Tag Archive: book suggestion


Ask Black Witch: Working with the Spirit World, Finding Other Black Pagans

Filed under: Ask Black Witch, Pagan Life, Resources & Information — 3 Comments
December 27, 2013

Blessings to you, Black Witch. I am always searching for information as I have only been a seeker and practicing as as solitary for a little over a year. I want to ask you what the best way is to deal with my fear of the spirit world. When I was in high school and several years after, I had some very frightening experiences after playing with a Ouija board with some friends. Bad decision. Every since then my perspective of the spirit realm scares the hell out of me and I don’t know how to get past it especially because there is no way I can walk the path of a witch, yet be afraid of the spirit world. It is because of my bad experiences that I consider any spirits bad and out to get to me. It’s really becoming a serious problem that I need some advice on how to cope and release the fear. My fear is hindering my practice.

-Maria J.

Oooooh, I know this feeling, it can be really scary working with the spirit world! I understand wholeheartedly about wanting to get past the spooks of interacting with the spirit

world to feel like you’re a well-rounded witch, it really does feel like there’s no way around it. I also understand from personal experience how interacting with spirits and it goes awry can really leave you completely halted.

Best thing I can suggest is research. Research on magickal self-defense (things like amulets, herbal mixes, wards, etc etc) and research on spirits. Now I’m sure with the latter, you’re going “Wat? Lol, no,” but researching various entities and what they’re really like may help you. Most likely, what you summoned was some random spirit that felt like trolling humans (and this letter is why I usually tell people don’t diddle around with Ouija boards) and since it was your initial experiences with spirits, it left you scarred. First impressions really are everything, especially in magick. Knowledge is probably going to be your best bet here since there’s no other way around it unless you want to buy all the shrine bells, iron, holy water and blessing powders in the world to make you feel a teensy bit safe, which will fade over time. It’s best to research to allay your fears. And don’t research the scary spirits first, just get some basic knowledge on spirits and the spirit world (preferably in books and most preferably written by people who aren’t loopy new-age type folks). I think the book The Encyclopedia of Spirits by Judika Stiles is a good suggestion. Try not to be freaked out by it and know that just because you have a book on spirits in your home or you reading an entry on spirits ever does not mean the spirits you’re reading about will come crashing in. It will not automatically summon anything, trust me on that. I had the same fear with spirits due to bad experiences and being really knowledgeable on the subject really helped. I think it’s that not-knowing that ramps a person up because it leaves you feeling helpless and helplessness is a terrible feeling.

Also, you don’t have to be a pro with spirits to be good at magick. You can work strictly with energy until you get past the jitters about spirits. You can study alchemy, improve your herbal knowledge (which I would recommend because it would make you feel better and less defenseless), there’s plenty to do until you fully work out your phobia so you can continually progress while working on yourself, which is very important.

Do you ever have trouble finding others like yourself? I’m a black woman inclined towards esoteric teaching and occultism. Sigil magic is a part of my focus, though I’m new to the path. I’d love some advice. 🙂 Peace

– Venicia

Even with Tumblr and being on African American Wiccan Society’s group, I still have trouble finding other Black Pagans. A lot really don’t want to be out with their work and some are not really Pagans, just completely nuts and somehow floated over to Paganism. Or are just Afriboos that just so desperately want to remove any iota of Western influence (besides internalized racism, homophobia annnnnnnd Western-stemmed misogyny). It’s pretty difficult, especially if you want to interact with them physically, in the real world because they’re either scared someone is going to find out they’re Pagan/practice witchcraft/occultism or they don’t feel like dealing with White Pagans who think now that a Black person has arrived, it’s time to try out all their best racist jokes and passive-aggressive complaints about Black people in general. Or a combo. Even I have sat out of plenty of Pagan events because I get tired very frequently of being the only Black person there and for White Pagans to assume I’m somehow the Ambassador of Negroes. Yeah, for folks who claim to be colorblind (which is a big and harmful myth that actually upholds Whiteness, not dispel it), they seem to notice it pretty well.

Your best chance would just to be on Tumblr and wrack up Black Pagan friends that way. I would recommend following idanceitarotiart, who is pretty nice, and go from there. Also, check out the sigil tag on Tumblr, it’s really nice and you’ll learn lots of new stuff.

And that’s all the Ask Black Witch for not only this month but this year! W00t!

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Don’t Watch the Throne

Filed under: Pagan Life — 2 Comments
August 16, 2013

So, I was perusing the Black Witch Tumblr (as I frequently do) and up came a couple discussions that provoked a memory from when I was 17.

When I was a wee young lass (ok, this was, like, 9 years ago) I wound up unknowingly summoning a Throne when I was in my room practicing a song for choir. It was blue (as all ethereal beings look like to me because it’s already hard enough to see them, ha) and a fairly big thing that looked like a wheel with an eye in the middle…and coming towards me. I was pretty scared since I sensed a lot of energy coming off it and had no clue what it was and it was coming towards me in a quick fashion in my bedroom. It disappeared (or I got rid of it, I don’t remember but I do remember a forceful energy) before it got to me but not before I nearly fell over my scattered clothes in my junky room. It was there for roughly half a minute but the memory stuck with me for far longer.

I was singing “When Ezekiel Saw The Wheel” and when I was visited by the faint blue entity but had no clue what the relation was for the longest time until I had gotten deeper into my metaphysical studies.  I had learned that it wasn’t a random visit nor anything my imagination could cook up but I mistakenly attracted it. It turns out the song was about seeing a Throne:

“Ezekiel saw the wheel
Way up in the middle of the air
Ezekiel saw the wheel
Way up in the middle of the air
And the little wheel run by faith
And the big wheel run by the grace of God
A wheel in a wheel
Way up in the middle of the air”

Yah, I thought it was about the sun and its rays.

I had never heard of a Throne when I was that age but I really did like the song and thus sang it often and with heart. Putting all that energy in the song and singing it so frequently probably is what mistakenly brought the Throne I saw. Oh, and I’m sure it didn’t help that I’m in an area that’s surrounded by old churches, an old synagogue (that was bought by the Freemasons) and the Freemasons main building is roughly a street away.

For those who are probably going, “What…is a Throne? You’re not talking highly bedazzled chairs, are you?” don’t feel bad, it’s not common knowledge. A Throne is an angel. A high ranking angel as that. Google search the image of “Throne – angel” and you’ll see that angels are not exactly “people with wings”. The “people with wings” concept is from European artists for people to better connect with the imagery… and not frighten them. The Throne I saw is an Ophanim, which is a high ranking Merkabah angel that guards the throne of Glory. They’re mentioned a lot in The Encyclopedia of Angels (Rosemary Guiley). I highly recommend reading the book.

So, that was a “Wow” experience I kinda never wanna have again. Only thing that surprises me is that I could summon such an entity at a young and magickally inexperienced age.

See you next week for The Arts!

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Dead!

Filed under: Spells & Potions — 1 Comment
November 2, 2012

Alright, all the Samhain Pickers have been read for and the Ustream chat went fairly well despite me derping on camera a lot (I need to learn better public speaking skills). The musical acts I did mention since someone asked for a list:

– Straight Line Stitch

– Femi/Dri Fish

– Blindside

– Polysics

– Janelle Monae

– Saul Williams

– Lupe Fiasco

– Big Bang

– 2ne1

– 4minute

– Psy

– Nikki Lynette

– Gackt

I mentioned a lot! Which is great because it gives me a new starter master list for The Arts! features. And businesses I’ve mentioned

-RA Sushi

-XS

-Boullibase Café

-Yolly Molly

-Rams Head Live (music)

-Soundstage (music)

Onward with the column for this week!

I’ve been reading this book as of recent, The Witches’ Book of the Dead by Christian Day. I’ve got to admit, it’s really good and I would highly recommend it. It’s great as an introductory book into death magick/necromantic magick. If anyone wants to learn about how to work with the dead, this is the book for you. No, it won’t have you killing animals or people – I would have put this book back on the shelf if so, I’m quite against that stuff and so is the author apparently – but some of the rituals, it will require blood work. Don’t freak, I’ll touch on that a little later.

This book is so well written! I normally am not interested in death magick of any sort and I was way too spooked to when I was younger but I’ve just thought this would be an interesting topic now that I’m older and boy, is this book great! Again, I recommend it to anyone who is interested! It covers everything such as rituals to commune with the dead, working with spirits, ghost hunting, Ouija boards (finally a good book on that), so on and so forth.

What I am so keen on is how Day reflects upon and interprets skulls. I usually would never use skulls in my works because I am a little superstitious about skulls inviting death, misfortune and illness into the one who wears it and dotes on it aplenty. Day goes in an enlightening way about skulls and the different types and purposes in magic of skulls. Of course I know that skulls are very powerful, death is natural, and bone is a pretty strong material, magickally. I just grew up with reservations about skulls and that stuck with me, especially growing up in a violent area and thus not wanting something that could attract more problems. Day’s entry though made me see skulls in a different way that is pretty positive and to the point that I don’t mind introducing at least skull candles into my own works when appropriate. I don’t think I’ll get up to human bone because it simply isn’t my thing but I think skull candles are fine enough since I usually use candles in my works anyways.

The author is very balanced ethics-wise, always a big thing to me. Even with hexing, Day takes a very fair approach about it such as mentioning that hexing in the past was not always bad, it’s was usually used as a form of justified retribution but if you’re doing nothing but hexing and jinxing, you might have problems that only a therapist could solve. I couldn’t agree more. There is no savage killing or maiming in this book, a point I feel needs to be mentioned a ton of times, trust on that. Besides the teeny weeny blood work from the practitioner done and skulls that (aren’t a must) can be bought from BoneRoom.com, there’s absolutely nothing human derived. Hey, even the skull can be made from crystal instead of a legit human skull.

Alright, as I mentioned at the start, there is some blood magick involved. Nothing that could paint the walls and put you into shock, you’ll be pricking your finger with a medical lancelet and it’ll just be you who gives up the blood, no one else.* If that squicks you out, don’t worry, there’s other rituals in this book to do without bloodletting of any sort. Me, personally, I’m not against blood work in magick as long as it is done smartly (e.g., not draining your body of blood, not killing/maiming other living things). Blood is a pretty strong force in magick – I mean, it is a life force in and of itself – and is perfectly natural to use. However! I am gonna put on the responsible columnist hat and say if you’re a teenager or younger, I would say hold off until you get older. This is to keep your parents from freaking out, me getting justified hate mail from freaked out parents and you guys from doing something that you may not fully understand the impact of until you get older. Understand it first, you’re not trying to recreate a scene from The Craft.

The mention of the Ouija board is great! I usually tell everyone to beware of them – not because they’re bad but because you could be inviting some serious astral nasties to come bother you – but Day’s section on them is fantastic! It goes into the history behind them, the mainstream mania that involves them, how to use them well and what do to if things go wrong. It’s simply well written and makes the Ouija board look like a normal tool in opposed to some thing of mystery and foolishness.

When it comes to working with death magick, it is important to remember that it’s not the insta-answer if you want to bring back someone from the dead. It is very sad and depressing to say but you can’t bring anyone back from the dead. Although I am a firm believer that anything can happen in magick, when it comes to the dead, I think it’s better to keep them there and to commemorate their spirit instead. I mean, think about it, even if you did bring back a loved one, you guys wouldn’t simply pick up where you left off. Oh no. First there would be the body; either it would need a serious ritual that is way advanced for practically anyone to get the body to a successful living state or something to replace that if the person was turned to ashes. Then there’s fact someone is about to experience being dragged back into the land of the living, where there’s suffering, poverty, corruption, injustice, the restriction of a physical shell, stuff like that. The person may not appreciate being alive again if the afterlife was better. And it’s not like there’s anyone really that they could talk to about the experience and the experience would most likely leave them changed any ol’ ways, definitely not just resuming life as they just left it. It simply would be better to honor and work with their spirit now that they moved on. I understand the desire to want to bring back a loved one but trust, it’s better to work with their spirit.

I think it’s fantastic to work with spirit because your ancestors and other spirits are usually willing to help you out in some way or another. They’ll always be there for you and the spirit world is quite boundless. This is not to replace god worship necessarily but amplify working with those who have passed on and, in turn, are part of the collective knowledge of the universe – the Death Current, as Day calls it.

So if you want to get into working with the dead, this book is an absolute must. There’s no chattering about like a goth that’s trying too hard to be scary, the writing is refreshing, and it has a sense of humor and realism that occasionally is absent from magick books. The Witches’ Book of the Dead is a fantastic introductory book to get someone comfortable with working with the dead and with full immersion at that.

Welp, that’s all the Black Witch for this week! I hope you liked the Ustream chat, it was very enjoyable. All the winners of Samhain Pickers should have their readings by now and if you don’t, contact me immediately.

*At all. Just you. No killing. No maiming. Simply doing the same act diabetics do just to check their blood sugar. Just want to make that crystal clear.

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Ask Black Witch

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October 26, 2012

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

– Alice O.

– Taryn M.

– Erika B.

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

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

– IceBiFire

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

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

What is Paganism

God Checker

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hi,

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

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

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

Thanks,

Khadijah

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

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

Can you make me a mermaid?

– Vanessa

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

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

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

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

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

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