I was born into the covenant. I was raised in the covenant. I felt the pull of The Dark in my youth and I turned away like I was supposed to. At 21 I married my eternal companion in the light of the Lord in our most holy temple. At 23 I bore my first child and his father blessed him to be a Godly man. And I felt the call of The Dark. At 25 I was the most righteous version of myself that I could ever hope to be and I wanted to die every day.

At 13 my father gave me a copy of Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett. The Discworld became my haven, my holy text. I read the words of Terry Pratchett and I learned my virtues from Samuel Vimes, Esmeralda Weatherwax, Death, and Susan Sto Helit. The words and teachings of my ecclesiastical leaders sounded right but felt wrong. At 26 I followed the call of The Dark. At 27 I took my companion and my sons and we forfeit our eternity in favor of our freedom.

At 40 I have found my solace in The Summoning Dark.

(Tattoo by Shar at The Garden Electric in SLC, UT)

I’m aiming to start HRT sometime in the coming year. Being nonbinary, I want to move into a more androgynous appearance without becoming too masculinized. I know HRT is generally a crapshoot as to what effects will take shape and how, but I was wondering if anyone has used magic/manifestation to influence your HRT outcomes to be aligned with exactly what you visualized for yourself. If you did, how did you do it? What was the result?

I’m creating a coven. And we’re going to burn patriarchy along the way 🔥

It’s October. Spooky season. And I’ve decided to do what witches should have done all along.

Burn things to the ground. (Metaphorically speaking. Mostly 😂)

Every day, I’m going to write down something patriarchy has told me that I absolutely refuse to accept.

I’ll read it aloud.
And then I’ll burn it.

Because sometimes, the mere act of refusing to live by society’s expectations is rebellion enough.

And sometimes, watching those words turn to ashes is just deeply satisfying.

Today’s offering: “Her biological clock is ticking.”

I’m 30. I’m single. And I’m childfree by choice.

My biological clock can go fk itself. I don’t owe the world a child, and I don’t need to justify what I want my life to look like.

The mere fact that I’m alive, happy, and building a life on my own terms is a middle finger to patriarchy.

But burning things is pretty cool, too 🔥

So, sisters, consider this an invitation.

What has patriarchy told you about yourself that you’re ready to set on fire?

Write it down. Read it aloud. Burn it.

And if you do, tell me about it. I’d love to see what we’re letting go of together.

Let’s turn this into a coven-wide ritual.

#SmashThePatriarchy

I bought a cheap gory mask online and decided to make it into my vision of an ancient forest spirit for Halloween. Currently missing the horns, but this will be paired with a black wig teased and tied with twigs, feathers, leaves, and trinkets. As well as a black lace dress with some gauzy fabric draped around.

I’ll be silently following the kids while they trick-or-treat (kids have some friends coming to ours to beg candy from neighbors).

But I’m really happy with how this has turned out so far. Thoughts?

How do you take decoloniality into account in your own practice? Do you have any advice or perspectives on how a beginner witch could or should approach this? Are there any resources you would recommend?

Hello everyone!

A while ago, I made a post along similar lines, although I may not have articulated my questions particularly well. I am still seeking perspectives, recommendations, and advice on this topic, so I have tried to reformulate my questions to make my intentions and interests clearer. I am here to listen and learn, and I hope we can keep the discussion constructive and respectful.

I am particularly interested in finding books or other resources that explore decolonial and anticolonial perspectives on witchcraft and modern Paganism.

Many of the comments on my previous post(s) have been incredibly helpful and thought-provoking, and I have learned a great deal from reading them.

There does, however, seem to be some confusion about what exactly I am looking for, so I would like to clarify my question. Let me preface this by acknowledging that I wrote the original post rather quickly, and I take full responsibility for the fact that certain aspects of it may have been unclear or poorly phrased. I also want to emphasize that I am still very much in the process of familiarizing myself with witchcraft and everything it entails - which is precisely why I am seeking resources in the first place. Some of you have already provided excellent recommendations, for which I am very grateful. ❤️

This is a difficult subject to articulate, and I am sure I will not manage to express everything perfectly this time either. Nevertheless, I will do my best, and I hope this clarification addresses some of the questions and concerns raised in response to my previous post(s). I still ask for your patience.

There also appears to be some disagreement or confusion regarding what colonialism/decolonialism means and what it encompasses. I am not going to attempt to define colonialism and/or decolonialism as concepts here, as doing justice to such complex historical, political, economic, and cultural phenomena is obviously beyond the scope of a single Reddit post. If these concepts are unfamiliar, however, there is a substantial body of literature that provides a useful starting point for understanding them. What anticolonial and decolonial approaches to witchcraft actually entail, and what they might look like in practice, is precisely what I am trying to explore here; hence I cannot really answer your questions of what exactly I mean by ”decoloniality in witchcraft/paganism”.

As I mentioned, I am still at the very beginning of my exploration of witchcraft. More specifically, I am at the stage of determining whether witchcraft is something I want to practice at all. Before engaging in any practices, I would like to develop an informed understanding of their histories, contexts, and implications.

As a scholar working in the field of decolonial studies, I am particularly conscious of the historical tendency of colonizing societies to appropriate, extract, reinterpret, and commodify the cultural and spiritual practices of colonized and marginalized peoples. My intention in the original post was not to attack modern Wicca, Paganism, witchcraft, or the people who practice them, although some commenters appear to have interpreted my question that way. Rather, I was seeking resources that examine how contemporary witchcraft practices (and their histories) may or may not intersect with colonialism, as well as what practitioners should be aware of if they wish to approach witchcraft from a decolonial or anticolonial perspective.

My interest in this question stems partly from my academic background, but also from the fact that the information I have encountered so far (particularly online) is, unsurprisingly, remarkably contradictory, as I am sure many of you are aware.

For example, some people characterize modern Wicca as essentially Gerald Gardner’s colonial “mix-and-match” project, while others argue that this characterization is historically inaccurate and that Wicca cannot meaningfully be understood in those terms. Some argue that many contemporary practices have problematic colonial histories and therefore require careful investigation on a practice-by-practice basis; others maintain that (a lot of) modern witchcraft as a whole is fundamentally compromised by those histories.

Similarly, I have encountered claims that, in order to incorporate deity work into one’s practice, a person should have ancestral ties to the culture or geographical region from which those deities originate - for example, that working with Greek gods would require Greek ancestry. Others argue that practitioners should restrict themselves to forms of witchcraft associated with their own ancestral lineages or the geographical regions from which their ancestors originated. Still others strongly reject these positions.

The existence of such conflicting claims leaves me with many questions about the relationship between different forms of contemporary witchcraft and colonialism. I am not looking for someone to give me permission to practice one thing or another so that I can absolve myself of responsibility or avoid undertaking the necessary research. Quite the opposite: I am looking for resources that can help me develop a more informed understanding of a broad and complicated subject about which I currently know relatively little. In other words, I am explicitly trying to do that research.

I also want to clarify that I recognize there is probably no historically “pure” practice whose development can be definitively shown never to have intersected with other traditions, cultures, systems of power, migration, exchange, or colonialism in one form or another. Nor am I searching for some supposedly “pure” form of witchcraft that would allow me to perform decoloniality as a shallow and problematic aesthetic. I would also refer back to my previous paragraph regarding my intentions and the nature of my inquiry.

I am quite literally trying to understand both the historical and contemporary realities of practicing witchcraft in relation to colonialism, and to explore how one might practice in as decolonial a manner as reasonably possible - assuming that this is even a meaningful or achievable goal.

For me, that would include, for example, avoiding the appropriation of closed practices; understanding the cultural, religious, and historical origins of practices before adopting them; and avoiding an indiscriminate “mix-and-match” approach in which practices, symbols, or beliefs are removed from their original contexts simply because they are personally appealing or useful (and perspectives on this). I hope this makes the distinction I am trying to draw somewhat clearer.

If I have expressed anything poorly, inaccurately, or ignorantly in either this post or my comments, I would appreciate some patience and understanding. I am explicitly approaching this subject as someone who does not yet know enough about it, which is precisely why I am seeking guidance and resources.

Finally, someone asked what I meant by “semi-academic,” as I mentioned in my original post that I would prefer “semi-academic” resources on this topic, if such resources exist. I recognize that there may not be an extensive body of scholarship addressing this exact question directly. By “semi-academic,” I mean that I am interested not only in peer-reviewed academic literature, but also in historically informed and well-researched books, essays, articles, lectures, conversations, or other resources whose authors engage seriously with questions of colonialism, cultural appropriation, religious history, and contemporary witchcraft. I am primarily seeking sources that go beyond unsupported claims or social media discourse and provide sufficient historical context, evidence, or scholarly grounding for me to evaluate their arguments critically.

If you have read this far and have any relevant information, perspectives, or resources to share, I would be very grateful. ❤️

P.S. I am not looking for, and will disregard, responses along the lines of “cultural appropriation is not real,” “racism against white people is real,” or similar arguments.

All homemade 🥹💚 I have family in/from Mexico but never got to grow up with them

I'm going through several major transitions at once and would love to hear how other witches approach periods like this in their practice.

My dad is had a stroke and a fall that resulted in a subarachnoid haemorrhage - all last month. There's been a lot of worry around his health, and the family situation has been emotionally taxing.

At the same time, I'm preparing to move into my own place in about a month. This is an important step towards independence for me, but my parents tend to get anxious when I'm away (I'd been there for both emergencies and rushed dad to ER on time), and I really want this transition to be as easy on them as possible. I want them to feel safe and reassured, even as I begin building a life of my own. They weren't ok with me moving out even when I announced the decision to them months ago. With dad's health in the picture, there's a lot of guilt I feel myself, compounded by guilting from him. I feel bad for my mother too, she'd have to deal with him more (he's never been a good partner). Staying is not a choice, both parents are not ok with me having my own life, and constantly interrupt my hangouts and social plans.

I'm also navigating challenges at work while healing from an abusive relationship, and starting SSRIs under psychiatric care.

I feel like I'm holding a lot at once: family wellbeing, my own healing, career uncertainty, and the beginning of a new chapter.

I'm going to consult my trusted crystal healer and would prefer to leave specific crystal recommendations to her. But I'd love to hear from this community about the broader spiritual side of navigating such a transition.

What intentions, rituals, spellwork, or practices would you focus on? I'm particularly interested in supporting the parents through this difficult transition, creating a sense of peace and safety around my move, maintaining loving connections across separate households, and reclaiming my own sense of agency without feeling like I'm abandoning them.

I'd love to hear about your experiences, especially if you've navigated a similar tension between family responsibilities and choosing an independent life.

I'll be done with this batch soon and on to other creations for my market inventory. I'll put a couple of pictures of this one in the comments.

I mean, she already had my vote…

Politics. Hope this is okay to post. I’m not a witch per se, I do healing energy work so I like following the sub since I’m against the Patriarchy, too.

Local politician from Kansas City MO posted a hex letter he claims he received in the mail. There’s no way a real witch wrote this, right? They wouldn’t say pox?! First off, the town the coven is allegedly in would give it a KC postmark, not a St. Louis postmark. Second, those are good protection symbols, right? Third, you’d just hex him from home! 😅

Thoughts?!

​

I know that I'm going into a space that wasn't made for me(as a man) but I would really like to know how to get rid of the beauty standard that live inside of me. One of the main reasons was when I was 16 I accidentally made feel insecure about her weight and I wanna make it that I don't do that again. Also I'm doing this so that my future wife and/or daughter doesn't have to be insecure about their beauty when they're around me at least. And I don't know if this is important to the conversation but I'm a black man asking these so if this isn't the space to ask these questions I understand and thank you for at least reading this and hearing me out. I hope you guys all have a beautiful day and I hope you all know your all as gorgeous as the sun is bright

I have had a guardian pretty much my entire adult life, but more recently my guardian has been showing himself to my daughter,
She was a little freaked out at first, but once I explained what she was seeing/experiencing she now wants to find a way to communicate with them!

So I am asking if anyone knows any rituals my daughter and I can do to open up communication with them

There she sat across from me.

A face, angelic, full, and free.

I felt the words I've been aching to say,

burst from me in the rightest way.

Pleading, "Would you take my hand

despite the risk of being damned?"

Will you still choose to kiss me,

Even if they throw us in the fiery sea?

If loving me means eternal damnation,

Would you stay with me despite their condemnation?

I killed Him to be Her and became a sinner,

Now every mouth will whisper something bitter.

She took me gently by my hand,

and pulled me in to understand.

Her eyes took mine and held them tight,

looking for the barest light.

"If loving you means I sin too,

then let me dine and dance with you.

Let damnation come for us,

For every kiss and touch comes electric trust."

Will you still choose to kiss me,

Even if they throw us in the fiery sea?

If loving me means eternal damnation,

Would you stay with me despite their condemnation?

I killed Him to be Her and became a sinner,

Now every mouth will whisper something bitter.

-Emilia Adalia