Category: Resources & Information


The Arts!: Samhain Edition

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October 20, 2013

Alright, it’s The Arts!: Samhain Edition! Here, I am posting more witchy based creative materials that you can use! Don’t forget, you can still submit to Samhain Pickers to win a chance for a free divination reading from me, Black Witch!

Want to send in an entry form? All info will be at the bottom of the post, three winners will be picked on Samhain/Halloween.

Now for the Arts!

Mythology Dictionary.com
Want to use a great online dictionary that isn’t God Checker because you want something strictly factual, not overly snarky? Mythology Dictionary is for you! It is ahhhhhhh-mazing! I really love it, I found it looking up new deities dictionaries. Usually whenever I check out mythology, I look up entries on African deities because if you need a litmus test on how well an all-around mythology dictionary works, look up anything that isn’t dedicated to the European deities. If the book has pages on pages about Aphrodite but a thumb print size scribble about Yemeya and the book looks and feel like it could substitute a brick, put the book down … or just lob it at the author’s head. Just chuck it. If it’s an online dictionary, just chuck your online device at them instead. Or a rock.

What I love most about it is how thorough it is on everyone and if there are deities of different cultures that happened to have the same names, they’ll get referenced too so you can learn more about the world or maybe you got the name right but the culture wrong. It’s a fantastic resource that I would highly recommend to anyone, new or experienced, because it’s such an outstanding resource for learning about different deities. Actually, this site will be replacing God Checker in my “Links of Interest” now.

Angelology Dictionary
Ever since having that mention about angels and thrones and such, it kind of has gotten me back into the gear of looking up (good) information of angels because hey, never know when you need the info and I founds a nice, useful general use array to use for when I get back into sigil working (I’m a wee rusty). These books are it!

encyclopedia of angelsThe Encyclopedia of Angels (Rosemary Guiley)

encyclopedia-angels-richard-webster

Encyclopedia of Angels (Richard Webster)

Remember folks, angels are not exactly people with wings so take caution!

Gryphon’s Moon
Avalon Moon would have been here but they’ve gone offline with their shop but Gryphon’s Moon is still here with their fantastic cloaks, Pagan wall hooks (which is great for me because I forever misplace my keys) and fantastic stuffs for all your magickal needs.

Planetary Hours
I know I featured this before but it bears showing again! It is a fantastic site that is great for any magickal practitioner that wants to know the correct day and hour to cast whatever they want. It’s fantastic for anyone who doesn’t want to pick up an ephemeris. Annnnnnnd it is localized so you’ll never make the mistake of finding out the correct hour for casting and discovering that it’s for a town three time zones over. It totally simplifies magick working.

The Hermetic
For my more hermetic practitioners! Here is the Hermetic Library. Read in English and Latin noted and not-so-noted works regarding hermeticism, Thelma and occultism. I just am speechless at the thoroughness of the site. There are writings from William Butler Yeats, Aleister Crowley, Florence Farr, and Swami Vivekananda. Just so much information all in one place. Outstanding simply!

Alright, now that’s that for The Arts:! Samhain Edition. Next Friday is Ask Black Witch. Don’t forget to submit questions! And for those who want to submit an entry for Samhain Pickers , here’s how you do it:

Send in an email to thisblackwitch[at]hotmail.com with “Samhain Pickers” in the subject line. In the body of the email, type:

– Name
– Email
– Type of Divination want done (option: dream interpretation, tarot, cartomancy, natal chart reading):

And press “Send”! Winners will be picked on Samhain/Halloween!

Also, I can’t believe I nearly forgot! Ustream chat on Halloween! It will be done at 9 PM EST on Halloween/Samhain. Be there! Ask me questions, interact with me, whatever. Let’s talk!

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The Arts: Time to Go To Work!

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June 21, 2013

Alright, some of you probably have learned that the unemployment rate for Blacks is 13% (the national percentage is about 7.5%) and we also are aware that it is so difficult to find a good job nowadays. Simply finding a job isn’t enough, it has to be with substantial pay. So here are some sites I have come across that are really helpful!

Before we begin, we’re going to use an example career so you can see everything through and through so we’ll use my career: Library Science.

Now, when looking for jobs, everything is online nowadays. I don’t have an MLS or an MLA (Master degree) currently so I have to look for Library Technician/Assistant/Associate jobs and I have been working in libraries, both academic and public since I was in my mid-teens. That means I’ll put in Google: “Library Technician jobs – Maryland”. Find out the job name of what you want to get a job in, add your state or city name and click “Search”. Indeed and Simply Hired are good places to look but don’t be afraid to look in other spots but be cautious with Craigslist, the postings could be false.

Here are some other sites that are very useful:

SquawkFox: Resume and Cover Letter series
It is important to have a fantastic resume and cover letter. I was taught how to write one in high school but learned as I got older that not everyone got that built into their curriculum. SquawkFox is fantastic in explaining resumes and cover letter and how to write an effective one.

Here is her Resume Series

Here is her Cover Letter Series

I really like her action words list and her tips about it.

They’re really good, I highly recommend them. If you’re still stumped in writing resumes and cover letters, don’t worry this next site will help.

LiveCareer
This is a great site to help guide you to create your cover letter and resume by making you fill out a short questionnaire to see what you want to write for (Changing careers? Have gaps in your employment?) and even what career you’re tailoring your resume for (you wouldn’t apply for a library job with a resume you’d use to apply to an architecture position) and they let you pick out from a range of templates with easy-to-understand fill in guides so you are getting help in writing your resume and cover letters but you’re still reflected in your writing. It lets you tweak the writing in and mix and match until it is perfect and represents you in the best light for the position.

And you’ll be grateful for the free account you make there, you can save past resumes and cover letters, download them so you can put them in Microsoft Word or whatever you like. And here’s a quick tip – don’t send .doc to prospective job applications. Send .pdf instead because A) it looks more professional B) formatting can get screwy because people have different word processors C) it can’t be altered. And you can export word into .pdf easily, check on Google if you don’t know how.

O*Net
O*Net is great to find out job descriptions and the skills, tools and the educational requirements those positions need.

This is one for a Library Technician position

You can see the skills needed for the job, the tools, the knowledge that I would need and more. It also gives a bit of a look at the prospect projection for the job in the next few years (and, huzzah, it’s a growing field) and even the basic salary. If you really want to check the salary of a position, this next site will help you.

Salary.com
This site is really good if you want to find out the scope of how much a position is supposed to pay and the best part, it is localized to your area.

Here’s what it is for a Library Technician (here as “Technical Librarian I)

Lib tech Salary

And also you can look at another sheet that breaks down job statistics

This is great for you to research if you are underpaid or interviewing for a job where you negotiate your salary because remember, they may try to pay you less because of race and gender, make sure they stay fair.

Glassdoor
Glassdoor is great to find out if a company is as sterling as they present themselves to be. There’s salary information, interview information and reviews on office culture there. Of course, people with negative experiences are more likely to speak out than those with positive but when you see a business with too many complaining reviews, consider that a red flag.

About: Interviewing Questions
This is great to ready yourself for interview questions and also, there’s another page where there are specialized questions for jobs. This is really great for those who have jitters about interviewing because you never know what they’re going to ask.

And that’s The Arts! for this month. Next week is Ask Black Witch so send in questions! Submit using the submission forms on the right, email, comment, so many options. And remember: good questions are appreciated, bad questions are eviscerated.

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Planetary Hours

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June 7, 2013

First, before I start, are you aware of the Ustream chat that will be on June 9th at 6 PM EST celebrating Black Witch turning three? If you weren’t, now you are. See you there!

So, I have been working on some magick and me being my impatient self, I didn’t want to wait for the appropriate day to cast it. I prefer using planetary associations to help improve my magick workings but since each day represents a different planet and I’m not up for being patient, I felt a bit frustrated. And then a thought struck me, I had forgotten that I could use planetary hours since each hour also has a ruler as well.

Onward to le Google machine of happiness! From that, I have learned of this nifty nifty website provided by astrology.com.tr where they pinpoint whatever particular hour you need and a chart outlining the day’s lineup. It looks like this:

Planetary hours

This is entirely useful because it can add another level of energy to working. Say you want to prolong your career, you could cast on Saturday because that’s the planet of time and longevity and careers (in opposed to having a job) but you want it to be successful and lucky in the long run financially as well so you could cast in the hour of Jupiter, the planet of money, wealth and luck. You just put in your selected day of practice, the current hour it is and look at the chart. Since it uses military time, you can try to put in that time to make sure that you have the right hour. There are even little descriptions for each planet to help you understand which planet is good for what workings.

Now, it is important to note that you can just use the hour as a replacement for the day. That’s kind of what I did because, like I said, I’m really impatient. But also it’s important to not go overboard. It’s okay to point out the best hour and day for magick working using planetary hours and zodiacs but don’t fasten your whole life to them.

It is incredibly annoying to hear someone go, “Mars is in retrograde, don’t sign that contract!” or go “The Moon is in Scorpio and void of course, you should not start a relationship right now, try when it is in Cancer and aspecting Venus in a Trine.” That’s terribly ridiculous. Life is very random and you can’t really determine the future of someone or something based off of one thing only. That’s why it’s really ridiculous when someone tries to think they have a person figured out because they know their one and only sun sign. These planets and zodiacs definitely provide influence but in such a complex way that the average person would not be able to understand it. The best one can do is use the bit of influence they know of somehow in their favor through magick and/or action. So it’s fine to do a spell to promote action on the day of Mars (Tuesday) during the hour of Mars to really amplify the original intent but to wait around for Mars to be in Aries and in the first house all the while?  No way. Perhaps for ceremonial magick/high magick but those guys practically need a stage manager to get a simple spell out so they’re a whole ‘nother ball game. Just use the little bit that you’re aware of to curry favor but don’t fasten your life to it because unless you can keep mindful of all planets, asteroids and zodiacs like a walking expanded ephemeris and fully, deeply understand every possible complexity that those interactions can create, it’s best to simply live life and use what you can to edge it into your favor when you need to.

I am glad I found the planetary hours but will I apply it to every notion in my life? Good gods, no. That’s too much thinking to micromanage every nanosecond based on a range of planets. And it ignores the fact that there are things that happen out of my control. Life is not a television show (which is probably a good thing given that most tv shows in the West are Whitewashed, poorly written using tired tropes based on 19th century sexist and racist ideals and made mainly by White, older guys who have very slanted ideas about how the world works period) and it would be ridiculous to assume it as such. Life isn’t some perfect thing that just has some little, cute quirks in it, nope. It really is quite random and filled with gratuitous forms of nonsense that does not always make sense.

So, I highly recommend the Planetary hours to use for ritual and practice but remember, there is more to life than finding out you didn’t take an important phone call at Mercury o’clock but at half past Saturn instead.

See you Sunday!

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BW Series: “How Much Do You Love Me?” The Arts!: Books! Videos! Sites!

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March 29, 2013

Alright, the very final post of the Black Witch series, The Arts! This will have plenty of resources for sex and sexuality starting with books. And check out the end! Black Witch events!

Books
wanderingwombThe Wandering Womb: A Cultural History of Outrageous Beliefs about Woman
(Lana Thompson)
Western history has had a long stand about the body of woman and how society should perceive it, which has transformed over time. This book talks about those beliefs from the beginning and, as the title states, how outrageous and perverse they are. From the theory of the uterus and hysteria to medical theory about women and how their bodies work. Lighthearted, filled with imagery and informative, this book is quite something.

Virgin Virgin: The Untouched History
(Hanne Blank)
This book is incredibly awesome. It talks about the history of virginity. Did you know that our concept on virginity is a fairly recent thing? Also, it talks about the hymen, which was not always the determinate of virginity. In addition, there are wild misconceptions about hymens (there is no such thing as “destroying” or breaking/popping a hymen) and this book talks about it in detail the social obsession with virginity, hymens, culture and how the world interacts with the existence of women and their bodies. It’s a really cool book and fantastically written, I highly recommend reading it.

body drama Body Drama: Real Girls, Real Bodies, Real Issues, Real Answers
(Nancy Amanda Redd)
This book. This book right here? Prepares you for life. Like, life, man. Life. This is the best book I had ever under-appreciated in my liiiiiiiiiiiiiife. Oh my gods. This book is a must read for all girls, especially if you are a minority because this book has it all and most importantly…it’s not a book that’s targeted at White girls with some tokens scattered throughout the pages like the vast majority of them are. It actually reflects girls and all their problems and backgrounds. It talks about more than just puberty but the body and how it works and develop from ashy skin to hair to embarrassing questions such as weird smells and skid marks. It’s a great book to learn that as a girl, your body is normal, no matter what the tv and the magazines and the ads tell you. So many girls, especially girls who aren’t White, have such concerns about their bodies and nowhere to go because welp, most books about girls bodies are directed at White girls pretty much exclusively and go to other sources which can provide misinformation such as “Coca cola is an effective spermicide”, “bleach is useful to stop pregnancies in the morning after”, “pulling out is 100% effective” and “can’t get preggers at all through anal sex”. It is body positive, sex positive, real life positive! It helps with all the body and emotional stuff that girls (and growing women) go through that if it had a section on how to write resumes and pay taxes, all bases would be covered and have to be re-titled Book o’ Life, How to Be Alive.

theteenguyguide The Teenage Guy’s Survival Guide
(Jeremy Daldry)
This book is for the fellas. When I was growing up, I read books for both guys and girls because hey, if I wanted to learn real facts about boys, why not go to the source, right? I’ve discovered that this book is fantastic to explain bodies, puberty and girls to boys. It’s really a great book and I highly recommend it. It talks about masturbation, fantasies and relationships in a humorous, non-complicated way. Just like Body Drama, it tells guys about their bodies in an unabashed way and that it is okay to not match the depictions of masculinity in media today. It’s a great book for boys to learn about themselves, feel secure in who they are as boys and how to separate fact from fiction.

Videos!
These vids are fantastic for those who do want info now, now, now!

Chescaleigh is pretty nifty! I like her videos! She also has several that are on point with the theme of this series!

“How Slut Shaming Becomes Victim Blaming” is a great video for those who are still fuzzy on the first piece of the How Much Do You Love Me series where I talk about slut shaming and how harmful it is.

“Cat Called”, shows why it is never cool to do street harassment (yep, cat calling is one strong and definite example of street harassment. Don’t do it.)

“No Mo’ ‘No Homo’”, which is a fantastic example of why it’s really stupid to say “no homo”.

Although Laci Green can a bit iffy when it comes to discussions of race, she did make this informative video, found through Chescaleigh’s “How Slut Shaming Becomes Victim Blaming” video that does have good explanation of slut shaming and why it is bad for everyone.

And another video titled “You Can’t POP Your Cherry! (Hymen 101)” of hers that provide information on the reality of the hymen and how virginity is depicted around it.

“Our Hidden Culture” goes in depth with street harassment (such as cat calling) and rape culture

And “The Gender Box”! As explained by LinzerDinzer and Miles Jai, cramming yourself inside a gender box is not very fitting.

Sites
This is really great for those who may be impatient, a bit embarrassed to get the books (and that’s fine), lack access to the books or simply want all the information right then and there. Here are some great sites!

Condom Depot – Y’all should have seen this coming. Best safe sex product site I’ve ever come across. They have everything from condoms (with rating system, rolled out visuals, measurements and customer reviews). Ordering is discrete – it won’t say “Condom depot” anywhere on the box so it’s easy to fly under the radar – and very affordable! Also there are articles and other writings on sex health, politics and culture around the world. Even if sex makes you squeamish now, just keep this site in mind for later.

Bedsider – This site is fantastic for learning about different types of birth controls without the scary or inaccurate sex ed. lessons! It comes with insightful videos, interactive guides and even a guide on which birth control to choose from abstinence to IUDs. This is a great site, even for the squeamish and easily squicked out about sex and bodies.

Rape Is Not Your Fault – This is for those who have endured sexual assault and rape, both guys and girls. Remember, no matter what happened, it is not your fault. You didn’t lead them on, it wasn’t what you wore, nothing that you said, you are not at fault at your own demise. It is the rapist fault because they are the rapist, they attacked you, not the other way around, end of story. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying and blaming the wrong person, you, and not the person who committed an act of rape. It does not matter if you know the person, if you trusted them or how close you were to them, they had no right whatsoever to dupe you and then persuade you that you’re the criminal of your own crime when really it was them all along. They are the criminal and they should suffer the repercussions because of it and there is no excuse in the book that should save them from it. Again, it is not your fault. The site is meant to serve Baltimore City but can be used by anyone affected by rape and sexual assault. There is also an “Escape” and “Clear History” bar if you are triggered.

And that’s the finish of How Much Do You Love Me series! Normal posting resumes next week! (I promise, I have everything ready and all) And here are two events where you can hang out with me, Black Witch:

Black Witch Meet and Greet (April 14; Baltimore, MD):Let’s hang out and meet each other! This is the Black Witch Meet and Greet, where you can meet me, fellow readers and have fun. Located at the Washington Monument, (if it rains, we’ll be at the Central Library) this event is open to any and everyone. I’ll also be bringing my BW merch, especially the marimos (they’re so popular!) so if anyone wants to buy but duck the shipping, this is the best way to go. The meet and greet will be on April 14th starting at 1 PM EST and going to 4 PM. Be there! If this one is really successful, there will most likely be a monthly BW meet and greet.

Ka-ra-o-ke! Music Time With Black Witch! (May 5; Baltimore, MD): I love singing and I especially love karaoke! So let’s do some karaoke together! We will gather at Rainbow Music Studio on 2126 Maryland 2 and have a room to sing the night away! Rooms prices are $35/hour for up to six people and increases by $10 when up to six more people show up (Ex: $45/hour for 12, $55/hour for 18, so on and so forth) so depending on how many people come, the price could be really small ($5.83 per person if up to six, $3.75 per person for up to twelve, so on and so forth) or bigger than that so although I will keep everyone updated, be sure to bring at least $15.

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The Arts!: Let’s Take a Vote/Samhain Edition

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October 21, 2012

Alrightee, folks time to continue the very last American election coverage on Black Witch and get something for Samhain underway. And don’t forget Samhain Pickers and the Ustream chat on Halloween, that’s at the bottom!

Let’s Take a Vote

Alright, American readers, things are going down to the fine line as the election is less than two weeks away and man, is it starting to show. The debates have really been something (as some of y’all could tell from my Twitter) though I don’t like how Third partiers like Dr. Jill Stein and Cheri Honkala have been locked out of the debates. They should be allowed the floor to talk about how they plan to fix America just like everybody else. Instead, they get arrested for something that should have been so basically granted to them:

Since creating such an election info dump the last time around, I notice the one I touted the most was Vote Smart. It’s their Vote Easy, simply stunning. I have used both their presidential and congressional election sections and suggest everyone to do the same. It is fantastic, if you haven’t used it, do so.

So to keep this one even more brief than the last, here’s what you need to know and use:

Vote Smart/Vote Easy: Best way to find how out who you stand with and who stands most for you.

The Debates: They are quite entertaining. Watch them here if you haven’t. There’s one more for the major parties on Monday and then there’s the Third partiers debate on Oct 23.

Samhain Edition

Woot, Samhain/Halloween is around the corner! I’m very excited. It’s my favorite holiday, I’s love it muches. So here are some books and sites for Pagans and those curious about joining the faith:

Where To Park Your Broomstick (Lauren Manoy): First book I ever started out with and will always recommend no matter what. Great with the basics and even teaches about other religions so you can make a sound choice in what faith you really want to follow.

Elements of Witchcraft (Ellen Dugan): Another book I started out with as a noob. The guided meditations are fantastic and everything is so thorough in the book with some writing exercises in there, too.

The Crystal Bible (Judy Hall): Great book for beginners in crystal work and other forms of Earth/Green magick. The visuals are stunning, the information is simple and easy to use, great for beginners.

The Watkins Dictionary of Magic (Nevill Drury): Great resource book for those trying to figure out the magickal world and simply curious alike. Very well written and I refer to it all the time.

The Complete Book of Incense, Oils & Brews (Scott Cunningham): This book is a late add but useful in its basics for those that want to get into potion making. The recipes are pretty nice, some entries are a little dated but this is a good book overall for noobs and experts alike,

Candle Magic for Beginners (Richard Webster): Great book for those getting into candle magick. It teaches how to work with colors, fragrances, different types of candles and with spiritual beings (even angels).

A Witch Alone (Marian Green): I’ve just picked this book up but it seems pretty decent so far. It’s very strong in information and for all Pagans, not simply Wiccans and great for solo practitioners.

The Temple of Witchcraft series (Christopher Penczak): There are several books in this series, such as The Inner Temple of Witchcraft, The Outer Temple of Witchcraft and more. I used these when I was new and they’re great and very thorough.

The Magickal Life (Vivianne Crowley): Great book for beginners that covers on just about everything Pagan from her beginnings to her discoveries and learnings. Very entertaining read, too.

Amulets & Talismans for Beginners (Richard Webster): Another flawless book from Mr. Webster, he’s just that great an author. This book is to teach you about, you guessed it, amulets and talismans. And it is spiffy.

Pagans & Christians (Gus Di Zerega): This book pretty much came from a roundtable discussion between Christians and Pagans in the comparisons and contrasts between our faiths. It’s a pretty good read to see where we’re the same and where we’re not.

Shades of Faith (Crystal Blanton): This book is about Blacks in Paganism and through various essays, explores those personal experiences in the Pagan faith and the cultures they lived in. I have written two pieces in the book, “Missing in the Picture” and “Why Don’t You Like Me?”

A couple sites that practitioners can use:

MysticWicks: This message board has it all and is great for noob Pagans and the experienced alike. They have a section for everyone.

Alabe: Natal chart drafting site, I use it all the time when I’m creating natal charts for anyone. Fantastic and free to use but their software is also stunning.

AAWiccan Society: This is for all Black Pagans, don’t let the name fool you. On this site is information about other Black Pagan blogs, the AAWS blog, twitter and Facebook group. Definitely check it out.

God Checker: Fantastic online checker of the different deities in the world with a hint of humor. Very much fantastic.

That it for this week, folks! Next week is Ask Black Witch! Send questions! Good questions are appreciated, bad questions are eviscerated.

Don’t forget though, I’m announcing the winners of Samhain Pickers next week! Be sure to submit! Send an e-mail to thisblackwitch@hotmail.com with “Samhain Pickers” in the subject line and in the message, provide:

Name

Email

Type of divination: (Tarot, cartomancy, basic natal chart, dream interpretation)

Click send and you’re done! Also, there will be an Ustream chat on Halloween at 4:30 PM EST with me, Black Witch! I want to interact with you guys so I’ll be taking questions through Ustream and Twitter (@thisblackwitch) so ask some good questions, okay?

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The Arts!: Let’s Take a Vote – Part 1

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September 21, 2012

Le w00t! Here in America, the presidential election is around the corner and things are mighty fierce. There’s drama, passion, fire and a whole lotta talky talkin’. But who to vote for? Well, here at Black Witch, all the info about all candidates, Democrat, Republican and Independent as well as voting info for your area. It is very important that regardless of who you’re voting for, you’re very well informed so you may make the right choice. No one should simply vote for their party, they should vote for what’s right for the country, whatever that may be. And Black Witch is not officially endorsing anyone, I’m an Independent!

Now, let’s look at the history of voting first and the pro/cons of each method, this vid is quite funky…eh you have to watch on the site, sorry about that folks. It’s called the “Brief History of Voting”. I’ll have a version posted to the BW Tumblr.

Now that’s out of the way, I posted that because as a Black blog, it would be really incredibly stupid for me to make the assumption that things in this election are being played fair and square. There’s a whole vibrant history this country has about voter suppression and we’ve got to counter-act that as much as possible so everyone who wants to vote and can vote may do so on November 6. That’s why the next two The Arts will be about voting and making sure you’re aware of all your options and no matter what, make sure you have your voter card in hand. Let me tell you a story:

When I was a wee young lass back in high school, they passed out voter registration forms in my African-American Studies class. Everyone in school was supposed to have one passed out to them by then end of the day, regardless if they choose to fill it out or not. I filled mine out annnnnnnd, nothin happened. For months. I filled out another voter’s registration form at the local NAACP. Nuffin. I filled out another one at a local college. Nada. It wasn’t until I went down to the main voter registration center of Baltimore City a couple days after my birthday to straighten it out and all of a sudden the woman working the desk said that I was registered since ’06 but it was awful odd how I never got my official card until that day. See, I was ready to go over the desk and give my “I’m Black, I’m Educated and I’m Gonna VOTE. I will channel my inner Rosa Parks, man” monologue, maybe knock over a cup of pencils, but the lady completely understood. She was Black herself and gave me a look that said, “I wonder how many folks are like her and still don’t know?” She wished me a happy belated birthday, gave me my card and I have had it in my wallet since.

I shared that story because I’m just one of many, many people who have registered to vote and didn’t hear back from anyone. My card said that I registered Oct ’06 but I never got a card in hand until July ’08, just months before the presidential election. That means I waited nearly two years to get my card and that itself didn’t happen until I went to the Registration & Records office in my city.

It is very important to have that card in hand when you vote because otherwise, they will try to discount your vote and trust me, every vote counts so let’s start with showing you how.

There are several sites to aid you in registering to vote. There’s:

– TurboVote
– GottaRegister
– Rock the Vote
– Vote 411

So register and check! Don’t get caught up like me, okies?

Here is how the US Voting System (should) work, thanks to the BBC:

Elections:
The United States holds elections every two years. Once every four years there is a presidential election, with congressional elections held at the same time.

Mid-term elections take place in-between presidential elections, in the middle of the presidential term.

Elections for the House of Representatives are held every two years. Senators have six-year terms, with one-third elected every two years.

State governors serve four-year terms with about half up for election every two years.

Primaries:
Voters also get to choose their party’s candidate in the main election. Voters register which party they support, and can then participate in primary elections.

Before he became the Republican candidate for president in 2000, George W Bush had to beat Republican Senator John McCain in primary elections.

Primaries are sometimes quite close to the general election, and once they are over, candidates must turn quickly to the general election.

Now we all know that it simply isn’t that easy here in America, nope. We’ve got quite a history when it comes to Voters Rights, the effect of the Electoral College and things like that so let’s get into it.

Voters’ Rights
This is our right to vote. Every American citizen over the age of 18 should have it in theory but it wasn’t always that way. When the country first started, only White men over the age of 21 and owned property were considered capable of voting. It took decades, centuries actually, to turn the tide and let women and minorities as well as those who did not own property to be let in. The Civil War made it so that the average White guy could vote but Blacks couldn’t vote until the 15th Amendment, ratified in 1870 (and we all know it didn’t really end there), women couldn’t vote until 1920 with ratification of the 19th Amendment, and the voting age was dropped to 18 due to the 27th Amendment, ratified in 1971. If only problems were this easy to solve, though. Again, this is a Black blog so I am going to include this: The country didn’t really get its act together on justifying whether Blacks such as myself ought to really vote until the Civil Rights Movement and they couldn’t bs us anymore (Jim Crow still had some sodium in his system about us getting the fair right to go to the polls). Not saying these folks don’t still make attempts to, they just have that pesky writing that basically translate to, “Okay, knock off the literary tests, property ownerships and poll taxes. And no one needs to guess how many jellybeans are in a jar to determine if they’re fit to decide who should run the nation next,” that stands in their way. And here is where we talk about Voter ID Laws and why you need to know about them.

Voter ID Laws
Y’know how the Voting Rights Act of 1965 made it so you wouldn’t have to jump through loops just to vote? Voter IDs are those loops, just redefined as “Happy Patriotic Circles of Exercise and Happiness” if you asked the folks who back them.

Voter ID Laws are to stave off voter fraud, something that has happened a very small number of times. According to a New York Times analysis from 2007 found through ProPublica, only 120 identified cases over the past five years, according to the Justice Department. Most of these cases came from erroneously filled registration forms or misunderstandings regarding voter eligibility. 86 convictions came from that but usually when election fraud happens, it’s not from the people but the election officials who want to swing the results or wonky absentee ballots, which voter ID laws can’t help anyways.

These laws come in the form of presenting some sort of identification such as a birth certificate, bill of some sort (electric bill, gas bill, etc), a photo id or something that basically let officials know that the person before them is indeed who they are. This marginalizes the elderly, minorities and low-income groups because they are the ones that are usually lacking information such as this and this information is just like guessing how many jellybeans are in a jar: Absolutely no determination of whether or not the person is fit to vote, it’s just an additional and unnecessary obstacle to separate potential voters from the polls. There are variations of strict and non-strict voter id laws and this site will let you know how with a handy map and easy to read charts. Rock the Vote also has something on Overseas/Military voting, Felons Rights and Student Rights, something affected by these laws.

These laws are important to note, as well as our voter rights as a whole because it affects our electoral college, what really determines who wins the election.

Electoral College
America has a two tier election system, and it especially comes up in the media around the presidential election. What basically happens is the popular vote fuels the electoral college, which determines the outcome so a candidate can win the popular vote but still lose the election because they lost the electoral and vice versa. What happens is the popular vote is summed up by districts and representatives so a tiny district with a lot of people will probably have a lot less pull than a bigger district with not a lot of people in it. The Idiots Guide of voting explains it effortlessly:

Every state (and the District of Columbia) has a number of electoral college members equal to the number of representatives and senators in that state. There is a minimum of 3 members, in states such as Alaska and Montana, and a maximum of 54 members in California. Securing a majority of 270 electoral votes (out of a possible 538) ensures that the candidate will go on to the White House. Therefore, a candidate can actually become president by winning the electoral contest but losing the popular vote—which is what cost Grover Cleveland the 1888 election, and more recently resulted in George W. Bush becoming president in 2000.

The electoral college was originally created to keep the vote in the hands of the people and downplay partisan politics. Ironically, modern critics find the winner-take-all approach of the electoral college unfair because it takes the vote out of the hands of people and may fail to reflect the popular national will by unfairly skewing the importance of individual votes in certain states. The electoral votes are won wholly, county-by-county then state-by-state, regardless of whether a majority is decided by one vote or one million votes. This process has resulted in extremely close presidential races in the election years of 2000, 2004, and 2008.

And that’s how the Electoral College is le done!

Who’s Running?
Alright, now, we’ve got all this out of the way, you’re informed! Now on to the candidates vying for your vote! Just wanna let the world (well, the American readers) know that there are various sites to help you make that choice as well. I’m just going to list who is running and the sites to help inform you below to keep it all simple.

Now, here are the US Presidential Election Candidates, nabbin the info from Politics1!

Democratic Party: Barack Obama (Pres)/Joe Biden (Vice Pres)

Republican Party: Mitt Romney (Pres)/Paul Ryan (Vice Pres)

America’s Party/American Independent Party: Tom Hoefling (Pres)/J.D. Ellis (Vice Pres)

American Third Position Party: Merlin Miller (Pres)/ Harry Bertram (Vice Pres)

Constitution Party: Virgil Goode (Pres)/Jim Clymer (Vice Pres)

Green Party: Jill Stein (Pres)/Cheri Honkala (Vice Pres)

Justice Party: Rocky Anderson (Pres)/Luiz Rodriguez (Vice Pres)

Libertarian Party: Gary Johnson (Pres)/Jim Gray (Vice Pres)

Objectivist Party: Tom Stevens (Pres)/Alden Link (Vice Pres)

Party of Socialism and Liberation: Will not be listed on Black Witch due to not meeting constitutional qualifications to serve as president/vice president

Peace and Freedom Party: Rosanne Barr (Pres)/Cindy Sheehan (Vice Pres)

Prohibition Party: Lowell Fellure (Pres)/Toby Davis (Vice Pres)

Reform Party: Andre Barnett (Pres)/Ken Cross (Vice Pres)

Socialist Party/Liberty Union Party: Stewart Alexander (Pres)/Alejandro Mendoza (Vice Pres)

Socialist Equality Party: Jerome White (Pres)/Phyllis Scherrer (Vice Pres)

Socialist Workers Party: James Harris (Pres)/Maura DeLuca (Vice Pres)

Oi! That’s a lot of people! You can click on their names to go to their websites and check ’em out but here are some sites to help you decide as well:

– Vote Smart: They have coverage and information for both presidential and congressional elections so it’s a one-stop shop with a great site that is informative and interactive! Read about the various candidates listed above, their stances on various subjects and most of all take the Vote Easy test! This test is pretty rad as it asks your opinion in 13 subjects from Abortion to Social Security and will determine which candidate best match you and your beliefs. It’s super cool! Try it out!

– Presidential Candidates: This site is okay, but informative. It doesn’t have the bells and whistles of Vote Smart and sometimes a little confusing to navigate but what is really useful is their issues section on the side which list from Abortion to Trade Issues as they outline what the issue is and what various candidates feel about it. Also there’s a Profiles section that tells you the information of the candidates such as their age, their ancestry, military service, books, siblings, things like that. Definitely worth a look.

And that’s that! Remember to check out Vote411 to know where your polling place is and get informed! If I missed anything, lemme know in the comments and we’ll touch on it next month.

Next week is Ask Black Witch, submit your questions! Check out the Contact Me page or submit to the Ask Black Witch submission page, link is on the side. See you next week, or at the Baltimore Book Festival!

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Ask Black Witch

Filed under: Ask Black Witch, Divination, Relationships and Dating, Resources & Information — 2 Comments
November 25, 2011

Ok so I know that on everything I’ve it says not to do a spell to influence another person’s thoughts or actions but how do I get my ex back for good I’ve been in a lot of pain and I want to just get her back I know about the karma thing but I’ve never done anything with black magic before so I wanna learn how it works to thanks for the help

– Landon D.

Before I continue, let’s see if this can put a stopper to potential future questions such as this: if you check my “About Me/Contact Me” page, you’ll learn that I’m called Black Witch because I’m an African-American person who practices Witchcraft, not that I jinx or whatever. So anyone who want to ask me such a question, just keeeeep truckin’. Or just be yourself, that’s probably jinx enough for anyone who have to interact with you. And if it’s for dating, just buy a Bruno Mars album and shrink into the darkness.

Alright, Landon, you’ve got the basic very correct: you shouldn’t influence another person. That means no matter what. You’re scorned over your ex, join the club. The mundane version of getting back at her would be to harass her all the time, at home, at work, at play. That’s illegal. And a douchebag move.

Black magick works in that you’re adding bad energy (sounds new agey, yeah, but it is what it is) into a person’s life to deliberately cause harm. A mundane comparison: Cutting someone brakes (intent to harm) versus not telling them anything and their brakes break (karmic). Then there’s the karmic retribution on you. It is sometimes declared as threefold, some say tenfold, I just say whatever it is you’re going to do, it won’t be worth it for what you’ll get back.

If you’re in a lot of pain, you’re no different from anyone else suffering from a broken heart. Most pop songs wouldn’t be on the radio if the singer didn’t whine about how bad they’ve got the she-left-me blues. It’s a part of life and you can’t get pissed simply because things didn’t turn out the way you wanted them to. When in a relationship, you do run a risk of getting hurt emotionally. It’s not fair and certainly isn’t fun, I can tell you that first-hand, but acting out on your grudge isn’t smart. Here’s why:

– You seriously think this is going to be the only time?: Relationships can suck, given if you keep dating the wrong people (which, I’ve noticed, plenty do). What if you get hurt again? Are you going to jinx the new chick too? Then you aren’t going to learn anything because it’s not like you’re perfect either. You’ll probably grow misogynist (“God, women are such gold-digging cunts. They’re so shady and freakin’ tricky.”) because instead of learning from your mistakes and dating better picks, you’re just going to rub salt into your own wound thinking that you’re dealing fair retribution. Not easy but you’re going to have to deal and find someone better.

– For good?: If your ex is such a terrible person, she’s going to meet her match. Either in the form of a wife-beater, terrible friends, people seeing straight through her or the worst of them all, the male version of her. It burns not to do anything but it’s better than potentially growing obsessed over a bad relationship.

– Relationships aren’t perfect: They’re not. Dan Savage wouldn’t have a job otherwise and love spells would be pretty pointless. Here’s the thing, you’re not perfect – I’m sure if I asked the ex, she probably can list some of your faults just as well as you can list hers – and the girls you’re going to date aren’t perfect. Nobody is perfect. Perfect relationships don’t exist because there are no perfect people. There are people perfect for each other but that doesn’t mean the relationship itself or the people in them will be perfect. There are high times, low times and times you wonder why you’re dating the person that you’re with. That means break-ups and barking up the wrong tree occasionally. They suck, they’re embarrassing as all get out and they promise Kleenex will never go out of business. The only safe route is to either imagine you’re in a relationship with a cartoon character, stay out of relationships or to be more careful dating by getting to know the girl longer and/or stating (and knowing) your deal breakers.

You’re not going to like the advice but move on. Seriously, move on. Take some time to get over the relationship, perhaps a few months or more depending on how long you dated. I didn’t like the advice when I got it but it’s the most that you can actually do to help yourself. Being vengeful feels good but nothing poignant is going to come out of it and you probably still won’t learn a single thing. And I mean learning something useful, such as “I don’t like when the girl I’m dating does this because of that” and so on. That’s actually useful, not hexing someone for breaking your heart.

I’m back with more questions. XD
 
The first few involve dreams. I’ve noticed that I can foresee events in my dreams; if it’s a planned event the specifics are more clear. Thinking back this has definitely happened before, but I haven’t really taken notice until I got interested in magick and I also haven’t really remembered my dreams. However, it’s been happening more often once I got a necklace with my zodiac sign (Cancer) and a faux opal.
 
~Is it possible that the necklace has something to do with the increase? It’s just a simple necklace from Avon.
 
~I plan on getting a dream journal to write down my dreams before I forget, but is there anything that would help me remember my dreams more?
 
The next question is about pendulums: how exactly do they work and how would they be used?
 
The last question is actually a Lolita question: What is your stance on replicas? There’s a lot of debate on them thanks to Dream of Lolita and I’d like to see a lot of opinions on them.
 
Thanks again!

– Bertina

I don’t mind getting repeat readers asking me questions, I quite like it. Means I’m not messing up. So long the questions remain good, I’m happy.

Precognition, I think almost everyone experiences it. It does increase with magick use because of the fact that you’re opening up your intuition more. Your necklace can aid in that because it provides a visual representation to keep your intuition up. Think of how people have pictures or statuettes of Jesus with them, totally not needed in that Christ isn’t physically in the picture and is not the statuette itself but a visual reminder. The necklace works the same for its own purpose.

When I write down my dreams, I keep the lights off, eyes closed and scribble in my dream journal in (which is nearby, or my BOS, whichever I remember is closer). You forget, I believe, 90% of your dream in a few hours and a pretty big amount within the first 10 minutes. Writing the dream down right after I wake up works for me and I’ve heard it is the best method. Don’t worry about lines running into each other or misspelled words, just write it down and review it later in the day.

Pendulums, very pretty and can be pretty annoying when not used correctly. Pendulums have two uses: answer yes/no questions and to find stuff. When using it as a divinatory device (to answer yes/no questions) you work with the pendulum to either with or without a yes/no/maybe sheet to see how it responds to questions on its own or “program” it to respond to yes or no as you desire. Protip: You have to be verrrrry still or wind up swaying the pendulum so lay your arm down somewhere if you worry this will be a problem. I find pendulums can be problematic because some questions need more than a yes or a no and if it’s for a question you desire a particular answer for, you may sway the pendulum. I know I have – oh, and if you’re practicing psionics (i.e. psychokinesis) then skip out on this divination form, you will affect the result. It is more useful, in my experience, to find lost stuff. I would ask my pendulum (I have several, including one that I think hated me) to swing in the direction of my lost object, saaaay, my glasses. I tell it to go in a circle (or become still) once in the general area and the stronger it responds, the closer I am. Again, be steady. It takes a bit of meditation and work with the pendulum enable to reduce the chance of false positives. The pendulums work by connecting with the collective unconscious of the universe and refined via intent either for an answer or to find something. Or if it hates you, like one of mine did, it’ll just steer you directly into trouble or screw with the answers even if you were as still as stone.

My stance on replicas – for readers who are not aware, replicas are dresses in the Lolita fashion that are replicated designs or prints of popular and expensive dresses in the fashion – is that I think they are useful gap fillers within the fashion. Not everyone is after a name; some like a dress because it is pretty, not because it screams “I have brand”. Some simply cannot fit the small size range of Lolita dresses. For example, I would need a replica of the Carnival Cards dress by Angelic Pretty because A) the color I want it in is sold out and B) I couldn’t fit it even if I could buy it. Since Lolita dresses constrict themselves into such a narrow size range, I don’t look down on replicas and they make some dresses more affordable. Also, there’s the issue with a lot of brand dresses getting ruined from simply coming in contact with water, which the replicas may not do. I know I have only gotten one replica dress, a black Sugary Carnival dress from Dream of Lolita, that has this problem. I hate it because there are mistakes, the fabric is terrible and it faded fast through washing. But it cost almost 1/5th the price of the original dress, which cost about $600, can rocket up to $800 secondhand. A person just has to look around for reputable replica makers such as Oo Jia. I would say look hard at reviews before committing to buy because while a replica dress may be cheaper than the original, it is not cheap by any definition as a whole.

I am getting older by the day, and because of this fact, I am wondering if I will ever find true love where there is passion on both sides and ultimately have a baby or two?
 
I have been meeting too many men who are just not my type or I am not there’s. Whatever the case may be, I am extremely tired of looking. Can you shed some truthful light on me and let me know if love and a family is something that is meant for me to experience or not. Is there a spell to improve my situation? I need to know.
 
Thanks!

– Cali

The subject of true love is a tricky one. I’ve tried to do a true love spread but it became a can of worms over the course of two years for me so I don’t do them anymore. I certainly don’t suggest spellwork because it will be more trouble than it’s worth.

Now, do you see a loving and passionate relationship as little arguing, the guy is just knows your needs or can read your body language like a book, things like that? Or do you see a loving and passionate relationship as something that’s going to have back and forth along with the happy times, you’re going to get on his nerves sometimes, he’s going to get on your nerves sometimes, you both are interacting with each other as people and as friends, etc etc etc? If you see it as the former, you’ll always be unhappy. The latter? You’re off to a good start but still that doesn’t promise marriage and the baby carriage.

Let’s define “true love”: True love, in reference to a person, does not mean they will be perfect in every single way, let’s get that out the way. No one is perfect. Not you, not the President, not the person who collects your bills, not your best friend, no one on this earth is perfect. Everyone is imperfect, has flaws, quirks and issues of varying shades and ranges. There are people who are perfect for one another (for example: your best friend is perfect for you, even if she or he gets on your last nerve sometimes) and that’s what you should look for. Look for friendship, not relationship, from the start. A true love is just a deeply and romantically loved friend that helps you grow, you help them grow and each of you bring something wonderful into the relationship.

I understand the problem that you have, I get the same issue but maybe you should try this: Don’t look. I understand that it can be difficult but it’s advice I get constantly and I hear from a lot of happy couples – they weren’t looking when they found each other. I can’t tell you if you’re going to have the happy family and loving relationship that we all want and I don’t generally do spreads or suggest spells for Ask Black Witch questions. Besides, even if I did, what help would it do? It wouldn’t say, “hey, you’re going to meet him tomorrow” and it won’t provide enough details for you to fully be satisfied. What if you learn you would meet this guy thirty years from now? It would just make you go mad. Just meet guys as you would want to make friends with so you can get to know him, he can get to know you, etc etc etc. There’s no spell I could give you, short of treading on free will, that would make you happy. You just have to let it come to you. You’re not going to like it (I sure as hell don’t, I’d gun down cupid with a scud missile if I could) but you’re going to have to just live your life, continue to improve your life so you’ll be happy – which is attractive, mind you – and meeting people normally.

Instead of waiting, improve yourself for yourself. Become happy of who you are, your accomplishments and etc etc. In focusing on yourself, you won’t be so stone-fast into getting a boyfriend (and ultimately husband and father) toute de suite and that means more opportunities can open up. Anyone, guy or girl, can be super easily turned off by the aura of “Can we date? Plz?” because it comes off as subconscious desperation and can make them feel trapped and suffocated, hence cause for bolting. Can’t force someone to love you nor do you want to coerce them. People like individuality, regardless of gender – and I think you probably would prefer a guy that doesn’t want a woman cling-on dependent (which is extremely different from basic mutual dependency, which is what you – and he – should want because a relationship can’t sail far if there’s no balance)- and it’s great when someone wants you for you and everything that you are. Just remember to improve yourself where you yourself think improvement is needed, enhance yourself for yourself, be happy with yourself, get to know people as people and not potential dating subjects. If it gets to where you like a guy naturally, make sure you have a basic understanding in what you want in a guy. Not surface stuff like money and looks but something that you know you would love to spend the rest of your life with, your deal breakers, etc. It’s not easy doing all this and there’s no promise you’ll die with a ring on your finger and/or a kid to carry on your memory so just live for yourself. It’s really the only thing you can do.

Last month, I had answered an Ask Black Witch about if grimores existed and I responded pretty much with a “Not the olden day kinds”. That was a derp on my part but Nkyinkyin caught my mistake. Here is what she wrote on her blog:

I appreciate many of The Black Witch‘s posts–she fills an important niche in the lives of the young and new, and also puts up with a lot of crap that I freely admit to not having the patience to deal with. I was disappointed with her answer to one of the questions in last month’s Q&A session, though. Someone was asking about the old grimoires and essentially the answer given was that they no longer existed. If that’s the case, then how is it that I have a copy of The Picatrix (the Liber Viridis version) translated by John Michael Greer & Christopher Warnock lying right by my feet now? What about my copy of The Black Dragon and The Enchiridion of Pope Leo III translated and compiled into the The Crossed Keys by Michael Cecchetelli sitting by my right hand? This collection of 50 books on a CD via Twilit Grotto Esoteric Archive, including works by Abramelin, Agrippa, John Dee, and Trithemius? You can check them out for FREE. Hell, even a quick google puts you at the gates of the Internet Sacred Text Archive, where you can also browse any number of famous esoteric and occult works, including The Key of Solomon. Also free, but I’m really sure they’d appreciate donations and purchases of the site on DVD and CDROM right now, just to keep up with the costs of keeping such an immense effort online. Unlike the Grotto, The ISTA is a treasure, a resource that isn’t limited to esoteric texts–you could literally spend the rest of your life browsing that site.

For the “witchier” texts, there’s collections of those too, like the 2 volumes of cds offered by the highly-regarded House of Eleggua‘s Carolina Gonzalez: CD #1 and CD #2. And that’s me just listing what I’m aware of in strictly traditional old school stuff, I’m not even getting into all the physics and history and natural sciences texts out there that I find absolutely necessary if you’re going to practice in the here-and-now and not have a root-bound practice based on and limited by ignorance.

We live in an amazing age, a time wherein pretty much everything anyone can think of has been made accessible to us–things that those old timey (whimey) mages, witches, philosophers, and scholars would have killed to get their hands on. Some of it you’ll find brilliant. Some of you’ll find worthless. Some of it you’ll think of one way at one point and change your mind later. The esoteric stuff is not that hidden anymore; I’ve been able to look up a significant number of titles and personalities on Wikipedia, as they also have a historical context. A lot of the originals of the old works are now public domain, and the stuff that isn’t is not being held hostage by collectors for hundreds and thousands of dollars (but hey, you can get fancy bound versions and classes on how to use them for hundreds and thousands of dollars if you want to do that!). And that’s beside all the individual magician blogs–notes by people that are doing the Work and posting what they’ve discovered.

The tools are out there. What are you gonna do with ’em? Welcome to the new old frontier.

She’s actually right. I had forgotten that while some grimores were destroyed and lost, some were very well recovered. Total derp moment on me but good to know my readers are willing to disagree and correct my mistakes! :3

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The Arts!: Samhain Edition!

Filed under: Resources & Information, The Arts — Leave a comment
October 21, 2011

It’s that time again! It’s The Arts:! Samhain Edition! Before we start, I would like to say all the Samhain Pickers winners will be read for this week! And don’t any of you forget of the annual Black Witch Samhain vcast chat at 9 PM EST (sorry trick-or-treaters). Fun and hijinks! May even star my cat! (Seriously. She’s cute, great promotion material.)

This year’s winners:
Erika B.
Shaquez L.
Sherry W.

This year’s round up is Black Pagan blogs, books and other very Pagan things! I’m super happy that there are actually Black Pagan blogs to mention and just in case I miss a few, please do meander over to the African-American Wiccan Society’s Important Links page to find more and more.

Let’s get started!

Black Pagan Blogs
These blogs are just like mine, they’re Pagan blogs intended for a Black audience. I will admit, there has been a very recent sprouting of many Black Pagan blogs that provide a very multifaceted look of the Black Pagan community.

Black Pagan

University Witch

The Shy Witch

African-American Wiccan

Katrina’s Joy

Daughters of Eve

Cosette from Jupiter

Nilaexplosion

I’m happy to see this when only a year or two ago, I haven’t seen really even this much of a blog roll dedicated for Black Pagans and written by Black Pagans. This is great! Takes work off of my shoulders definitely!

Pagan Books
I believe I have focused on some fairly Witchy books last year and not enough divination so I’ll be doing some of that. But first, I was asked to do a book review! I thought that was a very nice opportunity! The book is titled The Spellcasting Picture Book: Visual Tools for Grown-up Magic, written by Diana Rajchel.

Okay then, here is my review for the book: I believe that the book could definitely use some improvement as I feel that it is not exactly ready for prime time yet. From the start of the book, the reader is faced with the fact that the writer is mired in controversy apparently. On the cover under the author’s name it reads, “Yeah, that one.” And the Preface sounds very pointed: “If you’re reading this it’s likely because you know me, know my perfumery, or know a little bit about me and want to see if whatever the current batch of rumors is are true.” What rumors?  I, and I’m sure most other potential readers (unless I’ve been living under a rock), are not at all familiar with Rajchel or her work so it presents as a personal and private dislike aired in a public place. I understand having haters buuuuut there is a way to discuss them in an objective manner or at least provide a more thorough background than the one provided. A blog is one thing to air out disdain for those who dislike what you’re doing but a book is a bit different.

Here’s what I found very bothersome on the How to Use this Book page: “About Witchcraft: If you want to know more about Witchcraft and/or Wicca, please ask someone else.” That’s as if saying, “Please don’t read my book, it’s a waste of time.” Rajchel does mention other books that would be good to reference at the back of the book but she should have at least mentioned that in the “About Witchcraft” blurb.

The artistry is very base and, frankly, poorly done. If this was a book where Pagan religious artwork was collected from kids, fine, but it’s not. Bad photoshop of floating arms and hands, poorly assembled artwork that – for me – is reminiscent of crack conspiracy websites, reuse of drawn pictures – none of the artwork is good. The author describes it as “primitive” but this is not at all primitive. I have seen primitive art from various cultures and this is not it. It is moreso very basic and childlike. Very poorly done. Whatever good artistry is there was nicked from the internet and ‘shopped in. I have seen picture spell books such as The Spell Bible and they are done well. This book, I cannot say I have the same opinion for. The writing, which was both handwritten and typed was not incredibly provocative but fairly mediocre at best.

The Spellcasting Picture Book, claims to be a picture book for adults but at a glance, it seems more for children. I wouldn’t recommend it at all to anyone. Yes, the art in this work are doodles and personal works of the author which she put her heart and mind into it but still, I have to hold the work to a particular standard that it does not meet.

Onward to the other books!

The Spell Bible (Ann-Marie Gallagher)
If you do want to see a picture book of spells done well, get The Spell Bible. It is amazing the works they have in there and the spells are very beautifully photographed and explained. There are various spells in there for a range of subjects (no jinxes though. If you’re that coldhearted, just be yourself, that’s jinx enough.) and while I haven’t tried them myself because I make my own spells, they are very well crafted. This is a wonderful book for starters, intermediates or those who just need a little guidance for their spellcrafting. The pictures are beautiful, the spells are amazing and it’s all simply wonderful in a little, compact book. The pages are color coded for ease of use and there is an index and glossary as well as a reference page for materials and anything else you may need.

Playing Card Divination for Beginners (Richard Webster)
This book has taught me all I needed to know about playing card divination, my very first divining skill. It is a great book that breaks everything down card by card, has a special section on the joker, suggest spreads and more. My book is pretty tattered and worn from all the use, I’ve had it for half a decade but I still refer to it when I do readings and if I forget how to do a particular spread. This book also talks about combination spreads (such as what happens if you get three Aces in a spread or face cards everywhere) and there’s a great history section at the start of the book. Webster shares his own experiences doing card readings and gives ideas of how to diversify the divination practice using dice or paper. Now, I think this book is out of print and if that’s true, I’ll digitize my copy and have it up here. I tried emailing Webster and I think even the publisher themselves but I haven’t heard anything back I’m not going to wait. Information is information.

The Art of Hand Reading (Lori Reid)
This is one of the many books I have on palmistry – okay, one of the three, I don’t believe in having a billion books on one metaphysical subject because info overlaps and most books out there are pretty crappy. This book is completely awesome in that it goes into the political and religious history briefly in regards to palmistry. It’s very interesting to learn! Also there’s a section that talks about how different hand gestures mean different things in different parts of the world. The easiest example is the peace sign, palm inwards. In America, it can be a parting salutation. In the UK, it’s flipping someone off. The book is very factual so there not much, if any, fluffy content there.

Shades of Faith (Crystal Blanton, ed.)
The first anthology for Black Pagans has arrived! If you saw this post calling for Black Pagan entries, this book is what has come of it. It is very well done and two of my writings are in the anthology, one that is here on Black Witch “Why Don’t You Like Me?” and one exclusively for the anthology “Missing in the Picture”. There are a variety of Black (and I think other minority) voices heard in the anthology and it is indeed nice to have a Black book on religion but it not be focused on Christianity. Nab it!

 

 

 

 

Web Shops!
I have few webshops that I go to because I am quite accustomed to buying in person but if you have any suggestions, speak your mind in the comments! To see more, please refer to last year’s Samhain Edition.

Kotori Cards – This is pretty much shilling for my friends who are very awesome diviners. My (recently married :3 ) friends Jess and John started their store online after having a very successful run for many years. Now, I usually am not for people paying for readings, I still think it is better you learn for yourself but these two are amazing readers for those who still want to pay for readings.

The Dark Moon – The African American Wiccan Society finally has their store up and it has just about everything and growing in stock each and every day. The ritual chocolates look wonderful and there’s even gear specifically designed for Black Pagans such as tarot bags and more.

Well that’s it for The Arts!: Samhain Edition!

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Ask Black Witch

Filed under: Ask Black Witch, Dreams, Resources & Information, Spells & Potions — 2 Comments
July 29, 2011

I know it’s not strictly enforced (because it never had to be) but actually I have a three question monthly quota. Since this is the first month I’ve actually gone over, I’ll answer all questions. I keep the quota around just in case I get a slew of questions but since this is really a first, I have no issue answering everything. Same for the upcoming months unless there are more and more question filled months but I provide warning first. In short, all is spiffy.

I have been cursed or hexed to not have or keep money. What can I do to break the hex or curse? Or what can I do to attract success or money to me.
– Louis R.

Usually when people come to me saying they’ve been cursed, I’m a bit of a skeptic but only because I’ve seen many people come to me claiming to be cursed when really it could be their own downfall or a general downfall that’s been going around (i.e. bad economy, illness, stress) and not a curse. The general rule of thumb is that the more developed a nation, the likelier that someone has not been cursed really but got some bad luck going but even then you have to stratify that to socio-economic levels and environments (in other words, if you’re upper class and fairly wasp? It’s probably bad luck, mate) so still people can get hit with a hex but it’s not common. Improbable but not impossible, basically.

Now as for Louis, I can’t tell for sure if you’ve been actually jinxed out of money, I’d have to hear more to be able to rule out the fact we are currently in a pretty sluggish economy and as of this writing, with US unemployment at 9% and Black unemployment at 16% and even big businesses are feeling the brunt of the economy. That can have an easy chain effect on a person’s spending and finance. Also, hexes don’t come from nowhere (no one really hexes a random person just for the screw of it, that’s mad rare) so if it’s not really traceable (as in, without doubt. Not, “Well, I got that weird coworker…”), it could be unfortunate circumstances that has fallen upon your head. I’m just throwing that out there to make sure you know what you should look for roughly when it comes to figuring out if it’s bad luck or bad juju.

How are you hexed out of keeping money? Surprise bills? Things keep breaking that are in constant need of repair (and shouldn’t be)? Mugged every time you step off your front step? Banks constantly go, “’Paychecks’? What’s that?” Magick takes the path of least resistance usually but when it comes to hexes, they can throw in wrenches like none other. For example: Say you have been magickally knocked in the pockets. It could express itself by the bank losing track of say, your direct deposit and no one’s been notified. You don’t have money (that you honestly should) in your bank account, which you seriously did not know and so you spend like normal, which hits you with overdraft fees and not-so-nice letters from the banks, possible not-so-nice letters from bill collectors and you try to check into it but every human on a computer is saying all is fine and you screwed up (even though it was an error in the system, either human or technical) and because the blame is pinned squarely on you, ya gotta fork up some cash to remedy (which, remember, you don’t have because of your status of direct deposit went awry) and that all snowballs into a giant headache, to put the ending nicely. These are all situations that could and has happened to people in the past: banks making mistakes on accounts, programs have an error, unknown overdraft fees get accumulated, banks going “Not me” even when it is squarely their fault, etc etc. They’ve all happened before in human history of modern finances. But it’s quite a queer probability all of that happening at once and if it’s pretty sudden as well as have a super hard time being corrected, as if obstacles keep falling onto your path.

If what I described above sounds pretty close to your situation, then yep, you just might be right, someone’s put a fix on you. How to solve it? Depends on your background and how good you are with faith and spirituality. If you are particularly spiritual and part of a particular religion (i.e. Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, etc etc), then generally you’ll be able to find some prayer that’s meant for protection from evil and harm as well as for prosperity and good fortune. Faith would seriously do some good now because prayers and rituals can’t be done without heart in them. Salt is useful for neutralizing but I’m not at the point where I’m going to tell you to sprinkle it about (and if you do, don’t do it on your lawn, it’ll kill the grass). Hexes are spells just like any other, they come in different kinds and thus must be handled differently. Dragon’s Blood (it’s a resin and can come in the form of oil, incense and even a bath solution) is good for uncrossing and for protection. Patchouli and Jade are great for finance and success. I’m giving beginner’s grade stuff because I don’t know your background in magick and I don’t want to suggest anything that has a very good chance of screwing up if you don’t know what you’re doing. Also since I don’t know the nature of the potential jinx, I can’t really subscribe anything more particular than that. Believe it or not visual mediation may also best aid you in severing ties from your hex (that should have prayer woven in there somehow because you can’t do it on your own) by visualizing actual dark ropes you are severing mentally.

Granted this is if all your money troubles stems from a hex, remember. If life is still pretty crappy no matter what you do, it could be life throwing you a hardball that’s completely striking you out. Hopefully things will work out.

Hi, I have read your blog and seen you on facebook… My question is that I done a prosperity spell last week visualizing that I make sales at my telemarketing job, it worked the first time  ( I made a sale)  but the second time nothing happened. Strangely I got called 2 days later about a job offer working for a company that I love and a career I love! I don’t have the job yet because it opens later this month but it seemed very strange that all the sudden after the ritual they called me… just wondering.
– Olivia L.

How astonishing! You have my first name. I would say definitely that it was probably the ritual helping you out to do bigger and better things. Now for the reason why something happened the first and not the second time: Magick, not always like the movies, does not promise you’ll get it in each and every time. Plus the spell could have bundled up energy from what could have been the second good sale in a row and become a big opportunity altogether, which is forever better. I hope you’re happy in your new position!

I happen to know a couple of these ‘preachers’ that frequent the buses down in this county, and it does annoy me, but what can I do about it?
– Torrence B.

This question is in reference to the recent post Get Off the Bus. My suggestion is either get some good headphones to blast them out, debate with them until they note their own fallacies and shut up or you might just have to deal with it until they get off or you get off. It’s not easy dealing with people like that, I’m certain, but sometimes you can’t do something or may not have the will to do it. I wouldn’t upfront suggest debate because not everyone has an extensive amount of religious knowledge and it can be a battle of personalities too so if you don’t have a dominant personality or just an expression of strong yet silent will, it could put you in a bad spot because these people don’t really respond or dialogue, they just think it’s the Devil in you making you speak out and shut them down so they may simply grow more persistent and shouting matches help no one. If you have the knowledge and background to flip whatever they say on its ear, perhaps go for it because I can say for myself it does make them pipe down but if you don’t have what it takes, that’s okay. It’s not okay that these people take free license to be total bigoted douchebags who don’t know the difference between spreading the word of God and forcing it down people’s throats but your well-being has to go before their empty-headed ways. Informing the bus driver may not do anything except get you scolded and that’s not good. So your best bet is to get a good Mp3 player with nice headphones and slip them on when they start yappin’.

Hi and nice to meet you. I come from a very strong Christian background so this is a very big step for me it’s just god irritates me so you know. By the way this may be a rather long message but please read it I am desperate to get an answer I have tried so many other people and not got a reply. So please let me tell you a bit about my self so this will all cover the question I need to ask.

I hate how I look I have a big nose and thin lips and puffy eyes and I am always either pink or red and I am very prone to spots.

I also look a lot like my mum and we aren’t on the best of terms right now so I would prefer to look more like my dad. Recently I have met a girl who I imagine would look just like my dad’s daughter if there was no interference from my mum. It’s also a rather funny story actually because my friend looks a lot like her dad who she does not like and I also look a lot like her mum so it’s really weird. So I was thinking what if I had been born in her body and she had been born in mine so we would still be recognised as the same person who we are now. so obviously it would be very difficult as you can probably imagine to find spell that would have the power to do that so I was thinking about trying to make my own spell or maybe you could give me a spell hopefully but if not I will try and make my own but another question is is would a spell be able to change the past because I’m not just talking about a body switching spell I am talking about a spell that could actually change the past!

I don’t want to be a different person I still want to be me just to have been born in another person’s body. I also don’t really know if making up my own spell would work so I guess that’s three questions altogether and I really hope you can help me. Hope I hear from you soon
– Jershua

It sounds like two interconnected questions to me.

I read your question over several times (It was a little hard reading, mate. I figured the British prided their language more than us Americans) and I’m going to be quite frank and start with the bottom and go up. You say you don’t want to be a different person but you actually do. Your whole letter bleeds with that intention because in your mind, you think you can escape your mom (and ultimately the bad relationship with her) if you were just in another physical body or to switch up the past. You could switch bodies with anyone from your friend to your next door neighbor to the Prime Minister, but keep the same mind and you’ll always be tortured because your problem is in your mind, not on your face. You could cast a spell to change the past but I can pretty much assure you what you’re asking for is waaaaaay beyond your skill set and most likely will forever be since you’re tipping into high magick and that’s no walk in the park. I have major difficulties with it and I’m a practiced Witch of nearly ten years. Besides, by changing the past to change the present and the future, how do you know the wheel of fortune will spin in your favour the second time around?

Now, since you would have someone to switch bodies with, your good friend who doesn’t like her dad, how do you know she would want to switch places with you? Can’t exactly pull a “body snatchers” thing, especially not on an unsuspecting and new friend. And how do you know you would be happier in her life – actually, body since changing bodies doesn’t promise a life switch – than you are in yours and that she vice versa? It just sounds a little one sided in your question. Even if you two equally do want to switch bodies (but not minds), what happens if one of you want to switch back?

Even in the vastness of magick, possibilities can come with limits and things happen for a reason. It’s clear you want to separate yourself from the hurt and that makes total sense but this really is not the way. You don’t like your physical features because of who they relate to so there’s nothing you can do really that would truly heal your problem on the physical level except to deal with them on the mental and emotional level where they reside. Work on whatever problems you have with your mother because running won’t solve anything. Talk to a counselor, therapist or someone that you trust to help iron out the problems. That’s the only way to solve this issue. The problems you have with your body are simply red flags to a deeper issue that need far more attention than the shape of your nose and lips. And try some Witch Hazel solution for your skin, it takes care of the red very well and keep spots at bay with consistent use.

I apologize if this is a strange question, but I was browsing and found your site, and was curious if you had an answer for me.   First off, let me say that I am not a pagan, nor am I very familiar with pagan customs; but, I felt that if I wanted to gain some understanding, I’ve got nothing to lose in asking and searching.

So, as for my question:

I have been having an interesting recurring dream.  Well… sort of.  I’ve had an interesting recurring “visage” lately.  Every couple of nights or so, I drift off to sleep and I see this girl.  She has lovely features, but never says a word.  In my dreams I often walk with her and talk to her.  (The setting is always a moonlit glade or stream).  She simply smiles and listens until I wake up.

Well about a month ago, I had the most peculiar thing happen.  I was laying, staring up at my ceiling in the dark early morning.  I think I must have only been half awake, but I could feel a presence in the room with me.  And just for the strangest moment, I felt a cold but calming touch on my face…. and (this is going to sound really bizarre) I saw the girl’s smiling face in a glimpse and she kissed my cheek… I think.  As I startled awake, the image and feeling was gone.

I know I must sound completely insane, or that it’s just my “hormones” running away with me.  It’s for this very reason I haven’t told ANYONE about this.  I can’t explain how, what or why, but this being whatever she is, feels so real to me.   I am currently happily in a relationship, and yet the “girl” doesn’t seem to care.  What’s really strange is that, being with her feels natural…  It doesn’t feel in any way conflicting with my current relationship…  Which makes me feel a little guilty.   

Again, I know I must sound crazy.  Please forgive the strangeness of my question..  but I am just curious if you, as a witch, had any sort of insight for me.

Truly and sincerely yours,
S.S.

If I had a nickel for every “This is a strange question”, “I’ve an interesting dream” or “I must sound crazy”, I would never worry about money again.

Have you ever thought that this dream could be crafted by your own mind because sometimes a cigar is just a cigar? I don’t know how long you’ve been having this dream versus how long you’ve been dating the girl you’re currently with but it sounds like you’re just having a happy dream. It doesn’t mean that you don’t love your girlfriend, it doesn’t mean you’ve gone nuts, it could just mean that you’re just dreaming. Even the half-asleep part, which is probably you already being halfway in the dream state hence touches and things like that feel real.

Nothing to feel guilty over until you put more focus on the dream girl than the real girl or even worse, try to turn the real girl into the dream girl. People can have reoccurring dreams of good things just like they can have reoccurring dreams of bad things. So go with it unless things take a turn for the worse.

That’s all the Ask Black Witch for this month! Want to ask a question? There are various ways to contact me! Everything is on the About Me/Contact Me page but you can also use the Ask Black Witch Submission Form on the right or tweet me @thisblackwitch and/or using the #askblackwitch hashtag. ABW questions are answered on the last Friday of every month.

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BW Special: Black German Victims of the Holocaust

Filed under: BW Special, Resources & Information, The Arts — 2 Comments
March 30, 2011

I had gotten this email through the African American Wiccans list proc, displayed by Toyin Adepoju and written by Onookome Okome. I thought it was very interesting to read because, well, read it yourself. It’s about Black victims in the Holocaust.

So much of our history is lost to us because we often don’t write the history books, don’t film the documentaries, or don’t pass the accounts down from generation to generation.

 One documentary now touring the film festival circuit, telling us to “Always Remember” is “Black Survivors of the Holocaust” (1997).

 Outside the U.S., the film is entitled “Hitler’s Forgotten Victims”(Afro-Wisdom Productions). It codifies another dimension to the “Never Forget” Holocaust story-our dimension.

 Did you know that in the 1920’s, there were 24,000 Blacks living in Germany? Neither did I. Here’s how it happened, and how many of them were eventually caught unawares by the events of the Holocaust.

Like most West European nations, Germany established colonies in Africa in the late 1800’s in what later became Togo, Cameroon, Namibia , and Tanzania. German genetic experiments began there, most notably involving prisoners taken from the 1904 Heroro Massacre that left 60,000 Africans dead, following a 4-year revolt against German colonization. After the shellacking Germany received in World War I, it was stripped of its African colonies in 1918.

As a spoil of war, the French were allowed to occupy Germany in the Rhineland -a bitter piece of real estate that has gone back and forth between the two nations for centuries. The French willfully deployed their own colonized African soldiers as the occupying force. Germans viewed this as the final insult of World War I, and, soon thereafter, 92% of them voted in the Nazi party.

Hundreds of the African Rhineland-based soldiers intermarried with German women and raised their children as Black Germans. In Mein Kampf, Hitler wrote about his plans for these “Rhineland Bastards”. When he came to power, one of his first directive was aimed at these mixed-race children. Underscoring Hitler’s obsession with racial purity, by 1937, every identified mixed-race child in the Rhineland had been forcibly sterilized, in order to prevent further “race polluting,” as Hitler termed it.

Hans Hauck, a Black Holocaust survivor and a victim of Hitler’s mandatory sterilization program, explained in the film “Hitler’s Forgotten Victims” that, when he was forced to undergo sterilization as a teenager, he was given no anesthetic. Once he received his sterilization certificate, he was “free to go”, so long as he agreed to have no sexual relations whatsoever with Germans.

Although most Black Germans attempted to escape their fatherland, heading for France where people like Josephine Baker were steadily aiding and supporting the French Underground, many still encountered problems elsewhere. Nations shut their doors to Germans, including the Black ones.

Some Black Germans were able to eke out a living during Hitler’s reign of terror by performing in Vaudeville shows; but many Blacks, steadfast in their belief that they were German first, Black second, opted to remain in Germany. Some fought with the Nazis (a few even became Lut Waffe pilots!) Unfortunately, many Black Germans were arrested, charged with treason, and shipped in cattle cars to concentration camps. Often these trains were so packed with people and (equipped with no bathroom facilities or food), that, after the four-day journey, box car doors were opened to piles of the dead and dying.

Once inside the concentration camps, Blacks were given the worst jobs conceivable. Some Black American soldiers, who were captured and held as prisoners of war, recounted that, while they were being starved and forced into dangerous labor (violating the Geneva Convention), they were still better off than Black German concentration camp detainees, who were forced to do the unthinkable–man the crematoriums and work in labs where genetic experiments were being conducted. As a final sacrifice, these Blacks were killed every three months so that they would never be able to reveal the inner workings of the “Final Solution.”

In every story of Black oppression, no matter how we were enslaved, shackled, or beaten, we always found a way to survive and to rescue others. As a case in point; consider Johnny Voste, a Belgian resistance fighter who was arrested in 1942 for alleged sabotage and then shipped to Dachau. One of his jobs was stacking vitamin crates. Risking his own life, he distributed hundreds of vitamins to camp detainees, which saved the lives of many who were starving, weak, and ill–conditions exacerbated by extreme vitamin deficiencies. His motto was “No, you can’t have my life; I will fight for it.”

According to Essex University’s Delroy Constantine-Simms, there were Black Germans who resisted Nazi Germany, such as Lari Gilges, who founded the Northwest Rann –an organization of entertainers that fought the Nazis in his home town of Dusseldorf–and who was murdered by the SS in 1933, the year that Hitler came into power.

Little information remains about the numbers of Black Germans held in the camps or killed under the Nazi regime. Some victims of the Nazi sterilization project and Black survivors of the Holocaust are still alive and telling their story in films such as “Black Survivors of the Nazi Holocaust”, but they must also speak out for justice, not just history.

Unlike Jews (in Israel and in Germany ), Black Germans receive no war reparations because their German citizenship was revoked (even though they were German-born). The only pension they get is from those of us who are willing to tell the world their stories and continue their battle for recognition and compensation.

After the war, scores of Blacks who had somehow managed to survive the Nazi regime, were rounded up and tried as war criminals. Talk about the final insult! There are thousands of Black Holocaust stories, from the triangle trade, to slavery in America, and to the gas ovens in Germany. We often shy away from hearing about our historical past because so much of it is painful; however, we are in this struggle together for rights, dignity, and, yes, reparations for wrongs done to us through the centuries. We need to always remember so that we can take steps to ensure that these atrocities never happen again.

For further information, read: Destined to Witness: Growing Up Black in Nazi Germany by Hans J. Massaquoi.

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