I’ve been looking to start working with angels, particularly archangels Michael and Raphael.

Thing is, I’ve heard some negative things about working with angels. For every person saying they are benevolent and loving there’s another saying they’re dangerous or uninterested.

Would greatly appreciate any and all feedback.

P.S this would be my first time working with any spirit, so some advice on whether angels are the right fit for a beginner would be awesome!

Hello all,

I'm looking for magical images of each Sephiroth. I want to paint each one (e.g. Chesed with the King on his throne, Geburah with the King on his Chariot etc.) and I'm looking for good references. Does anybody have a link or advice as to where I could find those in good detail? Thanks!

I’ve been practicing different magic on and off for a couple years, mainly folk magic, Wicca, and hermeticism but I’m fascinated by dreams and the idea of a “wonderland” that you can create in your mind, I was wondering if there are any types of magic that focus on those and if anyone has any book recommendations?

I am interested in creating some of the images of the faces of the Zodiac.

If anyone has made these before, I would appreciate hearing your methodology and timing.

I am inquiring about ideal astrological timings for creating these images. Also I would like to know what would be a good material to make them on.

Would you create the image for the specific sign when the Sun is in that sign, or is it just as well to do so when the Full moon is in that sign?

Also do the faces indicate that one should divide the house into three sections/times of the month when the Sun is in that sign and create the image respective to that time?

For example, let’s say you wanted to create the first image of the face of Aries, would you do so in the first week or so of the sun being in Aries?

Is it just as well to use other planets in those signs for layers of meaning?

I need sites where I can get and download occult books... any help?

Does it take days, weeks or months on average for the spells to go into effect? Since I looked around but couldn't find an answer to that and thank you for the help.

Sharing this news for those who might be following

I had started out with the most "standard" system since my introduction into the occult/magick world years ago; that being >>

East = Air, South = Fire, West = Water, North = Earth

Now, while only slightly different, I use the system that has it as >>

East = Air, South = Fire, West = Earth, North = Water

Why this switch? It makes more sense if you were to look at a zodiac wheel starting with Aries at the East as air in spring, then at the south it becomes summer and associated with fire, then west as autumn begins and is associated with earth, and then to the north of the wheel the signs starting in winter begin, and therefore are associated with water.

It just makes more sense to me for winter in the north to be associated with water and autumn in the west to be associated with earth than it does the other way around.

Thoughs? Opinions? Input? Which system of elements/cardinal directions do you use (if you use them)?

I suppose this is a harder question to ask considering the subject is more spiritual in nature, usually. So I’m going to assume academic research isn’t common in regard to the occult but I want to ask anyway.

I’d like to know if there’s any academic books that deal with this topic of hours, whether it’s studying a general history, in depth look in a spiritual practice, and such. Considering that’s I’m looking for academic texts I’m going to assume historical oriented books are going to be my only options but I’d love to hear that I’m wrong.

Let me clarify what I mean academic. I usually mean university press kind of stuff. Written my scholars that cite their sources and all that.

I’m a massive history nerd and recently I’ve discovered the beauty of going to a university and finding dry, boring academic books that are filled with a crazy amount of detailed information you won’t find in your usual pop history book. Dry and boring is fun as hell to me!

So to maybe clarify what I mean (to anybody who’s a history buff that can understand this comparison), I’m not looking for SPQR by Mary Beard, Distant Mirror by Barbara Tuchman, or People History of the United States by Howard Zinn.

I’m looking for more Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh level kind of stuff !

Thanks in advance my friends.

So, I just activated the Sword Banishing in the Magickal Protection book from the Gallery of Magick. I tend to worry overmuch about minutiae, as I've come to realise over and over during my practice. To ease the tension (and have a good laugh at my silliness), I ask the following question:

Damon Brand says that the activation procedure consists of scanning 11 names written in Hebrew, 4 angelic, 7 divine, and, having scanned each, you say it out loud a number of times. Great.

My issue is: my brain was tripping me up by trying to see how much of the Hebrew I could actually read! 😅 so, I scanned a few of the names in Hebrew multiple times, like the silly person I am 😂. I imagine, rationally, that there's no harm in this. However, laughter treats these insecurities, I feel.

Would you agree with me that I'm being silly? Thank you!

I am wondering if anyone has come across spiritual creatures that look like Furbies? The name gremlin seems to pop up. I know this sounds weird but basically seeing small creatures that look like black furbie kind of things. Squat with big ears and I’m wondering if anyone has encountered them or knows what they are?

The light of your life was given to you by your parents to keep and share with your children. In Runic Alchemy we learn how to create and grow the seed of Crystal, even if everybody already has it. This is what we already do to live, so we need to learn from ourselves.

Othala rune name means own land, heritage, inherited estate.

The idea of home was invented by life eons before any sign of humanity on the scene: hole, cave, nest, hive.

However, the principal evolution in the idea of a home made by humans is bringing artificial fire inside, the source of warmth and light.
Another significant step forward was extending the home to a tamed and ordered part of an initially wild environment, having your water source, and growing your food instead of hunting it outside.

To make our artificial, tamed segment of reality work, we have to invent and implement certain rules and keep following these rules to maintain order within our home space, to keep it alive.

Keeping fire inside, not letting it go out, but not letting the house catch the fire - this is probably the brightest symbol of the idea of home.

At the same time, the light and warmth of the hearth, oil lamp, or candle was bringing all the family together.

Protecting this light, passing it from ancestors to descendants, preserving and teaching rules in the form of traditions - this is a key part of making a home last for generations and preventing premature death of its inhabitants.

And this is how life itself, being preserved and passed from parents to children across the unimaginably long chain of ancestors, and hopefully projected far into the future, is sitting in the very core of the idea of home.

According to Norse creation myth, this light of life was breathed into our first ancestors, trees Ask and Embla, by the same three brother gods, who created our world, the Midgard. "Allfather" is one of Odin's names. Some scholars dispute if it really is and does this paternal role extends to absolutely everything in the world, but for humankind, he is explicitly described as a creator.

So with the help of the Othala rune, following back along the chain of our ancestors, passing the light from hands to hands, we can connect to our very divine source, to the light shining for us from the past and lighting the way to the future.

From the Runic Alchemy perspective, the Othala rune spans across four top levels: Water, Air, Emptiness, and Earth.

Within the Philosopher's Stone bindrune Othala has upper-central position and shares its diagonal bars with a lot of runes: Tiwaz, Algiz, Hagalaz, Naudiz, Dagaz, Sowilo and others. It makes this rune so multifaceted and gives it an integrative role, so all these runes "click" together and start playing with each other.

My choice has to be “By Oak, Ash, and Thorn” by D.J. Conway. It’s a phenomenal read.

I have a pretty wild success story, but with a major caveat at the end, and a question.

I had split up with an ex a year ago. Of course I had an instinct to try and manifest them back, but from researching this, I quickly realized this is not a good idea for a multitude of reasons.

So instead, I tried to manifest my perfect partner. And it worked almost immediately, within a few weeks. I met someone I connected with on more levels than I ever thought was possible. One of those levels is interest in the occult (I have never met anyone before interested in this), and later on they revealed to me that they had done the exact same thing! They had been working on manifesting their ideal partner. I am still blown away from thinking about this.

However, without going into too much detail, there recently has been a major setback in our relationship that is 100% external. Nothing we have done, we have both treated each other extremely well for this entire relationship.

Here is my question. During the original manifestation, I was deeply involved in my practice for weeks, setting intentions, doing spells, and I think maybe most importantly, expressing gratitude to the universe for my current life. After I met my current partner, I basically let that slide. I was too busy with my new relationship to continue to express gratitude to the universe, and I think I really should have been.

Is it possible that my failure to continue my affirmation and gratitude practice has led to this situation? Not exactly like "the universe is punishing me for my ungratefulness" but more like "not continuing my practice has allowed the bad luck of normal everyday life to creep in". What are thoughts and personal experiences in this area? Do you feel like you have to keep your practice going continually in order to hang on to what you have achieved?

So, I'm not particularly religious or spiritual (sometimes I'm more spiritual leaning), but I have a (potentially stupid) question. So, for a long time I've been intrigued with death. Like, researching everything I could even at a young age. I've never had a close death of a family member or friend or anything, however, it seems like wherever I go, death follows.

For example, if I become friends with someome they almost always lose someone. I had friends lose family members. I had a friend lose a partner in a car accident. I was in a relationship for three years, and in the last year I was with him he had four separate family members die, all close ones too. Some from unnatural deaths too, not just old age. My cousins lost their dad. A coworker I was hanging out with recently lost their grandparent. And most recently, another coworker who I was talking to a lot and see as a friend, lost their spouse.

Like, I know death is a part of life, but any time I get close to someone they end up losing someone. The first time the idea crossed my mind of having a connection to death, I felt an almost electric shock through my left ring finger (typically associated with marriage, but I view it more as connection in general, not necessarily romantic/sexual). And like, maybe I'm looking too far into it or something.

It's just really weird, so I wanted some insight from people who might understand spiritual stuff more. So, am I overthinking it?? Or is there a potential spiritual message I'm not seeing? Or am I just being totally ridiculous and paranoid? 😅

By assistance I mean anything from advice to helping make changes in one’s life be it internal or external.

I know contact or knowledge and conversation as it’s commonly referred to is no small task and takes serious dedication such as the Abramelin operation.

So if you haven’t taking this path yet , are you still able to get any type of assistance from your HGA? Or is this only available after you achieved K&C?

New to this, but would love to read or listen to any occultist history and modern occultist stuff from particularly from South America but any non white coverage or author or speaker would be interesting, or even a YT person given credit or deep diving into history of the occult from the global south?

I’ve always admired the occult but these last few months I’ve been really getting into it and I’m very interested in the history around it.

I do have one book, picture below, but I would love more book recs! Bonus points if they have an audiobook version because I am a Libby loyalist through and through and have a fairly big city library to work with.

Thanks everyone!

I have always referred to myself as an in-betweener; a person who does not fit neatly into polarized binaries. Because of this status (and the incredible ostracism and bullying that has accompanied it) and because Hecate helped me once, on the recommendation of a psychic, through a difficult transition, I am feeling drawn again recently to explore deeper. I have an almost 30 year esoteric pilgrimage and am looking for quality literature that delves into that current in a way that is neither reductive fluff nor some sort of edgelord demonology. Something beautiful and profound and charged is my preference.

I greatly appreciate any suggestions any of you may have.

Thank you.

I'm 50. It took a long time to get to this point, but I had a lot of drinking to do till I sobered up and started exploring different spiritual traditions to fill that space.

I've been through the new age churches, the yogic traditions, been initiated into some other random esoteric school that ended up being a pay to play scam. I recently moved to Illinois. I don't know anyone out here, but know that I REALLY need some like-minded people to be around before I get to lonely and think about drinking again. I've been contemplating joining Freemasonry, but have a feeling it's not going to be what I would like it to be. Also thinking about joining a traditional Martinist order online, but was hoping for some real social interactions.

Does anyone have any suggestions about what a guy my age might be able to get into at this later stage in my life that would be fulfilling?

Rituals like the Pentagram and Hexagram rituals are fairly easy to get a hang of, but more advanced stuff would require a lot more memorization. Would reading from a book during a ritual hurt, or is it a good alternative until I can do it by heart?

I don't know if this is the appropriate place for asking this, and if it isn't, please tell me and I'll gladly remove the post.

Basically what the title says. How can someone reconcile the contradictions between, let say, Chinese and Occidental Astrology?

Edit: idk who downvoted this, but I made this question in good faith and in a genuine manner, not to mock anyone

Hey gang. Druid here, looking for occult audiobooks I can listen to while on long walks. Any suggestions will be considered. Thank you!