waters will calm soon enough and you will find peace.

03.

Shufflemancy: Ballerina by Yehezkel Raz

You don't need to run so fast. You have all the time in the world to make the changes that you want and need. Slow down and allow yourself to breathe. You have been much too hard on yourself and allowed everything outside of you to weigh you down. Shelf some burdens that were never yours to carry and make the choice to serve yourself for a change. Be gentle with yourself and listen to your own body and soul, and act according to that which is truly in your best interest. You are your own worst enemy when you let the beasts feed upon your negative self talk and your fixations on perceived failures.

Know that you have no more need for tips and tricks and new methods to your madness. You already have everything that you need, and no tool beyond your own consciousness is required. You could paint cathedral ceilings with just your imagination, so cease your struggle and let yourself be carried by the stream. Do not waver in your convictions, and do not let doubt lead you astray. Stick to what you know in your heart to be true and cast away every inkling of worry and fear.

You need to learn to let life happen to you rather than holding the reins so tightly you vitiate the opportunity to experience the present moment altogether. The present is all we really have, so try your best to cling neither to the past or the future. We all have regrets behind us, and wishes for the future, but it is the present moment which we truly have control over and get to experience.

Let go of any unhealthy dependencies you may have allowed to take root in your garden. Whether this is a person, a habit, or a situation, if it isn't doing you any good in the long-term, do your best to weed it out so that more energy may be received by the things you do wish to grow and nurture. If you feel unqualified to tackle some of this gardening, do not hesitate to ask for help and guidance from gentle people who will understand how delicate some situations may be. You do not need to tolerate fear mongering or unnecessary pressure, time constraints or misplaced ultimatums. Be direct with what you need and the tone and feel you wish to engage in so that you do not end up feeling cornered and threatened so much that you refuse any help at all in favour of protecting yourself from harsh criticism and judgement.

#pac reading #pick a card reading #luke castellan #pjo #energy reading #intuitive reading #percy jackson and the olympians #pac #pick a pile #pick a picture #pick a card #tarot reading #tarotblr #soapy.post

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turbofanatic · 15 days

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Hyrule's resting bitch face champion for three decades and counting.

@scopophobia-polaris asked for some more details on this silly guy and I needed to post the redesign of his scars so I'm gonna ramble!

General "rules" I am using for the Bad Moon AU:

-You cannot change the future. If you saw the future, it happens. Maybe not to you, but it happens. Time travel either involves splitting timelines, temporal loops (see the song of storms), or two extremely similar timelines that collapse together (a dumb child goes to the past to plant beans). What does this mean for Termina? OH GOD OH GOD WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TINY WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!

-If you turn into something, you will never entirely turn back.

-Two opposing wishes on the Tri Force will really fuck things up. Also, it happened. Bad Moon is about dealing with the fallout.

Tiny has a series of magic scars from his various transformations. Most of them are benign or beneficial due to Farore's blessing and the Fierce Deity's Mask's intervention, but not all. Believe it or not, this is me nerfing him, because I'm getting rid of all the Terminian masks except for the FD's mask, which gets broken.

-From the Deku mask he has ivy vines. Most are centered along his spine. He uses them to hold stuff. If he sleeps in fertile soil they will grow into the ground and he leaves weird plants that are sort of beholden to him all over the place. Gross. Anyways, remember how the Hero's Shade is covered in ivy? The "missing" eye is also more or less a Deku scrub's pitlike eye now, granting him low-light but otherwise mediocre vision in that eye.

-From the Goron mask he is disturbingly strong now. Most of Farore's blessed are pretty strong to begin with and now he's got Darmani's strength on top of that. His teeth are continuously growing and need to be worn down by grinding them on each other (because he's missing a tooth from that facial scar those teeth are maloccluded and grow all weird). It's definitely inspired by wrathful deity artwork though. He's also extremely resistant to heat. He got the white hair and scales on his shoulders/knees/elbows from Darmani too. Guess what part of his magic scarring the Hero of Twilight inherits!

-From the Zora mask he has some extremely strong scales on his forearms that can be used to defend himself. He can also make nasty electrical shocks, is very resistant to electrocution, is an extremely good swimmer (nowhere near as good as Mikau though), and can hold his breath for twenty minutes easily. His toes are webbed too.

-From the Giant's mask his height just kinda varies. His "true" height is over seven feet tall but it can vary between about 6"/15cm in either direction. He has some control over this but it's more related to his sense of security. He's at his smallest when he's the most insecure but like, that's still 6'10"/208 cm so he's still way too big. Lucky for him the magic also affects his clothes/armor but it takes some time so he just makes/buys things on the larger end and waits for them to shrink to his current size. The effect goes away when removed from his body. Is this so I don't have to be consistent? Yes.

-He turns into a puppy in the War of Eras when he's ten and Zant uses the twilight as a weapon. Specifically an epicyon puppy! A 100lb/45kg puppy! Medli will ride him! I just want to draw the biggest puppy in the world. He can still turn into the big ancient wolf, and thankfully it doesn't do too much to him (unlike Twilink) but his jaw attaches waaay further back than it ought to and he can open his mouth to a scary degree. It's probably influencing those big fangs too. Combined with the Goron bite strength and... yeah.

I'll probably change things because I'm just playing around with him, so don't be surprised when I do!

#bad moon #the legend of zelda #zelda au #oot link #mm link #hero of time #hero's shade

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geekyarmorel · 4 months

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Your angst anon here but I come with a silly(stupid actually if u think about it) idea this time! Reader being abducted by MM so now she has to work under her helping with experiments, etc. MM seeing that reader has been on a good behavior decided to reward reader and goes, like, "you have a choice, pick something... within reason". Poor reader being her sleepdeprived self and with questionable life choices/morals answers that she wants to do MM's makeup... chaos ensues. Make it awkward, make it tense! MM thinking she's finally broken the girl into insanity but it's just reader being fascinated by all that is MM!

Hey! I love the prompt, sorry it took a while to get to. My writing capacity has suffered while I've been dealing with my festive anxiety this time of year. Anyway enjoy!

Insane for You (Crazy for you)

Mother Miranda x Reader

You were going insane, or rather yet, you were already insane. You're unsure of what caused you to blurt out that for a reward you wanted to do her makeup. But there's no taking it back now. The pseudo mother who is a rather brilliant and somewhat dubious scientist stood staring at you, a look of shock on her face for a moment before her brows furrowed as she looked over you.

Her face smooths out and with a very slight nod she speaks. "Very well. Tomorrow I'll let you do my makeup. You're dismissed for the day."

You can't believe what you just heard and it takes a minute for it to sink in. She turns and goes back over to her desk, her piercing eyes locking on yours again. "I said dismissed."

"Right, of course, sorry." You say quickly, removing your coat and hurrying out of the lab. Once you got back to your room you sink down to the floor as you try to gather your thoughts. You were possibly a crazy person who literally asked to do the villages deity's makeup as a reward for doing good work for said woman. "What the actual fuck." You whisper before burying your face into your hands, what had you gotten yourself into.

Of course your mouth would speak before your brain had a chance to catch it. Wanting nothing more than to spend time with her, to get just a tiny bit closer to her than you've been. Because let's face it, you were head over heels for her. You hoarded the time you spent together, collecting the small signs of familiarity that she gave. Like the slight nod she gave when you did something right or beneficial to her, or the quiet 'thank you' when you took her the warm supper you cooked for her, or perhaps the way she hovered next to you while you both worked now instead of staying far away from you.

And your big stupid brain and mouth has possibly just ruined things for you. What if you didn't do her makeup right? What if she hated it and then hated you? You shuddered at the thought, no thank you. You've seen what happens when you get on her bad side, it's scary AF and you weren't going to let yourself go down that road.

With a sigh you get up and pick up the book you had been reading but the pages held no interest to you. After the third attempt to read the same page you gave up. Instead you made your way to the kitchen, preparing supper a bit early but cooking always gave you a sense of peace. It doesn't take long before the kitchen is filled with the aroma of food cooking, you humming softly while you stir.

Once dinner is ready you fix a plate for yourself and left it on the counter while you took down Miranda's plate to the lab. She was at her desk, scribbling down some notes. You placed the dish to the side of her and get a small "Thank you."

"You're welcome." You stand for just a minute and it causes her to look at you. "I'm sorry for asking to do your makeup. I know it can be kind of an intimate thing and I don't want to overstep. It was just a stupid thing my mouth said before my brain could catch up."

Her piercing blue eyes stare at you for the longest time, her face in her resting bitch face position. "Do you really think I'm that repulsive? That you don't want to touch me?"

Your mouth dropped open and she turned back to her work. She thought you find her repulsive?? "What?! No! I-"

"I have seen the way you look at me when you think I'm not looking." She cuts you off, the grip on her pen tightening. "You let me get closer to you, let me work beside you. I thought that was progress."

"I-"

"Leave." Her words turned clipped and cold.

"No." You can't leave her thinking that you find her repulsive. "I don't find you repulsive! I have never thought that once, honestly. I look at you like that because I want to be closer to you, because I'm head over heels for you. I want to do your makeup because I want to be closer, I want to be able to reach out and touch you. But I didn't want to overstep and ruin what we've gotten." The words sort of rush out from you. "I like you Miranda, I really do."

It seemed like that lab had fallen completely silent at your words. A moment passes before she puts down her pen and rises to stand in front of you. Her hand comes and slips up your neck and pulls you close, her lips pressing against yours. They were soft and warm, and your hands reached out to pull her close against you while you kissed back wholeheartedly.

Miranda pulls back when she needs to gather her breath. "You will be doing my makeup tomorrow and we'll be having dinner together." She declares before pulling you close again for a few more kisses. "Now come on." She reaches for the plate you had set down.

"Yes ma'am." And you happily follow her out of the lab.

"Hold still."

"You're attacking my eyelashes with that mascara." She protest and gives you a sharp look.

"I'm putting a second coat on to make your lashes look fuller. Relax or I'm going to jab you with the wand."

"Try that and it won't go well for you."

"I could always kiss away the hurt." You supply with a smile. You receive a soft smile in return.

"True." Miranda stills and let's you carefully apply the mascara. You finish her makeup with a soft pink lipstick, handing her the compact so she could assess the look. "You did well."

"Thank you." You say, taking the little mirror back and casting a look at your own reflection. The purple and red hickies stuck out against your skin. "Do you think concealer would cover these?"

"You will not be covering them." Miranda says pushing your hand away so she may lean forward and press a few more biting kisses to your neck.

"Stop you'll ruin your lipstick!" You say with a delighted chuckle, playfully squirming.

"It's not the only thing I'll ruin today."

"Miranda!"

#mother miranda re8 #re8 mother miranda #resident evil mother miranda #mother miranda #mother miranda x reader #mother miranda×reader #geeky got an ask #geeky answers #geeky writes

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royal-wren · 2 months

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*rips my shirt off* mOST REVERED, THE WORSHIPFUL AND DEAR, ULTIMATE BENEFACTOR, GREATEST SAVIOR AND DELIVERER OF AID, MOST BENEFICIAL, READY HELPER, GIVER OF GOOD THINGS, GIVER OF JOY, EVER GUIDING!!!!! THE GOD LOOKING OUT MOST FOR US NO MATTER WHAT ANY DEITY FEELS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#hermes #hermes deity #hermes god #hellenic polytheism #hellenic paganism #hellenic pagan #hellenic deities #hellenic gods #hellenic polythiest #helpol #my favorite aspect/domain/characteristic of Hermes that makes me both so happy and cry so much

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spidermilkshake · 2 years

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Ancardian Pantheon Series

Ulderon

Ulderon is the Goddess of Beasts, Wilderness and of all Living Things, and is known to be worshipped to some degree amongst nearly all subcultures of hunting—most especially Sostunians and rural H’Zaari, Wood Elves, Highrock Hurthlings, Hill Giants, and Harpies. She also fiercely rewards the respect of living creatures among any disciples, hunters or not. On the Surface, Druidic orders are often devoted to the teachings of Ulderon, and a great many ancient standing stones devoted to her worship are occupied and guarded by these monks and spellcasters.

When Ulderon manifests she tends to appear most often as a powerful warrioress with the head of a wolf, usually wielding a shield and lance and wearing atop her armor a series of hides. Those wishing to leave offerings to her do so using charms and signets carved of an organic substance—generally wood or bone but sometimes objects like oyster shells, chitin, and teeth. Her symbols are the recurve bow, the handprint, and the wolf.

We're coming close to completing this series of illustrations of these Deities... after that, some depiction and description of the Fallen Gods, generally the biggest supernatural antagonists for this homebrew.

#adom #goddess #homebrew #ink #ancardia #ulderon #wilderness goddess #traditional media #homebrew pantheon #DnD like #beast goddess #beneficient deity #colored pencils #Ancardian Homebrew

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midnightfox450 · 3 months

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I think I'm finally ready to elaborate on my conclusions from my last post about Figayda & Fig's warlock power source.

I think it's pretty obvious that Fig's conversation with Ms. Sool in episode 4 is meant to remind us of Ayda and implicate her as a source of Fig's powers. The specific use of the word "paramour", the talk of contracts, the similarities to Figayda's last conversation in fhsy, etc. Plus I don't think they would modify one of Fig's warlock spells to be Ayda-themed just for flavor.

BUT!!! I don't think it's quite as simple as "Fig's patron is Ayda". Fig's relationship with Ayda could be a source of some of her powers, yes, but I don't think it is the only source, nor do I think Fig has fully deified Ayda herself (if that makes sense).

Ayda being Fig's "patron" would imply a power imbalance that seems a little intense for high school girlfriends and isn't what I think Brennan & Emily are going for. I think the bond between Fig and Ayda acts almost as a generator, creating magical energy that is mutually uplifting and beneficial to both.

The beauty of Figayda is that both girls have become more self-confident now, but not because they define their self-worth by their appeal to the other. They put in the work to be good people to each other, and in turn, realize that they are already good people just the way they are. Ayda "gets" as much out of their relationship as Fig does (whether that manifests mechanically as warlock magic on her end, we don't know).

And there's a lot of stuff around Fig's warlock magic that isn't Ayda-related at all. The bad luck & dairy stuff is clearly Gilear. The stomach stuff could be indigestion (Gilear) but could ALSO be insatiability (Gorthalax, the one source we already know she gets warlock powers from). And I'm betting (hoping) we see some possibly Sandra Lynn-related hints in the future. I also find it interesting that Brennan specifically mentions the fact that Fig, being an archdevil, could source some powers from herself.

I don't think Fig has "a warlock patron", in the sense that there is one deity she intentionally made a pact with. I think she derives her powers from the bonds she has with all of her loved ones. Fig likes to think of herself as a closed-off loner, but in reality, she loves other people so intensely. She also has a habit of adopting other people's traits (her disguises).

Like Ms. Sool said, relationships are a series of contracts, conscious or not. Fig has made many promises to Ayda, Gilear, Gorthalax, etc., and they have made many promises to her back. I think Fig shows her love and commitment to others by integrating them into herself and using that love as a source of her magic.

#figayda #figueroth faeth #ayda aguefort #zara sool #fantasy high meta #fantasy high theory #fhjy theory #fhjy spoilers #fantasy high spoilers #dimension 20 #fantasy high #fantasy high junior year #d20 #fh #fhjy #fig faeth #figayda meta #fig faeth meta #ayda aguefort meta

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wolverinesorcery · 1 year

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UNBLENDING CELTIC POLYTHEISTIC PRACTICES

Celtic Umbrella

This lesson is largely focusing on the insular Celtic nations & Brittany (Ireland/Eire, Scotland/Alba, Wales/Cymru, Cornwall/Kernow, Isle of Man/Mannin, & Brittany/Breizh) - traditionally regarded as 6 out of the 7 Celtic nations. Galicia/Galizia is the 7th, but because of a mix of the below + my own lack of knowledge, I won't be covering them.

The vast swath of Continental Celtic cultures are a different but equally complex topic thanks to extinction, revival, varying archaeological artefacts and the work of modern practioners to piece unknown parts back together.

This will serve as a quick 'n' dirty guide to the insular Celtic nations, Celtic as a label, blood percentages and ancestry, the whats and whys of "Celtic soup", and how to unblend practice.

The insular Celtic groups are split into two language groups: Brythonic languages and Gaelic languages.

Brythonic languages are Cymraeg/Welsh, Kernewek/Cornish, & Breton

Gaelic languages are Gàidhlig/Scottish, Gaeilge/Irish, & Gaelg/Manx.

The language split leads to certain folkloric and religious figures & elements being more common within the language group than without. All of these nations had historic cultural exchange and trade routes via the Celtic sea (and beyond). Despite this, it is still important to respect each as a home to distinct mythologies.

Pros/Cons of a broad Celtic umbrella

Pros

- Used within celtic nations to build solidarity - Relates to a set of cultures that have historic cultural exchange & broad shared experiences - A historic group category - Celtic nations’ culture is often protected under broad legislation that explicitly highlights its ‘Celtic-ness’.

Cons

- Can be used reductively (in academia & layman uses) - Often gives in to the dual threat of romanticisation/fetishisation & erasure - Conflates a lot of disparate practices under one banner - Can lead to centring ‘celtic american’ experiences. - Celtic as a broad ancestral category (along with associated symbols) has also been co-opted by white supremacist organisations.

In this I’m using ‘Celtic’ as a broad umbrella for the multiple pantheons! This isn’t ideal for specifics, but it is the fastest way to refer to the various pantheons of deities that’ll be referenced within this Q&A (& something that I use as a self identifier alongside Cornish).

What about blood % or ancestry?

A blood percentage or claimed Celtic ancestry is NOT a requirement to be a follower of any of the Celtic pantheons. The assumption that it does or is needed to disclose can feed easily into white supremacist narratives and rhetoric, along side the insidious implications that a white person in the USA with (perceived or real) Celtic ancestry is 'more celtic' than a person of colour living in a Celtic region (along with other romanticised notions of homogenously white cultures).

Along side this, a blood percentage or distant ancestry does not impart the culture and values of the Celtic region or it's recorded pagan practices by itself. Folk traditions are often passed down within families, but blood percentage is not a primary factor within this.

Connecting with ancestry is fine, good, and can be a fulfilling experience. It stops being beneficial when it leads to speaking over people with lived experiences & centres the USA-based published and authors - which can lead to blending/souping for reasons further on.

What is 'soup'?

Celtic soup is a semi-playful term coined by several polytheists (primarily aigeannagusacair on wordpress) to describe the phenomenon of conflating & combining all the separate pantheons and practices from the (mainly) insular Celtic nations into one singular practice - removing a lot of the regionalised folklore, associated mythos, & varying nuances of the nations that make up the soup.

Why does it happen?

The quick version of this is book trends and publishing meeting romanticisation and exotification of Celtic cultures (especially when mixed with pre-lapsarian views of the Nations). It's miles easier to sell a very generally titled book with a lot of Ireland and a little of everywhere else than it is to write, source and publish a separate book on each.

This is where centering American publishers and authors becomes an issue - the popular trend of USA-based pagan publications to conflate all celtic nations makes it hard to find information on, for example, Mannin practices because of the USA’s tendency to dominate media. Think of Llewellyn’s “Celtic Wisdom” series of books.

It has also been furthered by 'quick research guides'/TL;DR style posts based on the above (which have gained particular momentum on tumblr).

The things that have hindered the process in unblending/"de souping" is the difficulty in preserving independently published pamphlets/books from various nations (often more regionalised and immediately local than large, sweeping books generalising multiple practices) along with the difficulty of accessing historic resources via academic gatekeeping.

All of this has lead to a lack of awareness of the fact there is no, one, singular Celtic religion, practice or pantheon.

Why should I de-soup or unblend my practice?

Respecting the deities

It is, by and large, considered the bare minimum to understand and research a deity's origin and roots. The conflation of all insular Celtic deities under one singular unified pantheon can divorce them from their original cultures and contexts - the direct opposite to understanding and researching.

Folklore and myth surrounding various Celtic deities can be highly regionalised both in grounded reality and geomythically - these aren't interchangeable locations and are often highly symbolic within each nation.

Brú na Bóinne, an ancient burial mound in Ireland, as an entrance to the otherworld of the Tuatha Dé Danann.

Carn Kenidjack & the Gump as a central site of Cornish folk entities feasts and parties, including Christianised elements of Bucca’s mythology.

The Mabinogion includes specific locations in Wales as well as broad Kingdoms - it’s implied that Annwn is somewhere within the historic kingdom of Dyfed, & two otherworldly feasts take place in Harlech & Ynys Gwales.

Conflating all celtic pantheons under one banner often leads to the prioritisation of the Irish pantheon, meaning all of the less ‘popular’ or recorded deities are sidelined and often left unresearched (which can lead to sources & resources falling into obscurity and becoming difficult to access).

Respecting the deities

Deities, spirits, entities, myth & folklore are often culturally significant both historically and to modern day people (just average folks along with practitoners/pagans/polytheists and organisations) located in the various Nations

A primary example is the initiatory Bardic orders of Wales and Cornwall.

Desouping/Unblending makes folklorist's lives easier as well as casual research less difficult to parse. The general books are a helpful jumping off point but when they constitute the bulk of writing on various Celtic polytheisms, they become a hinderance and a harm in the research process.

A lot of mythology outside of deities & polytheisms is also a victim of ‘souping' and is equally as culturally significant - Arthurian mythology is a feature of both Welsh and Cornish culture but is often applied liberally as an English mythology & and English figure.

Celtic nations being blended into one homogenous group is an easy way to erase cultural differences and remove agency from the people living in celtic nations. Cornwall is already considered by a large majority of people to be just an English county, and many areas of Wales are being renamed in English for the ease of English tourists.

How can I de-soup?

Chase down your sources' sources, and look for even more sources

Check your sources critically. Do they conflate all pantheons as one? Do they apply a collective label (the celts/celts/celt/celtic people) to modern day Celtic nations? How far back in history do they claim to reach?

Research the author, are they dubious in more ways than one? Have they written blog articles you can access to understand more of their viewpoints? Where are they located?

Find the people the author cites within their work - it can be time consuming but incredibly rewarding and can also give a good hint at the author's biases and research depth. You may even find useful further reading!

Find primary sources (or as close too), or translations of the originating folklore, e.g The Mabinogion. Going to the source of a pantheon’s mythos and folklore can be helpful in discerning where soup begins in more recent books as well as gaining insight into deities' actions and relationships.

Ask lots of questions

Question every source! Question every person telling you things that don't define what pantheon or region they’re talking about! Write all your questions down and search for answers! Talk to other polytheists that follow specific Celtic pantheons, find where your practices naturally overlap and where they have been forced into one practice by authors!

Be honest with yourself

There’s no foul in spreading your worship over several pantheons that fall under the celtic umbrella! A lot of polytheists worship multiple pantheons! But be aware of the potential for soup, and make sure you’re not exclusively reading and working from/with sources that conflate all practices as one.

If you approach any Celtic polytheistic path with the attitude of blood percentage or 'ancestral right', stop and think critically about why you want to follow a Celtic polytheistic path. Is it because it's the most obviously 'open' path to follow? Is it a desire to experience what other folks experience? Being critical, turning inward, and really looking at yourself is important. Originally posted in the Raven's Keep discord server

#celtic polytheism #celtic paganism #celtic soup #celtic #celtic reconstructionism #celtic revivalism #celtic polytheist #celtic pagan #celtic religion

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inverted-flowers · 3 months

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So I did a thing...

I pulled an autism and have assigned the hermits deity titles and such. I'm not done yet, but here's these ones! Some are easier than others... Even these aren't quite done but I'll update later maybe? Hopefully? Within the reblog of the others when I do those.

Doc: "God of Productivity"

productivity

community wealth

swift and well planned vengeance

Symbolism:

butterflies

goats

darker greens

Typical offerings:

Tomatoes

Dedicated time to creation and/or optimization

Explanation:

I didn't necessarily have issues coming up with offering ideas (those two came p easily actually... if only the others were like that) but it would make sense for people to provide fewer types and less amounts of offerings. They should be doing more beneficial and impactful things with their precious time. Thats why the only physical offerings are tomatoes. He just likes them ok? Other than that, people will leave more random things that represent in the moment or dedicate certain activities to him.

Grian: "God of Laughter in War"

Shared chaos

Pranks

Laughter in war

Symbolism:

Birds but especially rainbow macaws

Dark red and violet

Explosives such as tnt

Offerings:

Chicken

Eggs

Ren: "God of the Stage"

Drama

Plays, musicals, etc.

Humility & humbling

Symbolism:

Wolves and dogs

King crowns

Royal esk red capes

Dark red

Offerings:

Bones

Jewelry

Prop costume pieces, especially ones associated with kings and their employees(?)

Explanations:

He's a god of humbling because his leadership characters tend to get knocked down... many many pegs. I'd expect there to be stories and lore within the religion/culture that would tie the king symbolism in. Personally I like the idea of him playing a king role being one of the major stories and also general plot points. Bones as an offering because dog.

Skizz: "God of Teamwork"

Teamwork

Honesty

Leadership

Laughter

Symbolism:

Royal blue

Offerings:

Zedaph: "God of Divergent Thinking"

Chaos

Divergent thinking

Odd science

Strangeness

Curiosity

Symbolism:

Sheep

Bright pink and yellow

Offerings:

Edit: i made another post so im giving this a tag!

#hermitcraft smp #hermitblr #hermitcraft #docm77 #grian #grianmc #grian hermitcraft #renthedog #rendog #skizzleman #zedaph #zedaphplays #inverted flower's hermit deities

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mattzerella-sticks · 2 months

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Idk, I think Porter offering Fig the option of a rage deity she could swear to, to help Kristen and ultimately Cassandra, was less of an evil thing and more of Brennan dropping a story hint AS WELL AS giving her an opportunity in the final battle once this deity is brought back/they face them.

Porter's whole thing this season so far is about how rage is not something that should be seen as 'evil'. Rage, like stress, is an indicator that something is not right and needs attention. And in Fig's case that attention comes in the form of rebellion, of protecting those who she sees in need of protection, of aid, of friendship. I also think Porter's definition of rage is different from the blind rage, pointless rage, that is spreading throughout the school. In fact, that is more like wrath. And, if we take what he said about his oath of ancestors at face value, I doubt he would have left Lucy and Yolanda like that as theirs a reverence and honor to those who passed inherent in the build. As someone who joked about Porter being the big bad ironically, proving Fig's suspicions correctly, I think he is on the level this season. We're seeing the consequences to Fig's actions, in her becoming a paladin and befriending Porter because Brennan is leaning into her trying to play with Porter instead of brushing her off. Though this is probably easier when Porter has a lot to offer in terms of aid when the villain of the season is wrath/a form of rage.

As for Zara, maybe her Warlock contract is with the former deity in their new form, with their new name, or the demon in Lydia's chest, but I also think she has a benefit to Fig figuring out how to swear her oath because the most important aspect of a contract is how it's worded. And what is an oath but another form of a contract? While I think Fig's Warlock contract will more be a promise to herself to use her powers to help her friends, with radical friendship being her source of power, keeping in mind how to form a contract will be beneficial if the plan IS for Fig to pledge her support to this unnamed deity, because what if Fig makes the oath to the deity's former name rather than who they are now? Will that be enough to bring the deity back from the state it's in much like how all it took was Kristen believing in Cassandra to redeem her from the Nightmare King?

#fantasy high #dimension 20 #d20 fhjy #d20 #fig faeth #porter cliffbreaker #zara sool #fig becoming a paladin was ultimately unavoidable ever since emily decided to commit to the bit of finding porter sus #we've already deconstructed doubt as being able to lead you to possibility and discovery and isn't inherently negative #now we're onto rage and how it can provide you the momentum to pursue and shatter the foundations that doubt cracked

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transdruid · 4 months

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How to Get Better at Tarot (and other divination)

If you often find yourself stumped with a reading, or you're just getting started and are totally lost, this post is for you! I'm using tarot as a base, but this guide will help you learn how to improve your reading skills of any divination. I'm basing the points in what I've struggled with in the past, as well as stumbling blocks I often see other people get stuck on.

Step One: Practice. You hate this advice, I know, but it is the only way to actually get better. You have to fuck up. You have to try again, that's just how the world works. Sorry. Getting good at anything, but especially something as amorphous as divination, takes years. I have been practicing tarot for nearly five years, for less than half that time have I felt the click of confidence. Tarot is an investment!

Okay. You get it. You have to practice, but how do you practice? What can you do to make your practice more beneficial? How do you get the most learning you can out of every reading? Let's dig in!

Use Smaller Spreads

Simplification is your friend. If you draw too many cards, it muddies the water. Think of your reading as a bowl of water, and each card you draw as a drop of color. If you add one drop of red, and one drop of blue, the answer comes through as a clear purple. But if you start adding more and more drops of every color you can think of, the colors get all mushy and gross. If you frequently find yourself drawing more than four or five cards for a spread, chill! Your don't need that many, I pinky promise. As you gain confidence, you can add more cards. The goal here is to get clear answers, and pulling twelve cards is not going to get you there. I recommend sticking to one, two, or three card readings. Remember that tarot decks typically have 78 cards; when you get up to ten or more cards, you're pulling a significant portion of the entire deck. No wonder it doesn't make sense!

Ask Better Questions

There are good questions to ask your cards, and less good ones. For a start, tarot is not good at yes/no questions. If you are expecting a yes/no answer, turn to something like a pendulum or a coin toss.

Okay so that one is a bit obvious. Let's dig a bit deeper. When you pull out your cards, take the time to sit and think about why. What do you want out of this reading? Think about what cards are in the deck; do any of them actually work to answer the question you have? For example, if you're doing a deity confirmation, simply asking "who are you?" and drawing a card isn't going to work very well. There isn't a card in there with "Dionysus" written across it, and there are infinite possible answers. Instead, think about what could point you in the direction you need. "What's your vibe?" works a bit better. Then we could get a card such as The Devil, to stand for the indulgence and physical delights of wine. If this were the first question (who are you?), your first instinct would be 'ohmygoditsthedevilhimself! This spirit must be evil!' Instead, you know that the vibe is about something maybe a bit mischievous (taboo, even), or someone that was cast as the devil somewhere in history. Combine that with something like the Three of Cups and it's practically a neon sign saying "Hey! My vibe is about having a good time! Let's drink and party!" which leads right to my homie Dionysus.

Question phrasing is important. When you go into google and type in "Tarot Spreads" you get a lot of junk that tries WAY too hard to sound super smart and spiritual. "What part of myself do I hide from observation out of fear and/or shame?" Can be boiled down to "What am I ashamed of?" When I started tarot, I got most of my spreads by googling "tarot spread for ---". This works, but I often found myself pulling the cards, looking at the questions, and realizing I didn't actually know what the question was asking. If you find yourself in the position, try boiling down the question to it's essential parts.

Align Your Expectations with Reality

This ties into the above step, but I feel it deserves its own section. Tarot and divination are a tool we use to gain understanding of ourselves and those around us. Tarot is good for this! Play to this strength. Tarot can be used for practically any question, but there are some things that work better than others. Start with the things tarot is best at, then branch out to the more challenging questions! Think about what the cards themselves are able to say.

You should also be careful to consider if you should even be asking this question with divination. I have strict rules in place for what types of readings I accept. I do not use my cards to read the future. The future is ever changing, with infinite possibilities. I prefer to just let it happen. I do not do readings about school or tests (you're at school to learn! Not be told!). I do not do readings about medical problems. Those should be asked of a doctor. Morally, mixing the spiritual with physical health is not acceptable. When you turn to divination, ask yourself if divination is really the best way to get what you need.

Do Not Doubt Your Card Draws

Okay. So you've now thought about what you want from the reading, you've picked your questions, and now, finally, it's time to pull some damn cards. You shuffle, you draw, you flip, and --- wait a second, that can't be right?! Why did I get that card for this question?! I must have shuffled wrong, or picked the wrong cards!

Nope! You didn't! (Trust!)

Look at the cards. Observe them. Open your guidebook (I swear to god you need to actually use your fucking guidebook do not try to go without it oh my god--) and read the entire entry for every card. Sit with them some more. What jumped out at you in the descriptions? Trust your instincts! Meditate on them. If you don't get it, don't fall into the trap of drawing additional clarification cards. Remember the first tip? More cards equal a muddier reading.

Fine, you say, but what if the cards are really weird? What if they make less than no sense actually for real? Write that shit down in your journal, and wait until it makes sense. I'm serious about this. Sometimes readings only make sense months down the line, and sometimes it's above your current skill level. Interpret it to the best of your ability, and check back in six months later. If you're super impatient, try reaching out to someone who's ability you trust and ask their opinion! Just don't be offended if they say no. Interpretation is a lot of work!

If you (like I used to) continuously struggle with doubt about how/where/when to draw, how much to shuffle, and if you picked the right cards and maybe you should just scrap it and start over... Stop yourself. Come up with a routine and rules for the draw! Tell your deck "okay, one more shuffle, then I'm pulling!" and do that. You gave your deck the notice it needs to get its shit together, trust it!

Do Not Take the Cards Literally

You've heard this one. Everyone says it. But what does it mean? How do you not take the cards literally?

Let's start with the example everyone knows.

XIII. Death

Whoa! You say, scary! Well, not really. Death indicates the ending of something, but not necessarily a life. Perhaps you're graduating school, and saying goodbye to that part of your life. Perhaps you're ready to move on from an outdated way of thinking. It depends on the context! Death is about cycles, about closing one door so you can open the next. This is really where the practice is going to set in.

Let's take a look at another one that tends to really ruffle peoples' feathers.

"Oh shit! It's XV. The Devil!"

Is Satan himself in the room with you right now?! Probably not. Does this mean something evil or bad is going to happen?! Is this a sign that everything is cursed?! Also no. I've seen plenty of people balk and backpedal as soon as The Devil turns up in a reading, but really they're balking at nothing. The Devil does not mean some evil spirit is trying to trick you. The Devil asks you to interrogate the taboos in your life and in the society around you. The Devil says "hey, wanna buy some Deathsticks?" Sometimes the answer is hell no, and sometimes it's "Fuck yeah Obi-wan wants to party!!!" Remember back a few sections ago, and I used The Devil as an indication of Dionysus? That's because Dionysus is the god of wine, of the party, the physical indulgences that society tells you are wrong.

Learning to Not Take The Cards Literally is hard, and takes practice. But that's why we gotta practice!

Be Not Afraid (of your guidebook)

The guidebook loves you. The guidebook wants to help you. The guidebook is there to guide you! Use it!! Too many readers place too much emphasis on doing readings without the guide, on being independent, and not using the "cheat sheet". Look into my eyes. That's bullshit. Complete and utter bullshit. Memorization is a completely different skill from interpretation. Memorizing will leave out the details, the little things you forgot (and unless you have a photographic memory, yes, you will forget things). Sometimes all I need for a reading to click is one word in the guide, something I wouldn't have thought of without reading the book. Every deck is different. That's why they give you the guide. Someone put so much effort into the design of the cards, into the meanings behind the art. When you skip the guidebook, you're ignoring all the hard work that went into it. Don't make that writers work go to waste. Don't make them sad :(

How To Make Your Interpretation Better

Okay. You're trying not to think literally, you've read the guidebook, now what? "Good" tarot readings are incredibly subjective, and everyone will have a slightly different metric. But this is my post so we're using my metric!

Good tarot readings give you more questions. Good tarot readings ask you to interrogate yourself, and look at the real and true answers. Good tarot readings make you learn about yourself and the world around you. Good tarot takes into account the symbolism of the cards and melds it with the words of the guide. So let's take a look at some symbolism.

The Ten of Sticks and the Seven of Sticks. Starting with the ten, what do we see? Some dude with some sticks. But wait -- he's holding all ten sticks by himself. His back is bent, his arms are full, and we can't see his face. The ten of sticks is about carrying burdens, about responsibility.

Now the seven. Some rando just holding a stick, right? Take a second glance. He holds the stick like a staff, a weapon, in a defensive position. He stands on a hill, and we see him fending off all the other sticks. The seven of sticks is about taking a stand for what you believe in, having the conviction to stand up on a hill and fight for it!

If you draw the ten of sticks, ask yourself if you're overburdened anywhere. Think about the responsibilities in your life, if they're enough, if they're too much. If you draw the seven, think about the things you believe in enough to climb that hill. Why do you believe those things so strongly? What drives you to the defensiveness behind your position?

Symbolism is another one of those skills that will simply come with practice and time! If you don't get it, don't beat yourself up. I highly recommend getting your hands on an app or book that breaks down both the meaning and symbolism of the cards for you to reference (Galaxy Tarot is my favorite).

Something else you can do to increase your understanding is to study readings other people do. I learned so much from watching my partner interpret readings (@knightofhylia <333). Look at the cards and the interpretation, can you follow along, or do you get lost? If you're lost, pinpoint what threw you off track and focus in. Pull the cards out of your own deck, lay them out, read the guide. Did you come to the same conclusions, or something completely different? Why? How? Which interpretation do you like more? Why do you like that one?

Divination will always be a highly personal experience. To know your cards is to know yourself. Tarot was not designed to be easy, it's an esoteric skill. By definition, the esoteric is difficult to understand and grasp to beginners and outsiders. The esoteric is supposed to leave you pondering, wondering, and asking more questions. With perseverance, you too can learn to understand the mysterious!

#Tarot #divination #tarot cards #cartomancy #card divination #beginner tarot #how to read tarot #tarot guidance

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