Time to Cut the Shit: The Rant About Magick, Paganism, the Occult and Witchcraft That No One Else Wants to Have

My first entry in a little while is going to be brutally honest, and I’m not apologizing about it, either. I’m going to cuss, talk a little shit (from a place of love), and hopefully get some gatekeeping assholes to get off their fuckin’ high horse! To be frank, I’m fed up with the toxicity I see in the online Pagan community, and the Pagan community at large. It’s absolutely fucking ridiculous; some of y’all are out here acting less mature than a toddler throwing a temper tantrum! This is a rant about, and to, the Pagan community, the witch community, the occultist community, and the magickal community. It’s time to cut the shit, acknowledge the elephants in their respective rooms, and just be ourselves. Enough is enough. It’s freeing when you stop giving a fuck about others validating your path, your practices, and your belief system(s). In this day and age, with MAGA, it’s time to band together. Our liberty to practice our religion/path/craft could very well be at stake. Let’s cut the shit, and clear the air.

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Enough About Appropriation Already

Gods this word drives me fucking insane! It’s the gatekeeper’s favorite word. So, to the gatekeepers out there, who the fuck are you? What authority do you have to tell someone else how to practice their spiritual and magickal path? Oh yeah, fucking none whatsoever. What. So. Ever. So get off your damn high horse!

To be clear, I don’t advocate for taking an indigenous practice, or those of another culture, and say they’re yours. That’s not right; but to suggest that even learning about it, and even a little dabbling for the curious is this horrible fucking sin? Yeah, get fucked on that. If those folks in their respective communities and cultures didn’t want to share their knowledge, their culture, their beliefs, they wouldn’t publish books on it. Full stop. They wouldn’t teach classes about it; they wouldn’t openly share their path and their gifts, and the wisdom that holds. So I’m really lost as to what the big scare is? Magick, polytheism, and the like have shown overlap in cultures, even borrowing from one another, for eons. Why now is it a big deal?

I get that the white supremacist asswipes or those who are bigoted are the usual targets here, but let’s be honest, how many times has shaming a troll online actually gotten results? Just leave them be, and practice whatever the hell it is you want to. I’ll be honest, I practice New Orleans Hoodoo Voodoo; I have for about 13 years now, even being taught initially by someone from Cajun country. Does that make me an appropriator? Some would say yes, and honestly, I don’t need your no-magick-having-asses to validate what I know is a valid part of my practice. For those with a little more of an open mind, let’s explore this from another perspective: the desire to learn, understand and embrace something different.

It’s often posited that education can eliminate a lot of prejudice, misunderstanding and bigotry; how is learning about Brujeria, Hoodoo, Voodoo, Indigenous Beliefs, or anything else, a bad thing? You could make a new friend who is a bruja, or meet the love of your life that’s a Vodousaint. Granted, that could happen anyway, but having that understanding, shedding the colonial cultural shame put on those folks, is a damn good thing in my eyes. My respect and understanding of what the African-American community has been through due to the colonial powers of Old has increased infinitely; my appreciation of their culture, their customs, and my openness to people of those communities is unwavering. I give a lot of credit to my study and practice of New Orleans Hoodoo Voodoo for that. Those practices are so often maligned in our culture; yet here I am, having been raised in a white christian household fearful of such things, and not only do I appreciate it, but practice it. When did this become a bad thing? Think before you gatekeep. Stay in your lane and live and let live. The people who practice irresponsibly or without respect will reap what they sew.

And for those curious about Orishas, don’t put Yemaya and Oya together on an altar; they’re not on good terms. Asé Ellegua, who has my crown.

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Witchcraft is Political, and it’s rebellious as fuck

Witchcraft in and of itself is an act of rebellion against the patriarchal standards set by society, whether you’re male, female, or anywhere in between. No matter how you identify, the term “witch” carries so many connotations, images and stereotypes. One thing witchcraft has never been was obedient; even in ancient times, witches, sorcerers/sorceresses were feared because of their refusal to participate in what society considered “normal”.

Circe, Medea, the Witch of Endor, Faust, Cyprian, and so many other figures of legend have many things in common, but the one I tend to focus on is their act of rebellion: practicing magick, often in defiance of the established powers of their respective time.

In today’s world, we’re polarized, and right now, in the States, we’re seeing a wannabe dictator in the oval office. Him and his cronies are more than worth cursing; I don’t use the term evil lightly, nor often, but they are the definition of evil. Narcissistic pieces of shit, the whole lot of them. Their day will come, and justice will be served.

Want to know how I know?

Because I’ve cursed the absolute fuck out of them so many times in the last 10 years that I’m surprised they got back to power in 2024 to begin with. My hexes are as varied as the stars in the sky, and I’m a Scorpio Stellium native, so it’s quite literally in my bones to know baneful magicks for when needed.

So, yeah, witchcraft is political; it always has been. They wanna come for us, too. So fucking defend yourselves! Protection magick just isn’t enough for these vile, pathetic excuses for human beings in my opinion. Hitler wasn’t stopped because people played nice, and neither will MAGA. Curse them, Hex them, cross them (please read that in the tone of the old “bop-it” toy commercials).

Am I saying that if you’re Wiccan, or have ethical or moral objections to baneful magick, that you should practice it anyway? No! Don’t do what doesn’t sit right in your soul, but don’t shame others for viewing things differently. It’s okay if your craft, your magick, is an escape from reality, but I often find that a balance between witchcraft as escapism and witchcraft as a political activity seems to keep me pretty well aligned with my truest self. Food for thought, just please stop shaming each other over this! Cut the shit.

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Labeling Our Path, Practice and Belief System

I’m so gods damn tired of labels! Yes, I do put labels to myself-Sorcerer, Occultist, Witch, etc., but those are identifiers; they certainly don’t encompass the whole of my occult, esoteric, and witchy knowledge. Would you believe that I love crystals, minerals and herbs? If you’ve read any of my columns to date, you probably envision me in some temple space writing this. While you’re not entirely wrong, and I do write my pieces in my sacred space, I go beyond labels. I integrate philosophy into my practice; buddhism, taoism, hinduism, even some Kabbalah and different political, spiritual and ethical philosophical lines of thought.

Do I need to explicitly list all of the influences there, as they also inform the backbone of my practice and craft-my ethics? I don’t think so, and I don’t think people care enough to read libraries worth of books to start to understand it, either. I’m not trying to come off as though I’m smarter than anyone, I don’t believe that to be the case. I have a strong desire to constantly learn and that has led to this aspect of my path. In my opinion, witches and magickal folks too often neglect the philosophical end of things, but I think this is of import; again, it’s our ethics, our beliefs and views of the world. That’s what makes witches, occultists, sorcerers and other spiritual or magickal folks unique among each other, despite a shared label. Can’t we just appreciate that, instead of trying to lecture others when we ourselves can (barely) only dictate the path of our lives? Live and let live. Cut the shit.

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Enough Bitching, Let’s Build

I’m hoping that this rant of an article has shown many of you that you’re not alone in some of these feelings. I’m with you. Am I angry while writing this? Hell no! More annoyed, and allowing this to be the platform that I use to stir the proverbial cauldron. Why? Well, I think it needs said. No one else is saying it, and the freedom that paganism once offered many is being restricted by folks who, while probably meaning well, are actually hindering the growth and development on a spiritual level of others. It’s fine if you disagree, but don’t be like the evangelicals and shove it down everyone else’s throat. Humility serves many purposes, and who the hell are you to dictate what other practice, believe, or do on their individual path? So long as they’re not harming others, who cares? Live and let live. Cut the shit.

Where do we go from here?

Well, first and foremost, I want to again state that this rant isn’t directed at anyone in particular, it’s just based on shit I see online, and have experienced personally. I’ll clear the air there again for those who may feel particularly called out; despite being a Scorpio, I’m not as vengeful as the stereotype would lead you to believe.

With that out of the way, I think we need to just learn from each other and stop judging. How many of us left christianity because the people were so “holier than thou” in their attitudes? That’s one of a multitude of reasons I left, and reject, christianity (at least protestant christianity-catholicism is paganism in disguise-hot take!) So why are we treating each other this way?

I’ve seen people completely leave the pagan community because of these behaviors. The petty witch wars, the ego contests, all of it is so superfluous and stupid. Take back your power, stop seeking validation from others, and be the magickal fucking being you know you are! That said, respect others for the magickal beings they are. Namaste-the light in me sees the light in you-is a good sentiment here (see, philosophy sneaking its way into a spiritual conversation).

Let’s start by being nicer to each other, and instead of judging or questioning if they “can” practice whatever it is they do, let’s just accept it. You don’t know how they came to that practice, who may have taught them, or any other details. Frankly, it’s none of your damn business, as much as it isn’t mine. Those willing to share, that’s fine; but interrogating to be somehow politically correct? Nah, let’s stop that right here, right now.

Can’t you see how in some regards, some have cultivated the same atmosphere that caused so many to leave christianity for paganism, witchcraft, the occult, etc.? We’re better than that, so let’s start acting like that. Of course, there are many in the communities I’m referring to who already mind their own, and to you, kudos! In today’s age of social media, it seems impossible for so many to keep their fucking mouths shut if they can’t offer help or advice, and instead want to be some holy power that they aren’t, just as you and I aren’t.

Don’t let these people ruin your magick, and don’t give them power over you. As long as you do what you do with respect to any culture or belief system it came from, and aren’t some bigoted racist practicing Voodoo (believe it or not, it does happen-this is just an example, too), then what’s the harm? I certainly hold the highest respects for the spirits, saints and orishas I’ve come to know in my practice and study of New Orleans Hoodoo Voodoo, and I would hope anyone going on any path that has been stigmatized due to race, culture, or anything else, respects that-regardless of their personal affiliations.

Bitching online about it on social media and shaming trolls doesn’t and won’t ever cause meaningful change. Telling others what they can and can’t do is the exact inverse of what modern Paganism, Witchcraft and Occultism embodies as a practice and belief system (I say that term loosely here-respect and admire the differences!).

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Getting the Evil Eye Off You: Discordian Cyber Magick for Being Your Magickal Self

In this process of claiming back what sets our souls on fire, regardless of what others may say, we need to add some extra layers of shielding & protection. These ritual and magickal considerations will hopefully help you along that path. Unfortunately, those who are true in their path are often misunderstood and maligned, even within their own communities.

This last section is going to serve two purposes:

1. I’m gonna give you a super simple, effective way to get the evil eye off of you (and I’ll explain why I’m doing this later)
2. To serve as a permanent spell on this article (that’s right, I know Cyber Magick) to prevent any haters from getting energy to me. That’s right, this whole time it’s been coming right back to you. Surprise!

Now, we all know about shielding, protection, and the like. The Evil Eye often just gets lumped in there, but in my experience, we accrue the negative energies from online interactions as much as we do interpsonal, physical interactions with others. This often manifests as the evil eye-often rooted in envy, hate, anger, greed and similar emotions. It comes from the eyes-and if you don’t quite get how it works in the virtual world, well, your eyes put the energy on the web and if it’s sent in a specific direction, it manifests as evil eye or a light hex on that person. These magickal considerations and ideas will help keep you shielded in The Matrix that is social media and the interwebs (yes, it does mirror The Matrix in weird ways-a discussion for another time).

Protective Charms

I won’t go over the basics here, but my favorites are:

1. Pentacle/Pentagram-upright or inverted
2. Cimaruta charms
3. Cornicello charms
4. Evil Eye Bead jewelry/charms
5. Witch Knots

Really, any symbol that holds particular power to you is a potent protective charm. Typically, I layer my personal protection with multiple different methods of shielding my energy. We’ll go over some basics next.

Protective Crystals

Again, not going over the basics, but some favorites are:

1. Smoky Quartz
2. Obsidian
3. Snowflake Obsidian
4. Tiger’s Eye
5. Jet & Amber (particularly powerful paired together)

The list could go on forever, but these are my favorites. As much as everyone swears by black tourmaline, I don’t tend to have a good experience with it personally, and usually favor Jet, Smoky Quartz, and others. You can wear them as bracelets, pendants, rings, carry them, the possibilities are endless!

Gettin’ That Stank Ass Energy Off Your Ass-A Ritual to Remove Evil Eye, Negative Attachments, and Spiritual Maladies

This is a quick, simple ritual, with few needed items. I’ll list what you need first, then go over the ritual itself.

1. Procure 5 of the same or similar protective crystals-you can use the list I’ve given, or go to favorites of yours. Who the fuck am I to tell you what to do?
2. One black candle
3. One white candle
4. A stick of your favorite incense

Arrange the stones in the shape of a pentagram-one at each of the five points. Place the black candle on the left hand side, and the white on the right. Light your favorite incense. If you feel the need to cast a circle, do it. Again, who am I to tell you what to do?

Light the candles, starting with the black. Allow the black candle to burn for a moment while you take all that stank ass energy and transfer it to the black candle. Take as long as you need here.

Now, light the white candle, and use your finger, a wand, or even a stick of selenite or whatever comes to your creative mind, and direct that stank ass energy from the black candle to the white candle. Allow the white candle to purify it, and transform it into something of use for you. Personally, I just allow that energy to empower me spiritually even more. The ideas here are endless, so I won’t bore and instead allow you to be creative here.

Let the candles and incense burn out. Leave the stone formation up for a day or so, and then pick one of those stones to carry as an amulet for this purpose. Renew the spell as desired or needed-trust your intuition!

And that’s it. You can add incantations or words of power if you want. Whatever comes to mind is fine-it doesn’t even have to rhyme. True magickal and witchy power is raw, unfiltered and unapologetic as fuck. Let your magick flow, and be you.

As a last note, this ends the spell on this piece. May the haters be deflected and their stank ass energy go back to them tenfold. I’m not always so nice (hehe). For those curious, it works no matter if they read this all the way through or not, because I said so (again-hehe).

 

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Author Bio:

The Modern Merlin is a Polytheist, Pagan, Animist, Witch, Sorcerer, Paranormal Investigator, Amateur Folklorist, Chaos Magician and Occultist. He embarked on his spiritual and magickal journey over 15 years ago. As such, he has extensive knowledge of The Occult, Ceremonial Magick, Chaos Magick, Witchcraft, Sorcery, and both modern and ancient world religions and folklore. He is a practicing Sorcerer, blending ceremonial high magick, chaos magick and witchcraft, as well as plant medicine, poisonous plants and entheogens, shamanic techniques, and mysticism. He believes that magick can be as simple or as complex as one needs it to be, and rejects dogma, instead trusting his intuition, and encourages other magickal and spiritual folks to do the same! He venerates and casts magick with a wide array of spirits and deities, and works with both the Left and Right Hand Paths, having experience in both. He has also studied eastern philosophies such as Taoism, Zen Buddhism, and Hinduism. He is an Astrologer and Tarot reader and actively studies and practices many other forms of divination including Runes, Ogham, Palmistry, Lenormand and Scrying. An animal lover, he sees divinity in nature-the trees, plants, animals and sky.  Also an avid reader, you’re hard pressed to not find him nose deep in a book, most likely on an occult, mystical, religious or magickal subject. He is the Co-Editor of PaganPages.Org and the author of multiple columns for PaganPages.Org. He gives readings and other spiritual services through his Facebook Page, The Modern Merlin, as well other free informational posts for everyone to see! You can reach him on Facebook, or e-mail him at [email protected]