Category: Ask Black Witch


Ask Black Witch

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November 30, 2012

Hello! This is kind of off topic but I need some help from an established blog.
Is it hard to set up your own blog? I’m not very technical but I can figure things out pretty quick. I’m thinking about making my own but I’m not sure where to start. Do you have any ideas or suggestions? With thanks

– London C.

I totally don’t mind blog management questions! I think they’re nice and they make me happy!

It’s not that hard to get a blog started. You just pick a blog provider like Blogspot, WordPress or others and remember, they’re not all the same. I like WordPress  because I have the ability to mess with the HTML so if you know any basic web coding, it’s pretty nice to use.

The best place to start is to figure out what you want your blog to be about, how often do you want to post and how personal you want the blog to be. These three are going to determine the longevity of your blog because if it’s too much, you’ll burn yourself out and/or run out of topics. If it’s too little, you’re going to become mega forgetful about it. If it’s a topic you don’t care about, you won’t want to write, so on and so forth.

Audience is important but they will come if they like what you write. You can’t 100% write for the crowd, you’ll never be happy with what you create if your goal is to dredge as many readers as possible. Know what the purpose of your blog is. If it’s to get people to pay attention to you, it’s gonna show. If it’s to actually express some sort of thought or opinion, that will show as well. Also, know what distance you’re going to keep with your audience. Are you going to be super personal and let everyone into your life, talk to you anon, things like that? Or are you going to have a separate email and everything for your blog? It’s important to know where you stand because you want a manageable fandom should you get one and to keep mean folks to a minimum. In my experience, not having anything anon keeps away nasty people, which is fantastic. I’m a pretty introverted person so it’s great having readers streamlined thanks to apps.

Apps are very important if you get very serious about your blog. I use Android everything for mobile devices so the apps I use that are really helpful is DataViz’s Documents to Go to write posts on the go. I also use the WordPress app (because that’s my provider). And don’t be surprised if you start looking at smartphones and tablets, they do make life easier if you’re on the go a lot but think about that after your blog has been around for longer than a year.

Ooh! Know how to write! Your letter was very well written, that’s a good sign. Having fantastic spelling and grammar (tho the rule is lax if English is not your first language) is great and will keep readers. That and people will take you more seriously if you’re not writing like you’re dragging your face along a keyboard. Regardless where you write your material, run it through Microsoft Word to catch your mistakes! It won’t catch all of them but at least a good amount.

And I think thaaaaaaaaat’s pretty much it. Just don’t overload yourself, stay away from gimmicks, don’t do more than you can actually handle and write well, even when you don’t have a big audience. Yep yep.

“Here the magik sex or magik masturbation begins. At the moment of orgasm get`s the best visualization of the penis being possessed that witches can. Visualize the following: Her demonic possession shoots into the penis turning into a phantom like creature. Your new body races toward the possession of where your chosen target sleeps . Her fantasies race into mind as you use this new body to embrace the demonic pleasure. The visualization should be seen when the effects of the possession cease. Having witches cast her satanic magik and then you see the penis possession who was the target of her fantasies,
“Here now I drink the life blood of Satan. Through this indulgence He gives me the power to call forth the Minions of the Infernal Pit. My flesh burns in ecstasy. Riding upon the energies of my venomous possession are the demons now cast into the penis and the witches are absent of thoughts of the obscenities I now crave her fantasies!”

 

Hello , I like to know about sex magik demonic penis possession I know its out there just have a hard time finding a witch that will help me out here ? Would you know anyone ?

– Douglas O.

When I first looked at this, I thought it was a derp question. Prolly is thus the lolz. I shown this to countless friends, one mentioned this very fitting macro:

As a reminder to the world: This spot is called “Black Witch” (Not “This Black Witch”, that’s just the url. Please use your context clues, they’re nifty) because I’m of the African-diaspora (African-American) and I practice Witchcraft, hence “Black Witch”. I don’t practice evil magick or Satanism. I’m not egotistical enough or angry enough at Christianity for Satanism. Even Kanye West is not egotistical enough for Satanism.

I googled the first part and learned that this was a quote from some random Satanism site, I dunno if they were even legit. I do know that this is as lol-worthy as the question. How stupid/high was the person when they wrote the quote? They sound like they’re a really lonely and angry guy, probably very annoyed by women always calling them “creepy” and doesn’t understand what women mean when they say, “I don’t like you, please stop talking to me.” I think this passage would even offend Satanists.

Now the actual question: What. The Hell. Is wrong with you? This is so magnificently stupid a question,  it’s unbelievable. Dude, seriously, are you gonna seriously go around and go “’Ey, mah peen is controlled by a demon, woooooo!” That sounds like a problem waiting to happen. Now, I’m a firm believer that anything is possible in magick but there is such thing as “bad ideas”, “stupid ideas” and “This idea should only seem like even a decent idea only if you ate lead paint chips growing up.”

I’m gonna assume that you’re inspired somehow by the text above the question and wonder if you’re somehow under the age of 15. That quote is complete bullsh*t beyond belief, okay? Already at a glance – okay, a few reads, whoever wrote the quote wasn’t the best writer – , it’s remarkably sexist and practically mainstream-rapper grade of sex-negative. And most, if not all Witches (part of the reason being most of them are women), would never help you. At all. Geez, I think I’m being the random nice one for not outright deleting your questions like others told me that’s what they would have done.

In case you’re asking, “Why is this sexist/sex-negative? Oh my god, you’re making things up and complaining.” Here’s a basic break down:

Sex-negative: Dude, this quote is teeming with “Oh man, pleasure of the fleeeeeesh, that’s so naughty.” Yeah, no. It’s pretty much the photo-negative depiction of Christianity’s overall view on sex: it’s bad, it’s taboo and if you do it, you’re bad, you’re taboo. This is magnified when the object (called the “target” (wtf?)) is a female because of the Western perception of virginity and how women are supposed to be all chaste in the name of spirituality or she is a mega-whore otherwise and other really stupid ideas. “The demonic pleasure”? “Obscenities?” Ridiculous. It’s sex. Sex is natural. Get over it.

Sexist: Holy crap is the quote full of nonsense. Already you have gender-based manipulation and manipulation as a whole is always a bad idea, especially for sex magick (which, by the way, the passage is doing wrong. Sex magick shouldn’t sound rapey). Then you have the whole thing about sex when gender is involved and I just covered this, if you’re a girl, it’s really sucky because you’re not even considered a person or active agent in the discussion of sex. That’s why this is sexist, the girl is not an active agent of any sort, just an object and in sex magick, that’s super problematic.

The quote sounds like really wack pseudo-magick made for lonely, really frustrated guys that possibly don’t like women as people very much. And no witch worth their salt and/or with that kind of skill is gonna help out with that. Laugh at you, oh sure. Help you, not so much.

If it isn’t a derp question: Just buy a specialized fleshlight. I doubt you’d want an actual demon to control your penis. It most likely would not end as fun as you wish it did. I heard there were even mechanized fleshlights, which is far less embarrassing than your question.

And that’s all the Ask Black Witch for this month, folks! You can send in questions at any time but remember: good questions are appreciated, bad questions are eviscerated!

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Ask Black Witch

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October 26, 2012

It’s this month’s Ask Black Witch! Before we get to the questions of this month let’s pick the winnahs of Samhain Pickers!

– Alice O.

– Taryn M.

– Erika B.

W00t! You all have been contacted and remember folks, Halloween chat is at 4:30 PM EST on Ustream! Now on with the questions!

I’m 13 years old (And Black) and I’m just coming out about being bisexual. I’ve been interested in magick and Paganism for awhile, but in between school and the other activities I do, I never have time to focus on this. I’m not afraid about me interest in Paganism but it’s not really accepted in my area, since i live in the bible belt. I brought it up once and I got in a very large argument that left me wondering, Is there anything against Bisexual people in the Paganism religion? Other than that, do you have tips, or sites, that I can use to further my investigation and study of this religion. It’s been on my mind since I was 8 and it’s never left, so I’m positive that I am serious about this, but if you were to look at the knowledge of this topic, it would seem like I didn’t care. Any help??

– IceBiFire

Here’s the fun part about Paganism and what sets us apart from Christianity: We don’t care about your sexuality. You can be gay, straight, bi, pan, asexual, demisexual, it doesn’t matter in this religion. As long as you’re not a raging jerk and understand consent, all is spiffy. If anything, folks will embrace you, you’ll probably have an easier time finding someone to date and other fun stuff as you explore your sexuality. If someone was being a homophobe or bi-phobic, they have far less ground to stand on in Paganism (nature is rife with examples of pretty much chucking all sexuality and gender norms in the trash, for one, and so does plenty of mythologies, for two) and it definitely would not get nearly a favorable audience as it would in some Christian circles, like the Bible Belt. Keep in mind tho that bigots can exist in any walk of life but you ought to run into them less in Paganism. Way less.

You can see useful information about Paganism all over Black Witch, just click Resources and Information but here’s a basic clump to get you started:

What is Paganism

God Checker

African American Wiccan Society – Yeah, it says Wiccans but it refers to all Pagans, there’s also a facebook group!

Mystick Wicks – a great forum to interact and meet with other Pagans

Then there’s the book I always recommend: Where to Park Your Broomstick by Lauren Manoy

Now, you’re a young person so that means I’m gonna link dump some useful information here. Here’s some tumblrs about being bisexual so you can navigate your feelings and experiences better

Bi’s of Colour – This is UK based but fantastic nonetheless. And they even have a phone number, I recommend Google Voice to call it for free.

QPOC – This tumblr operates as an asks blog (where people ask questions and get them answered) but has outstanding information I think you’ll benefit from. And you can still ask relationship questions here at Black Witch. Sometimes it gets a tad raunchy tho (not really but definitely not exactly age appropriate for young teens) but that’s what the scroll button is for.

Bisexual facts – Also an asks blog with tons of helpful advice!

And when you get into a relationship down the road of life, it’s important for you to be super informed so every relationship will be a happy one and you can recognize the bad ones before they get worse. And do not forget to build a relationship with yourself and know what you truly want, like and dislike before you want to have a relationship with another person. Take your time, get to know yourself first.

What a Healthy Relationship Looks Like – very important because a lot of people get confused on it, straight, gay, bi and otherwise. Everyone should be reading this.

Condoms and sex safety – this is for the future, the better informed you are, the happier you’ll be. You don’t have to click on it now if the idea of sex squicks you out – which is totally fine – just store this post for future use.

Bisexuality myths and realities – Since you live in the Bible belt, you will probably hear a ton of these, best know how to get them out of the way because they will be annoying. And here’s another. And anudda.

Don’t forget to find a Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) at your school or any physical place that serves as one if you can. You sound like you’re on the cusp to high school so there definitely should be one there.

Hi,

Sorry, but I can’t seem to find your name on your website, but my name is Khadijah, and I am 17 yrs old, in high school, and I have always been interested with the supernatural. But, now I am starting to take an interest in Wicca. I’ve seen shows about it, movies, and even read books about it. But I can’t really find any non-fiction books that really explain what it is. So I was just wondering if you could sort of be my mentor? Or just someone who can quickly explain anything you know about it…

If you’re willing to help me, that would be so, so great. However, if you’re worried about my maturity level, you have nothing to worry about, because, I’m in challenging classes and have always been told I’m mature for my age. I’m just someone who would like to learn about a religion that is open and peaceful, rather than having to sit for hours in church to prove I believe in God.

It really would be wonderful if you could help me, but now I’ve realized I have written an essay for you, and am just going to let you think about it.

Thanks,

Khadijah

Black Witch is the name! I can’t be your mentor because I can be major derpy with time but you can always ask questions here on BW, that’s no problem. If you don’t want to wait for the end of the month to get answers to them, that’s what the BW Twitter and Tumblr is for. And for the movies and books that touch on subjects like Wicca and Paganism and Witchcraft, I highly recommend you take those with a grain of salt (a salt lick even) because they’re full of stereotypes. I always recommend Where to Park Your Broomstick by Lauren Manoy, it’s the book that got me started and is a great piece of writing.

Maturity is very useful in this faith because there’s a lot to learn and trust, the more you learn and understand, the happier everything becomes. Keeping an open mind is the best first step you can take. And you haven’t written an essay, I am known for sending friends honest blocks of texts a page or so long so no problem. Besides, I like reading so don’t be afraid to get in contact again.

Can you make me a mermaid?

– Vanessa

Since you actually wrote in a legible manner, I shall go easy on you.

I’d make you a mermaid but I’m all out of clay to do an ornament sized one but there’s a site that makes tons!

Hopefully you didn’t think I was gonna actually turn you into an actual mermaid? Lolz, not my thing and you most likely wouldn’t have been able to afford it, spells aren’t cheap and if I did pay for pray, I wouldn’t be either.

Remember folks, the Black Witch Ustream chat is on Halloween at 4:30 PM EST. Be there!

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Ask Black Witch

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September 28, 2012

It’s this month’s Ask Black Witch! Where readers ask me questions and I answer them! Huzzah! And, remember, it’s real easy to submit questions but beware: Good questions are appreciated, bad questions are eviscerated. Let’s hop to it!

I want to become a pagan, but I don’t know how to tell my family. They are serious Christians. But even worse, my mother used to be catholic. How do I go about this? Not only this, but I would like to know more before I completely consider becoming pagan.

What if I want to become a pagan, but I’m naturally violent, hurt, and angry? Like, I’m literally unable to let go. What happens then? Am I suddenly a “Dark Witch”? Will everything I do turn against me or go horribly wrong?

Thanks,
– SweetFire

Folks, this is what a really good question look like. Send more like these.

Sweetfire, I would say pick your battles wisely. Even I haven’t told every member in my family that I’m Pagan and I’m pretty open about my faith to the average person and been practicing for the past ten years. Some folks are really stuck in their ways and it’s up to you to decide to disturb that or not. I’ve learned that some people, even serious Christians, still have room to be open minded but you have to prod carefully around that.

This part depends solely on whether or not you live with them or not: If you do then just learn to be very cautious, you don’t want to risk food and home because someone couldn’t see past their own bigotry. If you don’t, it’s up to you on when and how you want to tell them. If you’re outed, you may have to put your foot down and give them the choice that either they can have their religious bigotry or have you but they can’t have both. As much as I would like to promise all will be happy, it wouldn’t be realistic. So get ready for tense moments, having to stand up for your beliefs (whatever they may be) and deal with a lot of broken record preaching as well as Olympic grade guilt tripping and some strained family ties. The only way you can be ready for that is to be studied up on your faith and explore various faiths as well to know truth from falsehood.

To be read up on this stuff, check out the Resources and Information tag here on Black Witch, especially the The Arts!: Samhain Editions because they list books and sites for you to read and visit and that should really help because right now you sound like you’re on the fence so just keep everything under your hat for now until things have solidified a little more.

If you’ve got a poor temper that you’ve a hard time to let go, I would recommend meditation and counseling. Doing meditation and more religious practice will help you through your personal problems and keep you from flying off the handle and counseling (I recommend doing a google search or going to Psychology Today to look for affordable therapists) to deal with your problems. I understand how a bad temper can rip through practice but your faith, regardless of whatever faith, is supposed to help reel that in. This is given that you are consistent in practice of whatever faith you choose to practice. Some of the books recommended – and I’ll always recommend Where To Park Your Broomstick by Lauren Manoy because that’s where I got my start and is a fantastic book – will have meditation techniques in there for you to use readily. You could even google search basic meditation techniques and use those. You won’t become some dark witch or anything, especially when you have your first dealings with karmic repercussions. It’s one thing if you’re evil by nature but it another to just have a temper like any other human being. As you keep practicing, you’ll probably find yourself calming down more as time goes on and your opinions/perspectives change so again, I recommend meditation and counseling. If you don’t truly want to be the ever-hexing witch (and you won’t, it’ll be too much trouble and energy) you fear, then you won’t be.

Me and my friends want to swap bodies, and I also want to swap bodies with this girl. However I know she won’t agree but I like her and want to learn about her so I can impress her. So do you have a voluntarily body swap spell for my friends and a non-voluntarily spell for the girl
– Mike

Oh geez, when I first saw this I first thought “Another body swap spell?” and then I saw the girl part. Dude, no. If you want to learn about someone, you get to know them the normal way: talking to them, chatting with them online, things like that, just like how you got to know your friend. Don’t worry about impressing her – besides, if she saw this, she probably would be super creeped out. If she doesn’t want you to get to know her, deal with it. Maybe you should learn communication skills instead of asking for spells – something I don’t give out on Black Witch. Besides, body swap or possession anything takes a great deal of learning in witchcraft as well as skill, something I can probably bet you don’t have at all. Magick is too advanced for you, especially what you’re asking for, stick with learning communication and stuff that doesn’t involve coercing people, no one wants to get to know or be impressed by potential creepers/psychos.

I have been reading for the past 10+ years on and off books like the power of the psalms, candle magick. I live in southern California and I have always looked for other black witches in the area with no luck in finding any. And my questions I have two, 1. I had a reading about 8 years ago and I was told I was a white witch under Christ rule is this possible? 2. I have lost, I will say power when I moved back to Callie. How can I get that back again? I come from a family that believes but won’t tell you anything and now days I am over 3000 miles away and I am the baby of the family and I do not won’t to lose the art is there any kind of way you can help me and point me in the direction of someone who want a student?
Blessed Be
– Gwenaveir

Eh, it sounds like you’re a Christian Witch – or at least a Christianity-influenced Witch – judging from the fact that you read and reference books like Power of the Psalms so I don’t see how it could really concern you on being a “white witch under Christ rule” since it sounds like you already are (this is ignoring the fact that there’s no real thing as a white or black magick – outside of colloquial description I would suppose – since magick is colored by intent and nothing is really pure on either side). I mean, it is completely possible to be a Christian Witch and if the Christian path/theology is right for you, go for it. Otherwise, you may want to spread your net to something less Abrahamic influenced if it bothers you that much.

I don’t think you lost power, just settling down after a move and hence still getting back into the swing of things. Just calm down, do what you did in the past to gather energy and it should come back, you and yourself is still settling from being one place to another, it’s going to take time.

The last part confused me somewhat, does your family practice magick but keeps it secret or something? What your family does, short of putting a fix on you or traumatizing you somehow, shouldn’t really have much bearing on your metaphysical practice. But you also mentioned that you’re the baby of the family so I guess you’re homesick and when amongst familiarity you thrive (which makes total sense because the mind is at ease) but all in all, it seems that you don’t really need to be a student of anyone because these are kinda issues you can still solve yourself through time and practice. I recommend you do that for a little bit, at least a few weeks, before throwing up an ad for student practice on WitchVox – but you can socialize with people on Mystic Wicks, which is just as good, if not better.

I am having very serious difficult times right now, as many are. Serious financial difficulties, a house in foreclosure, and a neighbour who has coveted my property for years, harassed me, and may now finally succeed in getting his hands on it. I have tried to meditate and perform an out of body experience, as I have always felt that might awaken the powers I believe that lie dormant within me, and give me some insight into what I can do to help myself, but I can’t seem to concentrate like I should be able to.

Can you give me some insight into how I can help myself?
-Thom

Y’know, it sounds like you should stay in your body for a second and do some actual doing. Walking outside your body isn’t going to do much in helping you A)Keep your home and B) Making sure your neighbor doesn’t get it (granted, if they are) unless you plan on haunting said neighbor. I would work with some people who specialize in foreclosure to make sure that you’re losing your home fair and square, not as a result of banks being their usual evil selves. Then, if it’s true that you can’t keep your house, then prep for that because you’re going to have bigger problems in the near future than your neighbor trying to nab your home. And just because they wanted your property does not necessarily mean they will get it.

TL;DR: The powers you need to awaken are that of a lawyer. Do that.

That usually would be it for this month (I only answer up to three questions per ABW) but I looked at my Formstack account and noticed I missed a couple due to either my email filtering them out or something like that so let me get to a couple.

I want to know if werewolves are real
– Jaszmin

Usually I joke and such but upon thought, I think it can be considered a good question. I looked up the definition of a werewolf in my trusty book o’ knowledge The Watkins Dictionary of Magic and here’s what it said about werewolves:

Werewolf: In occult and folk belief, a person who can transform into the form of a wolf and eat human flesh. In other cultures, individuals are similarly believed to become other fierce animals, such as a jaguar or a tiger. Compare Vampire and see also Lycanthropy.

Alrighty, Lycanthropy it is!

Lycanthropy: From the Greek lukos, “wolf”, and anthropos, “man”, the belief among practitioners of witchcraft and sorcery that a human being may transform into a wolf. In Europe the wolf was traditionally regarded as the most ferocious animal, and in this regard the sorcerer capable of such transformation personified bestial power and terror – hence the many legends of the werewolf. The term is also used generally to describe the magical act of changing into any wild animal, for example a hyena or tiger, and there are examples of “leopard men” in Africa and “jackal men” in the Congo. Some legends relating to lycanthropy may have their origin in the psychedelicexperience, since it is now considered that hallucinatory witchcraft potions are responsible for the legend of witches travelling through the air to the witches’ Sabbath, riding on their broomsticks. Many shamans – some of whom use psychedelic sacraments – similarly believe themselves capable of self-transformation, and assume the form of a power animal.

Oh wait, there’s more. I looked up the history of lycanthropy on the internet and came across a couple good finds.

In “Lycanthropy – A History of the Werewolf”, written by Geffyb, explains that the werewolf was especially feared during the Middle Ages when wolves commonly attacked men unprovoked and thus thought of as evil men doing the work of the devil. There were various takes on the story of the werewolf and how one becomes such a thing. There’s mental illness, a punishment of God, or through satanic rituals. The method we all know and hear of so commonly comes from Italy, Germany and France and expresses that a man could become a werewolf if he slept outside on a particular Wednesday or Friday on a summer night with the full moon shining directly on his face.

In “Lycanthropy: Myth and Medical”, written by Jennifer Cruver-Plaza, she brings up the earliest mention of lycanthropy being in Metamorphoses, written by Ovid (43 BCE – 17 CE). Then there’s the medical condition Werewolf syndrome, congenital hypertrichosis, which has several various strains. Though the condition is rare, it has been documented in the sixth and seventh centuries through four generations within the Gonzales family where, Petrus Gonzales, his kids and their grandchild were called the Family of Ambras. The condition makes them dog faced. Then there’s a psychological disorder where patients act or believe that they are indeed animals and does not exactly remember what they did but believe they were possessed by something. And there’s being poisoned by a fungus called ergot of rye, called ergotism, which was particularly nasty.

And there you have it. So technically, they can be real but not exactly as media such as Twilight would like to picture it.

I’d answer the other missed ones but they’re lol-worthy so I’ll save them for a future Ask Black Witch: Off Day. Don’t let the fact I missed a couple discourage everyone else from using the Ask Black Witch Submission Form. Remember there are other ways to contact me, go to the Contact Me page to learn how!

I’ll be at the Baltimore Book Festival all this weekend so try and spot me! Plus, I will be at Lupe Fiasco’s Food and Liquor 2 signing today at around 7 PM. Signing is from 6-8PM at Soundgarden in Baltimore, MD.

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Ask Black Witch

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August 31, 2012

It’s the end of another summer, and the end of another month. Here is this month’s Ask Black Witch. Now, there’s going to be an extra page on this website for Ask Black Witch submission questions because I feel that I get way too few. That’s later.

I do get one very common question however which is “How do I become a witch?”

Here are a couple variations on the question:

“How can I be a witch, I really want to.”

– Sara

 

“Will I became a witch” (I usually edit but the tense confusion made me laugh)

– Maalik

Now, first and foremost, if anyone wants to learn magick, please, for the love of the gods, please have better language skills. Both posters, though I am happy they read my blog, kinda had the writing skills that should be reserved for texting of a very young person (I edited the first one), if even that. When it comes to writing spells and performing them, something beyond a basic grasp of the English (or native) language is incredibly important. A lot of spell books and grimoires are written with very old English, French or simply in Latin due to various cultural perspectives of the times (for example, English was considered a lowly, commoner language so any script that was of any importance was written in Latin or French) so if you don’t have at least an intermediate grasp of the language you’re raised in, you’re pretty doomed in magick. This is for any form of magick because being a witch is a looooooot more than just the spells. You’ll be spending a lot of time reading so if your literacy is not up to par, it will be nothing but an uphill battle.

Of course, there are those who will possibly insinuate how a lot of folk magick was conducted by people who learned orally and did not read a book and, as a matter of fact, could not read themselves. That is very true, indeed. They didn’t need it very much however because those practitioners were already immersed the culture to pick it up as they lived, a culture that is very different from today. The average practitioner is not going to have access to someone that will pass on facts and information orally so books have come to replace that for the rudimentary information, which is a must to have. That also means putting oneself mentally in the shoes of the practitioners in the past so to better understand the information and practices done. Plus, poor writing usually makes me not take the scribbler seriously and I know I’m not the only one. You don’t have to be perfect in the King’s English, that’s not necessary, but at least get it somewhere past Squire so when you start running into other languages and dialects, they won’t be so challenging. Plus, don’t the gods and spirits you’ll be speaking to deserve more than shortened words, gravely mixed up tenses and misspellings?

Now that’s out the way, another way to be a Witch is to, well, be well read. There are so many different types of magick and cultures that breed them out there that it would be very wise to read up on as many things as possible. Better spells, stronger knowledge and more thorough workings come from being well read. You’ll be challenged a lot but it can be a good thing when taken with care. That does mean becoming well versed in the sciences both soft and hard (ex: psychology, biology, botany), as well as being versed in the humanities (social culture, history, literature, etc etc) because you do not want to be one without the other. Too much science and not enough humanities, you won’t understand magick at all in its cultural/human applications. Too much humanities and not enough science, you’ll not know how anything is done. You don’t want to be some know-it-all robot of a person and you don’t want to be some loopy tree hugger who likes to assume nature is always friendly. I’ve been around both types and geez are they equally useless on their own. And read good books, not dime-store drivel that promises you fame and fortune with the flick of a stick. There’s plenty listed here on Black Witch, click on the Resources category and some should pop up. Most of them are books, which mean you might have to go to the library or a university library, can’t trust the internet always.

Keep an open mind. Studying the occult does mean that you’re going to meet quite a variety of people from psions, psychics/diviners, magicians and of course your pseudo-intellectual posers, creepers and fluffy bunnies. That means you’re going to run into cultures that seem different, people that may sound crazy at first and just have experiences that just seem so wayward. No, studying the occult doesn’t mean you’re going to get kidnapped by some crazy Satanist out for a sacrifice – you might run into a Satanist, yes, just the worst thing about them is their over-inflated egos that could make Kanye West look like the picture definition of humility – you’re just going to start having interactions with people that are very much different from the norm sometimes. However, it is good to know when someone is bluffing, hence why it is good to be well read. That and keeping an open mind does not mean go completely stupid. If anyone has you trying to do unscrupulous things like doing drugs – regardless how “harmless” they think the drug is, just file that under “Druggie’s logic” -, committing crimes or simply doing things that you wouldn’t do otherwise, just get away as quickly as possible. You don’t have to become a stoner or a junkie to do magick, that is a big lie, and you don’t have to kill anything or anyone, nor do you have to commit undesired sexual acts. You can still be a normal, rational person that practices witchcraft and not do any of those things. Anyone who says otherwise is outright lying.

To be a Witch is to know and to know is to question – how else will you learn? Be inquisitive. Don’t be afraid to grill others who are trying to grill you unnecessarily and don’t lose a sense of wonder. Usually people with the best information and are the most helpful usually don’t try to pretend they are Garbanzo the Great, as if they have some deep secret the rest of the world does not know about. Unless they have some oral secret from a long ago forgotten tribe, culture or people (which, again, they wouldn’t exactly flag it as the main piece of their personality if it were true) whatever they know, you definitely can learn from someone else so keep that in mind when dealing with someone who is trying to play out their God complex. Question and wonder but know your limits too. That kind of leads to the next point which is this:

Most importantly, take care of yourself. Don’t let your mind or body go into tatters in pursuit in trying to communicate with the gods. There’s a difference in being clairaudient and simply hearing voices. Meditation is good and will keep you balanced but if you need to seek out help, go get it before it gets worse and puts a halt into everything, magickal or not. I have came across waaaaaaaay too many people who let their minds pretty much shatter because they confused their metaphysical practices with actual mental or emotional disturbances and thus refused to get help and their physical beings quickly followed. A person shouldn’t be getting into magick to serve as the band-aid to their personal problems because the root of those problems will still be there. Nothing is wrong with using magick to help manage personal problems such as being bullied or having a terrible run of misfortune but do not make the mistake in thinking that now you have magick on your side, life is going to be a total breeze. Actually, at times, it may increasingly complicate itself because of magick but that’s life, occasionally it works itself into tangles. No one said being a Witch would make life easier.

Remember, being a Witch doesn’t mean you have to be Pagan or Wiccan. You can be any religion you choose since witchcraft is a lifestyle, not a religion. And it’s up to you to decide who you share that fact with. And don’t do any spells for at least a year so you can learn all that you can and reduce any chance of major mistake. That’s pretty much it about becoming a Witch. If any readers think I missed anything, put it in the comments

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Ask Black Witch: Off Day

Filed under: Ask Black Witch — 3 Comments
July 27, 2012

Seems like it’s been a very low key month for Black Witch: No one bought a raffle for Princeless so there’s no winner and no one has submitted a question for Ask Black Witch so there’s no questions for this month. That means I have free space to do whatever I want.

Meh, I’mma be lazy and post Carlito. I’m at Otakon this weekend so I’m pretty lax, granted I don’t run into weebs or childish people. So far, I have seen a Deadpool in a tutu, it was cute. I better spot Miles Morale or Static Shock somewhere.

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Ask Black Witch: Slacka slackin

Filed under: Ask Black Witch — 3 Comments
June 29, 2012

hi my name is Tsukimori hikaru and …. my mother is shinto high priestess and my dad is goth/musician and i im interested in occultist and belive … i have 1 little brother …. i want to become a spiritual witch …. i ahve recived the tounge language when i chant in the shrine … … i want to study more magic and occult and more about witch…. so some day i can awaken my power inside me ….. please help me if u are real witch ….. please become my teacher …. spells that i cast by my self is darkness … i drop my blood ina bowl and make my blood reflect moon … and call upon Lucifer and Beelzbub with this offering give me ur darkest power or make me ur spawn ….. i try that upon is every full moon… but i needs more power and more study …. will any real witch out there teach me everything u can ill serve u as my teacher….

I smell a fake question – but a funny one! My birthday’s comin up so I feel like slackin off.

Here’s where the rachet parts of the question are:

– Fake Japanese name that sounds pulled from an anime. Weeb alert.

– Wack parent backgrounds, sound like something pulled from an anime as well.

– “Im interested in occultist” – it’s occultism. An occultist is a person who practices the occult

– “Become a spiritual witch”, there’s being a natural witch and a trained witch, spiritual witch sounds pretty fluffy

– Speakin in tongues, eh? Sounds like a collisions course between two different cultures, and one certainly does not sound like the type to have the tongue speaking (that’s Shinto, folks)

– “I want to study more magic and occult and more about witch” – what is it about phonies and their poor ability to string together a sentence? English isn’t the easiest language in the world to learn, I know, but some basic syntax and less abuse of the ellipses can go a long way. This writing isn’t that of a Japanese speaker who has English for a second language but a person who simply can’t write straight at all.

– How I could tell that this was a joke letter: the blood stuff. And dragging Abrahamic/Western spiritual bad guys into it. I don’t think Shinto has room for Christian stuff. At all. And it sounds like someone watched campy witch movies and read terribly written books – or just read Lord of the Flies and thought that the combo sounded spooky enough.

– Keep giving up your blood like that every month and all that you’ll get out of it is a bunch of cut marks for mementos and failed phony hocus pocus

This person is right tho, they does need more study. In normal books. First start with English. Then go to history. Then try philosophy. If you can wrap your head around that (it is tricky), then go on to cultural and religious studies. No real witch in their right mind would take this person seriously. lolz

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Ask Black Witch

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May 25, 2012

Keepin this one short because Black Witch isn’t feelin too good. :<

I’ve been studying paganism off and on since ‘01. Throughout the years I’ve been through things and it has made me a very angry person and I believe my quick temper is effecting my relationship with my girlfriend. Do you have any advice on cleansing myself from negative energy? I haven’t self-dedicated myself but my god of worship is pan. Thank you and I appreciate your time

– Robbie Y.

I had responded to him and he clarified that he wanted meditation exercises to best cope with anger, which is good because I thought he was going to ask for spells. (You’d be surprised how often that happens.)

I have anger issues myself from past personal experiences and bottling it up so I understand totally how that can make a person feel. Left unchecked, it’s like playing musical chairs with a more destructive version of yourself. You may pass up on experiences because of worrying you’re going to explode, lash out or do something regrettable. The version people see of you is more of a captive of trying to keep your own fury down instead of your actual self and that can suck when it comes to personal relationships because the third wheel is the anger which can very easily shoot everything to Hades in a hand basket if not appeased as soon as possible.

The best you can do is get some counseling. Meditation will help you control your anger but if that anger is derived from something, which is what you mentioned, then it’s best to extinguish the core instead of simply go after the emotional run-off it created, otherwise you’ll be in the same song and dance with your anger until you can’t take it anymore. Think of it like a fire, you can’t just fan away the heat if you want to get rid of the conflagration. It may keep a couple things from burning or burn a little slower but it doesn’t truly help the fact that there’s still a fire going. So try to extinguish the fire and find someone to talk to and can help you.

As for meditation, you can use the fire metaphor and visualize water being forced into the core of the flames, dousing it.  You can also visualize the fire in a tightly sealed flameproof jar burning off the sticks or whatever best symbolizes your triggering experiences with either rain coming down from the top or water coming up from the bottom taking out the fire bit by bit. Just like a real fire, it’s going to take time to beat down the flames so do that meditation but also try to see someone you can talk out your problems with.

Don’t want to discourage you but there aren’t a lot of counselors for Pagans practitioners (which is necessary because once you step outside the norm of better known religions, it can put you at risk for incorrect treatments and diagnoses). However, this site Pagan Therapy can help narrow it down and don’t let it keep you from looking because there are some good therapists out there to help you untangle your problems and keep them from getting worse.

Okies that’s all the Black Witch for this week! Remember the Black Witch meet and greet is a couple Saturdays from now so keep your eyes peeled on the Black Witch Fan Page for info! Here are the basics:

Where: At the Washington Monument in Baltimore, MD
When: June 9 @ 12 PM
Why: Meet Black Witch and socialize with other Black Pagans
What: Meet and greet. If it is not too far a walk, to a metaphysical shop and library. There will be cupcakes.

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Ask Black Witch

Filed under: Ask Black Witch — 3 Comments
April 27, 2012

It’s this month’s Ask Black Witch! Where readers and the curious alike send me questions! I can receive submissions through a variety of ways from the ABW submission form to any method listed on the About Me/Contact Me page to now to even the BW fan page, I can receive messages there, too.

Have you ever heard of Charles Cosimano AKA Uncle Chuckie? 

He is the reason I started to get in Psionics. Check out his E-Books. Does your application of psionics run parallel or at a vector?

Most of the tools I use are just Thought-forms. I love the boxes, don’t get me wrong, but the power and effect of a well used and well loved Thought-form is awesome. And they are so much more portable 🙂

– Shannon R.

I have heard of him, even seen a vid he’s done. I’m glad he got you into psionics but I see him as a bit of a creepy quack. Judging from his site, blog, e-books and vid, it sounds like he uses a lot of pseudo-science and, well, is pretty much a megalomaniac with a chip on his shoulder. I have never heard of psionics being applied in something parallel or at a vector, ever. I would suggest other psionic learning sites such as PsiPog and PsiOnline. They really should help you out, especially since PsiPog has an amazing guide (that is probably a bit dated but good nonetheless) on how to get started and refine what you got.

Thought-forms as described in the e-books sounds similar to psiballs and the use of constructs or charging. I strongly recommend you look at what PsiPog and PsiOnline have to offer.

Hey Im a African American an Im not Christian im a Luciferian an have a hard time finding a black female who understands me I mostly date white or Hispanics because of this if u are single an want to know more about me message me back I hope this email is not nonconceptional thanks

– Carlton W.

I didn’t know my site also doubled as my dating profile. Hopefully I can put a stopper to this type of letter by piecing apart where this is where the boy went wrong:

  • It doesn’t matter what religion you are if you’re trying to chat me up, you’ll look like an honest-to-God idiot by the end of the sentence anyways. Plus, I wouldn’t be into Luciferians anyways, never met one that wasn’t a Grade A douche – wait, no, that’s a lie. I met one and he was decent but that was it.
  • Attempting to chat me up. Lol, don’t be so stupid. I hate it when guys do that and Black guys seem to be serial offenders. It’s one thing when you actually get to know the person first – and just reading Black Witch isn’t sufficient, BW is a persona – and then ask em out (in a non-weirdo way) but  to just up and assume that women are Pokémon or something, eh, maybe it’s better going back to the drawing board. If you wouldn’t talk to a guy like that, don’t talk to me that way either.
  • You date Whites and Hispanics, care for a gold star? My main preference is Asians and Blacks, my ex is Indonesian. Dude, no one cares. If you can’t get Black girls for some reason or another, do you think the issue could be you? I know Luciferianism and Satanism is not widely known for introspection and positive self-improvement but it’s not a bad thing to try. There’s a bevy of reasons why you can’t get play from your own race but I’m sure it has more to do with you than simply them.
  • Please don’t ask me my dating status, I hate it when people do that too. Believe it or not, but it’s not important when initially meeting someone. I’ve never cared when talking to guys – oh hai, probably because I just wanted to be friends with them and that’s it. Dude, it just makes you sound uber desperate. So desperate, a person has no problem posting your letter up and dissecting it just to avoid more
  • If I want to get to know you more? Lol, judging from what you’ve already said, you don’t seem to have much to offer as a person. I think I’ll be happy with the guys and gals I already know who don’t depict their personality as if it came 10 a penny.

And for my guy readers who are prolly wondering how could it have been more successful, lemme answer that as well.

  • Drop the gendered responses: Stop talking to me like I’m a girl. It’s annoying as hell knowing some guy is sounding like a dimwit simply because I’m not a guy. I’m a person, try talking to me like one, it generally works. Yes, I know I’m a girl. I give too much of my money to Always and Advil companies to not know. But here’s the thing, I’m more than simply a girl. I do urban spelunking, I do martial arts, I make stuff, I like buying weapons, I have pretty strong opinions, I like comics and other things that have not a single thing to do with the fact that one of my organs have the ability to shed off its wall in the most painful way possible every month. Gendered responses make me think you must assume girls are this entirely different species, machines or something just as ridiculous and hence probably not worth my time talking to – but plenny o’ time to make incessant fun of.
  • Please don’t assume I’m an automatic dating potential. Dude, I could be a crazy schizoid ax murderer for all anyone knows. I also could be – which is far more likely – not interested. Plus, trying to jump straight to “Heeeeeeeey, you single?” Makes you sound desperate. Fleshlights have been invented, I heard they work pretty well. Or just make it fair and talk to guys like that. At least you’ll be an equal-opportunity street/e-harasser, making sure there’s enough loser to go around.
  • I like making friends with guys, that’s no biggie for me. I prefer having that choice, too. I know, women and their choices! Ugh, you could totally rob guys of their choices and they would never know. You know every single time in history where choices and injustices happened, it was always women who whined about that stuff. A guy could be sitting in Gitmo and he’d be happy as a fly on dung. – Yeah, I don’t believe that either. In my experience, robbing anyone of their choices usually leaves them pretty pissed. If you don’t believe me, ask a prison inmate how happy they are behind bars. Please assume that I’m not interested in you – a complete and total stranger – and you’ll probably fare better.
  • Be yourself. That’s no guarantee I’ll think of you of a romantic interest because that all depends on how I feel about you, not how you want me to feel about you. But hey, at least I may think you’re a decent person. Or not. Depends on what kind of person you are. And look! No having to try hard! If we don’t get along, that’s a wrap. Unless you beg and bug other guys to keep talking to you, you should know when to call it quits. If you do beg and bug other guys to keep talking to you, maybe you should invest in some self-esteem before someone considers you a pesky pestilence.
  • If a girl approaches you, please don’t make her regret it. She might be interested, she might not, don’t assume she is unless she says otherwise. For all you know, she’s just interested in conversing with another person (that’s you), and that’s it. Simple, I know. I’ve spoken to guys who thought for the simple fact I acknowledged their existence they believed I saw something special in them. How pathetic, lol. Occasionally I like to converse with people, it happens. I’m not looking for a boyfriend or anything, I just like regular chitchat.
  • Do you believe in the “Friendzone”? Maaaaaaaaybe you should rethink that. If you wanted something more, say something. This meme says it so well:

  • Whatever Steve Harvey/Chris Rock/Michael Baisden/any other Black comedian/voice personality has said? Ignore them. They seem to know as much about women as White people know about Black people. They suggest outdated tips, they’ve had poor relationships themselves that I don’t think they learn from and just…they’re just bad choices to listen to. It didn’t work for them and now they’re passing of their bad ideas off to you. They’re decent jokes sometimes, just very bad ideas all the time.

Yep. Just talk to the girl like she’s a human, it works. If she’s with attitude or annoyance, who cares? Not everyone likes to talk (I know I don’t sometimes, I’m fairly introverted) and considering street harassment and rape culture, she might be that moody because she wants to let you know from jump street she’s not interested since many guys seem to really lapse in the logic center when it comes to that. If she plays games, congrats, you have met a manipulative douchebag.  If you don’t treat every person you see as a potential dating subject, you never know, you might actually end up with one.

TL;DR:

What the Lucifierian guy should have said:

“[Insert general question, personal opinion and other conversational stuff here]”

That’s Ask Black Witch for this month! If you would like to submit a question, you have options, just check out this handy new feature called the Black Witch Network and read under “How to Contact Black Witch”. Send in good questions! And don’t forget Black Witch has a Tumblr!

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Ask Black Witch: Yet Another Off Day

Filed under: Ask Black Witch — 2 Comments
February 24, 2012

Not really any questions to answer, it’s been a slow month for Black Witch. But that’s kinda a good thing as the book version of this blog Black Witch: Life from the Black Pagan Perspective vol. 1 comes out tomorrow and the series “Comin Straight Outta Your Monolith” starts next Friday. Also that notes the last of the semi-annual series, the rest shall be yearly as I originally planned for this blog.

I only got one question for this month and it was kinda derpy at face value:

Hi I was wondering is it possible to be turned or turn someone from human into a dog or partly into a dog? iv wanted this to happen for 8 years but i can find a way for it to happen. i kow it may sound far feached but this is my most pressus dream. can you give me any advice or help?

– Jessie

This started an email exchange since I said that this pretty much sounded like someone who just wanted their furry dreams to come true – and what is it with people asking me about transformation spells? She responded:

well i would like to thank you for replying to my question as i actually thourght you wouldt reply as it seemed too silly i thourght. id like to know if this dose happen to someone what is the time range it would take to see the resolts of the change or dose it depend on the strength of the spell and the person casting it? 

its not somthing i would want to happen permently.

I try to respond to everything I can when I get a chance, hence why I have a tablet, laptop and smartphone with direct connect to the Black Witch email. And that does mean (just about) anything from really intelligent to really stupid. Honestly, do you hear some back-peddling and confusion or is this just me? First it’s her precious dream and now something that she wouldn’t want permanently. And what is it with people thinking that they’re cursed? Everyone, please remember that what you see on tv or in the movies are probably not real. Usually when people know tons of witches and occultists, they don’t really worry about hexes. When they don’t know anything about magick outside of Harry Potter, I get these kind of questions.

So I have this letter up here as a basic lesson to the readers: If you don’t mess around with magick, chances are stupidly good it won’t mess around with you. And even if you did, it’s still not entirely likely to get a hex. And if furridom is your kit, just buy a suit and pretend like everyone else.

Alright! On to some of the rejects I never before posted on Ask Black Witch! I don’t know why I didn’t do this last time but eh, I’m not sad.

Can u teleport me to :[2424 No House No Door, USA]. My aunt and i will get in contact with u if u succedd u will get alot of cash. I also want blue eyes, i want light skin as the rapper drake, i want a broad muscular body and new and neat teeth. I really need these. Please succedd and u will be paid. Teleport me first.

– Baker

I’ve been dying to use that .gif, lolz

Oh my god, are you serious? Lolololololololololololololololololololololo,lawlz

Ok, when I first got this, I was at dinner with a friend and flipped at how stupid the question was. I really hope I did not disturb the family nearby.

Alright, lemme break it down, I think I can probably stunt a few more questions like these if I get this out of the way.

Firstly, do you know the main difference between genies and witches? One you find and get to ask for whatever you want practically and the other simply don’t work that way. You could rub every lamp in my home (which would be much appreciated because I’m lazy and housecleaning day is looming closer and closer) and I still don’t grant wishes. This kid was writing from Jamaica and I am very aware of the magick culture that they have (I’m half-Jamaican) but this is clearly beyond that. This kid pretty much wants to be Drake with blue eyes and nice teeth (I don’t know what teeth Drake has, I’m not his dentist and I barely knew of his visual existence) and to be transported to America. I have no clue to as why all this is needed but I did tell the kiddo that even if I did do spells like this (they do exist but they’re more high magick than anything), it would prolly cost way more than what a plane ticket, gym membership, skin bleach and dentist visit would. The average big spell is worth about several thousand dollars, I’ve seen figures easily pop into the $25,000-$50,000 range because of how skilled the person doing it is, what they’re doing, the purpose of the spell and all that stuff. Pay-for-Pray (paid spellwork) is expensive. Besides, it sounds like this kid was a little skeevy and I certainly am not swayed by money like that – I have a job, folks.

And this is ignoring the very easy colorism/gender/self-perception debate that I could just have launched off of. Y’all discuss that among yourself or even post here if you like, it is an interesting debate.

Greetings

I was looking for a way to contact a witch, would you be in any position to assist?

Thanks

– Kemp

Yeah, there’s no special yellowbook for witches. I mean, there’s WitchVox but nothing with numbers and addresses and stuff like a yellowbook. WV is kinda like a pre-Facebook spot for Witches and Pagans. But I can guarantee you it’s nothing like in the book So, You Want to be a Wizard?, which I loved. We use Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Skype and other social media sites like anybody else. I don’t have an owl delivering me my mail (I wish) and I dredge through my email just like everybody else. If you want to contact a witch, just go to where Witches hang out.

D’accord, I respond with this pretty much and that started a long and tedious email exchange that pretty much boiled down to this:

K:You laughed at me, I am hurt.

Me:You were being derpy.

K: Fine, can I get to know you?

Me: No.

K: Why not?

Me: You bug me and I don’t generally make friends with readers, blurs the reader/writer dynamic

K: But you could get something out of knowing me

Me: Nothing that I probably couldn’t find in someone else more tolerable

K: This is a disservice to your readership

Me: No it’s not.

K: Yes it is.

Me: I can be tweeted, emailed, commented, written to and PM’d (if on Afro-Punk), I’m very available but that’s it.

K: But I want to learn more about you

Me: Then read my LJ and be satisfied

K: Meanie

Me: It is what it is, deal with it

Yep. At least he wrote with some knowledge of the English language, unlike the previous two. Please, should you write to me, write legibly, especially if you want me to take the question seriously.

Alright, that’s all for ABW. Next week starts the series “Comin’ Straight Outta Your Monolith”, which looks at Blackness, Black culture and Blacks who participate in alternative culture and how it is all perceived. And remember, Black Witch the book/e-book comes out tomorrow! Cop dat, cop dat.

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Ask Black Witch

Filed under: Ask Black Witch — 2 Comments
January 27, 2012

It’s Ask Black Witch! Where readers send in questions and I answer them. Or derp about them, depends on the content. Before we go to that, have you seen the updates about the Black Witch vol. 1 book? Watch it here on the BW Ustream and stay in the know. Expect some serious details and updates next Friday.

I have two questions for ya!

As a Black witch, I’m contemplating starting a blog to share my experiences, and to hopefully reach out to other Black Pagans. How would you suggest that a new blogger get started?

Also, if you’ve experienced any negative backlash because of your blog how have you dealt with that (or how would you suggest a blogger deal with that)? I hope to achieve a some sort of public recognition for a band I am in, and I’m deciding how open I should be about my personal beliefs so as not to draw negative attention to the band as a whole.

Thanks! 

– S.

I’m being asked for blogging tips! I feel like I’ve become officially poignant! Yay!

I would suggest figuring out having a smart layout before doing anything official. Things like what would you like your blog to focus on (and what are the boundaries of that scope), the name, what blogging platform you would like to use, what distance would you like from the reader and things of that nature.

To break it down: A name is quite important. Have a name that can match the length of a Panic! At The Disco song title? It’s probably too long. The name Black Witch simply struck me in its simplicity and I just stuck with it. It probably would be smart to have a name that holds some reference to what you’re going to talk about but that’s up to you.

Figure out a posting schedule and stick to it. Weekly works for me because it’s frequent enough I can feel like I’m being constant (and will remember) but sparse enough I won’t run out of topics too fast nor feel compelled to post a billion times a week just to look active. Instead I can focus on a post (or several) at a time and not get frazzled. Quality over quantity. Scheduling is your friend. Schedule posts and avoid overload. And have a bank of already or mostly prepared posts before you make the blog so should you be tired/suffer Writer’s Block/lazy/low on time, there’s already something there. At least three months’ worth should be fine.

What blogging platform do you use? I prefer WordPress over Blogspot because there seemed to be more freedom for me in micromanaging things and I like the layout better. My friend Kristen of Princessly Living uses Blogspot and it works for her. A reader/feature of mine AngelBopByeYa uses Tumblr and it works for her. There’s lots more out there so it depends on your personal needs and limitations. Don’t try to force to work around your blog, let it work around you or it’s going to be tiresome fast.

What social media are you willing to use? Spread yourself too thin and you’ll feel the strain. Keep it too central and risk losing out on potential readers. I just use twitter and FB because I can reliably keep up with them – although I’m not really much of a social media person. And keep it professional! Don’t use your blog’s twitter to post your distraught feelings about a recent breakup if that’s not at all reflected in the blog. Have boundaries so you still have a private life, regardless of what happens to your blog – that’s also good advice for being in a band, too. Have an email as well, you want to be accessible, no matter what.

I seem to not have bad commenters – quite the opposite, actually. But I’m still a moderated blog. That’s a WordPress default but this is blog about being Black and Pagan, it’s not a bad idea. I make it clear on my About Me/Contact Me page that I won’t censor but if someone is going to be stupid, I’m going to make fodder out of them. And I have, mainly on Afro-Punk and I think once or twice here. It seems to keep people sticking with intellectual discussion. And respond to the best of your abilities, it sucks to post on someone’s blog and not get a response from the writer back. It’s like “Did they even see that or even care?” And if you’re in a band, it could stem off some of the crazier sort who will do or say pretty drastic things to get you to respond. Look at Mike Shinoda’s comment section.

Be honest with what you write but don’t fly off the handle. Do your research, be as balanced as you can and don’t try to make a blog that only serves the fans. If you write what everyone wants to hear, the blog will get boring fast and it’ll feel so much like work. Plus, what’s the point if the blog is just going to have lip service just to make sure readers stick around?

Don’t worry too much about the band, you being Pagan won’t murder their image – in fact, it may bolster the image because having a Black Pagan in the band can be perceived as original and you’ll wind up with the success that other bands may not have: you’ll tap into a niche. Notice how Lupe Fiasco has a stunning amount of Muslim fans? And how those fans appreciate him because he is Muslim? Good thing to have. Nothing is wrong with having a faithful bout of Black Pagan fans, either. Look at Godsmack, too. They’re a band full of Wiccans. You’re a new band (in comparison to the veterans such as System of a Down and 311), you have room to make your image and your blog can easily provide an outlet to inform people of your faith. So don’t worry about how your religion will hurt your band’s image, it may not be as damaging as you think.

As for typing, start your posts in Microsoft Word. It’ll catch most of your basic errors and misspellings. Black Witch, I’ll admit, ain’t perfect 100% grammatically always but typing out your posts in a word processor with spell and grammar check keeps your posts from looking as if you hit your head on the keyboard for a straight hour and then clicked “upload”.

Have I experience negative backlash for Black Witch? Not really. I’m lucky since I have not seen a single bit of hate mail, with exception to that really crazy person in the Afro-Punk Black Pagans group who was so unstable I couldn’t take him or her seriously…they called me an illiterate nerd. You lose any potential sting right there. I have dealt with annoying Christians thinking this is a phase (after nearly ten years), White Pagans who thought that I was creating problems where there weren’t any and stuff like that. The best way to deal with that is with intellect. Listen to what they have to say since not all criticism is bad crit and if it is, pick it apart. Works for me. Sometimes when you make people think twice about what they say, they back off. I know I can be a biiiit viper-like in some of my replies but I don’t really care if the person came to me thinking I would be some airheaded bimbo or hot-blooded stereotype cursing at everyone.

So pretty much, just be as open as you like about your faith but don’t turn it into a focal point of the band. You’re you, not the band itself so write like that. And don’t expect it to be a big hit immediately. A readership is going to take time.

Hi!

I was reading Meadmuse’s blog and she mentioned yours at the end of a post. First of all, let me introduce myself- I go by Swan and I’m sort of a wandering pagan, I suppose you could say. The thing is, I feel drawn to paganism as a whole, but I have no idea what ‘tradition,’ if any, is for me. It’s really a bit frustrating.

My question is, do you have an advice for someone that has learned bookloads (new unit of measure!) of information regarding paganism but in actual fact is a complete, for lack of a better word, noob in the field? How did you go about finding your pantheon? What traditions interest you and why? How should one going about personalizing this way of life that is essentially customizable? (I’m assuming you’re Wiccan, but correct me of I’m wrong!)

I don’t know if Wicca is for me exactly, but I’m willing to do some more reading if you feel like convincing me otherwise. 😛

Anyhow, thanks for your time and blessed be!

– Swan

Sup. When I started on my Pagan path somewhere in my mid-teens, I was Christian. Then I was Christian Witch…Then Christian Pagan (Pagan with strong emphasis on Christian rhetoric)…then simply Pagan Witch. (Note I haven’t said “Wiccan” once there) This was over the course of a few years as I transitioned from Christianity into Paganism, I would say about 2 or 3 years. You’re not going to exactly know what you want to do always. Some people, it’s as bright as day what path they should choose and for others it takes a while because it’s difficult transitioning from the norm (Christian culture, which Black culture is deeply infused with) to something new and strange and making sure it’s the right choice. It’s going to take time, in other words.

I’m pretty general in my practices with divinity unless something needs to be specified. Why, I work more with nature spirits and elements than actual divinity, that’s for the bigger spells and rituals. So I just say God and Goddess like any ol’ Pagan but I start going into different pantheons or different deities when needed for whatever I’m practicing. It differs with every Pagan. I don’t practice any tradition but I have friends who do. Again, it differs with every Pagan. Research is useful here so you don’t think you like a particular deity or entity but you actually know what you’re doing and why.

Wicca wasn’t for me, I didn’t like how rigid (to me) it was and Paganism was more free flowing as it is more spread out than Wicca. It’s like opting to be a non-denominational Christian in opposed to choosing a mold and forcing yourself into it. You don’t need to be told what to do (with exception to “if you meet creepy people on the internet, call the FBI or run” and “know how to notice a scam”), just do your research and you’ll figure it out sooner or later. Paganism and Christianity are very opposite here: Christians have a rigid rulebook/guidelines to go by (and occasionally they actually do) whereas Pagans are more play-by-ear. You’re going to make mistakes and even sometimes bark up the wrong tree but that’s part of being Pagan. It’s about living and connecting with the universe on your own level, so do just that.

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