Magical Principles & Cosmology
This page lists articles I have written on witchcraft, paganism, and spirituality. Some articles are listed under multiple headings.
Here you will find articles relating to foundational magical principles and techniques like energy work, meditation, the elements, and musings about the nature of the universe.
Scientifically Minded Witchcraft
Practicing scientifically minded witchcraft means acknowledging the validity and veracity of both science and magic. Despite the superficial contradictions involved in that statement, science and magic are not mutually exclusive, and I don’t need to appeal to quantum theory to make that assertion. Read More
Many Ways to Perceive Energy
How do you perceive energies? Do you predominantly filter those perceptions through one physical sense, or multiple senses? How strongly do you perceive information that defies interpretation through physical senses? Read More
Not All Meditations Are Created Equal
I have frequently seen people state that they hate meditation and it doesn’t work for them, and then proudly declare that they are proficient in some sort of shielding, grounding, centering practice. Different meditation techniques are designed for different goals, and work differently for different kinds of people. Read More
Interconnected Elements (Fire, Water, Earth, & Air)
The elements are worlds away from isolated energetic bastions of oppositional power. No matter how “pure” the conjuring or elemental, it contains a seed of every other element. The elements are interdependent and interconnected in a balanced matrix, incapable of existing without each other. Read More
Elemental Spirit and Animism
Spirit is hard to define, since it is intangible and subject to personal experience and cosmological views. My animistic perspective leads me to define the element of Spirit as the intangible spark which is each individual soul or consciousness, found in everything and everywhere. Read More
Contemplations of the Void
When I talk about the Void, I am talking about a place of unreality which is pure undetermined potential, the origin and ending of the entire universe. Read More
Nonbinary Perspective on Gendered Divinity
Having a nonbinary perspective is for anyone, of any gender identity. It is about framing your view of life, the universe, and everything, to include nonbinary ways of being. You can view the world from a nonbinary perspective, regardless of whether your personal gender is binary or nonbinary. Read More
(Not So) Arbitrary Symbolic Correspondences
There are a lot of symbolic associations in pagan and magical practice which are often taken for granted. One such association is directions and elements. Another is gender and elements. I mention these two in particular because they don’t make sense to a lot of modern practitioners, myself included. Read More
Magic is Will vs Will
All of energy manipulation and metaphysical manifestation is will vs will. When you don’t see results from magic that involves the wills of others, give yourself a break. Dust yourself off, and give it another go. Keep it up long enough, and you can bring down a wall with a hammer. Read More
Exploring Animism as a Natural Human Impulse
Animism is a natural human impulse, as odd as that might seem in the context of greater Western culture. If you have ever cussed out an electronic device or a curb you tripped over, thanked your car for making it there in time, or mourned the loss of a beloved item, you engaged with those things in an animistic way. Animism means understanding that everything has a soul, from you and me to every animal, plant, object, and place. It is a cosmological perspective on the nature of reality that is compatible with most cultures, traditions, and paths, and an important feature of the philosophies and cosmologies of a great many religions, both historic and modern. 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
Can Pets Be Familiars, or Are They Fellow Witches?
Familiars are not especially common, even in pagan and witchy circles, although a huge portion of us do have and love our pets. Is every pet a familiar? Definitely not, but that doesn’t negate the very real experiences that people have with animals that are familiars. Read More
Easy Alternatives to White Sage for Smoke Cleansing
There are innumerable easy alternatives to white sage and palo santo. It is not fair to the varied practice of smoke cleansing, or to the huge varieties of reasons for doing it, to place all that weight on one single plant and one single style of working. Read More
Is It Fate, Cause and Effect, Coincidence, or Self-Determination?
How the events of our lives shape reality is a complicated mess of interrelations, cause & effect, random chance, personal choices, & metaphysical impetus. Read More
Ethical Baneful Magic for all Skill and Experience Levels
In order to ethically engage in baneful magic, you need to have a clear understanding of your moral compass, and the why, what, and how of your spellwork. Read More
An Introduction to the Craft of Blessing Magic
Understanding and learning how to effectively use the versatility of blessing magic is worthwhile, especially in difficult and tumutluous times. Read more
The Interplay of Baneful and Blessing Magic
Harm and benefit are not absolute universal values, and the magics we weave can and do often incorporate aspects of both baneful and blessing energies. Read More
25 Forms of Banishing – A Versatile Tool in Witchcraft
Banishing is used across all forms of magic. It is a loss that is welcome or needed, and most deliberate changes involve some kind of loss or banishment. 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
Embodiment – The Magic of Claiming Ownership of Your Body
Claiming unconditional ownership of your own body has profound positive implications for mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, and magical wellbeing. Read More
The Trap of Waiting for Perfection Before Acting
It is easy to fall into the thought trap of needing everything to be perfect before acting, whether that action is magical or mundane. It is certainly true that some things must happen before other things can happen, or it may be best practice to wait for certain circumstances. However, you can never be absolutely certain that everything will go perfectly, so if you wait until perfection is assured, this can easily result in never acting at all. Read More
What Exactly Is the Point of Divination Anyway?
One very common practice in witchcraft, paganism, and most pagan-tangential traditions is divination. It is found worldwide, in every culture, in some form or another, throughout history, and is one of the few fundamentally human activities found anywhere and anywhen. But why do we do it? What exactly do we get out of it? Read More
Moon Water with No Moonlight
It is easiest to make moon water by bathing it in moonlight at night, but that’s not always possible. The energies of the moon are pervasive, if more subtle in the shadows. Moon shadow energy reminds us that even when we can’t see the light, can’t see a way forward, such things still exist and affect us. 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