Magical Community
This page lists articles I have written on witchcraft, paganism, and spirituality. Some articles are listed under multiple headings.
These articles are on topics related to our communities and interpersonal issues, whether we are talking about tiny covens, giant festivals, public rituals, online groups, or interactions between individuals.
Accountability Culture, Personal Responsibility, and Our Communities
I am a very strong proponent of Accountability Culture. Accountability is key to personal and community growth, healing and reconciliation, and achieving peaceful intersectional inclusion. Accountability Culture is to Cancel Culture, what Call-In Culture is to Call-Out Culture, in that it holds people responsible for their words and actions, while also providing the opportunity for growth, change, and reconciliation before bringing down the hammer of ultimate judgement and banishment on those who refuse to be accountable. Read More
Touching in Ritual
When is it OK to touch another person in ritual? The answer is the same as at any other time: unless it is an emergency, only with consent. Not everyone is comfortable being touched, under any circumstances. Read More
Public Ritual Should Never be Exclusionary . . .
If you are involved in running an event that includes presentations and rituals given by a variety of people, watch out for anyone who seeks exclusivity. Read More
Why and How to Use Gender Neutral Language
When hurtful and exclusionary words come from authorities in pagan, pword, and magical circles, that diminishes our communities and supports an unwelcoming atmosphere for marginalized people. It can be hard to know how to avoid such harm, so here are some tips on why, when, and how to use gender neutral language. Read More
Including Queer and Genderqueer Fertility
Ostara through Beltane in pagan circles tends to include a deluge of fertility themes. This time of year also usually includes a dominating emphasis on male-female sexual pairing, especially cis binary sexual pairing, yet they are far from the only kind of pairing or fertility that exists. Read More
Closed Traditions, Cultural Appropriation, and Race
“Closed” traditions, cultural appropriation, race, ethnicity, and how those issues all play into each other, is an incredibly complex topic. Read More
The Magic of Unfriending, Blocking, and Banning on Social Media
Curating, unfriending, blocking, and banning in online spaces creates peace and has magical application for both social justice and personal wellbeing. Read More
Words Have Power – We Need Acceptance Instead of Tolerance
It is common to see acceptance and tolerance treated as synonyms, but this creates a false equivalency that distorts the core meanings of both words. Read More
Seeking Balance During Extremes
COVID-19 has dealt the entire world an unbalancing upset. Even in cases where this pandemic doesn’t strike to the very hearts of our daily lives, we are still seeing dramatic effects on our lives and the lives of those we care about. Here are some suggestions to help you find your balance. Read More
Why to Appreciate, and How to Be a Good Teacher
It is important to recognize that teaching is a separate skill from the subject being taught, and skill at teaching is necessary to be a good teacher. Read More
Words Have Power – Why “Baby Witch” is Problematic
“Baby Witch” is a very problematic term when it is not self-applied. Calling someone a “baby” infantilizes, degrades, and harasses in most situations. Read More
Beyond Magical Names – Many Names for Many Reasons
Names, even magical names, are mutable and can change over time as we and our circumstances change, so most people have multiple names they use every day. Most of those names have deeper meaning than the specific letters spelled out on our birth certificates or driver’s licenses. Read More
Toxic Forgiveness and Warring Definitions of Forgiveness
Instead of promoting healing, toxic forgiveness usually gives perpetrators a free pass on bad behavior and allows toxic or abusive situations to continue. Read More
Why “Haters Mean I am Doing Something Right” Is Wrong
I think it is safe to say that everyone has at some point seen someone declare, “Haters mean I am doing something right!” In person it is usually stated with a puffed-up chest and a proud, egotistical smile. Online it is usually written in response to criticism, or pandered to followers and friends who are likely to shower the statement with enthusiastic approval. This is a concept which is applied by people in any area of interest, and paganism and witchcraft are not exceptions. The problem is, this is an ego-driven false equivalency. Sure, haters do not inherently mean you are doing something wrong, but they also do not inherently mean you are doing something right. Read More
Practicing Loving Honesty Instead of Brutal Honesty
I have mentioned repeatedly in various articles that it is important to be completely honest with yourself, especially when engaging with shadow work. I also usually include a few words about how critical it is to be compassionate and non-judgmental in your honesty, but what exactly does that mean? How do you avoid being hyper-critical or beating yourself up when you are honest with yourself about things you do not like? It is far easier said than done, but I believe that process works best with loving honesty instead of brutal honesty. Read More
Deluding Yourself Feels Amazingly Good
Deluding yourself, lying to yourself, might seem bad, but it can feel amazingly good. It allows us to have hope and feel good about bad situations, helps to cushion the psyche against ongoing trauma and abuse, and helps us keep equilibrium in difficult situations. Read More
Living a Life Free From Regrets
As far back as I can remember into my childhood, I wanted to live a life free from regrets. Now that I am in my 40’s I have a rather large number of them, but I also do not feel like I let myself down. When I said “free from regrets”, what I really meant was “wouldn’t go back to change it if I could.” Accumulating regrets is a natural part of living, and although I do regret how things turned out now and again, I respect and understand all my choices that led up to those things. I can’t think of a single one where I look back and genuinely wish I had made another choice. Read More…
Ethical Love Magic
Most love magic is ethical, but the unethical kinds of love magic are so flashy and sensational that unethical love magic is usually the first, and often the only kind of love magic to come to mind when the subject is mentioned. What makes love magic ethical or unethical usually boils down to matters of consent. Read More
9 Energy Healing Tips and Tricks
These energy healing tips and tricks are for both healers and recipients, in or out of a professional setting. Some tips will hopefully make it easier to find a good match between healer and recipient, and easier to find a supportive setting in which to do the healing. Other tips are aimed at helping to navigate uncomfortable issues when they arise, helping to ensure the needs of the recipient are met, helping to avoid unintended energetic harm to yourself and others, and more. Read More