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Defixiones
One English translation of defixio (plural: defixiones) is ‘curse tablet,’ though they are not necessarily used only for harmful magic. This common name comes to us by way of French from the Latin ‘defixionis,’ but the practice itself originates in Ancient Greece, where the term is katadesmos (κατάδεσμος). Both words describe a ‘binding.’ At core,…
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The Wiccan Rede
The Wiccan Rede is a twenty-six line poem written in 1964 by Doreen Valiente, a witch who studied under Gerald Gardner, and succeeded him as de facto leader of the Gardnerian Wiccan tradition. The rede serves as instruction on Wiccan orthopraxy. The final couplet of the rede is often referenced on its own, and is…
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On Shadow Work
What is Shadow Work? What we call Shadow work can be one of the more difficult practices of living a spiritual life. The term has its roots in Jungian psychology. Carl Jung identified the Shadow as one of the archetypes of human personality. We each have a Shadow, and the more we deny its existence,…
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Manifesto of A Queer Witch
Author Cassandra Snow in her book “Queering Your Craft” wrote a ‘queer witch manifesto’ and recommended that her readers take inspiration from it to make their own. The following is mine, inspired by her work. There are infinite genders, sexualities, and identities. All deserve space to exist, and our respect. Each one brings their own…
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The How and Why of Otherkin
It is often said that if you ask ten people what otherkin means, you’ll get twelve answers. I cannot claim that mine is The One True Way™ but it is how I understand myself and the world. Some otherkin choose to explain their identity as psychological rather than spiritual, but my personal understanding is intimately…
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Otherkin and Taboo Topics
At OtherCon 2022 and The Draconic Summit 2022, various panels shared a common theme of discussing the lack of reliable writings about the otherkin community, and particularly about personal and taboo subjects, such as nonhuman instincts. Page Shepard conducted a survey on “abnormal instincts” and provided a presentation on the results during the con. A…