![Coast path near Bindon Cliffs The path (Axmouth Footpath 2) spends most of its time along this coast in woodland which has grown up on the jumble of broken land. A mysterious touch is added here by the luxuriant growth of harts-tongue fern and ivy below hazel trees. Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved] © Copyright Derek Harper and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.](https://dowsingfordivinity.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/coast-path-bindon-cliffs.jpg?w=640)
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Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved] © Copyright Derek Harper
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Pagan Wordle 6
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Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved] © Copyright Derek Harper
Wicca
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Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved] © Copyright Derek Harper
Eostre and Easter
Spring Equinox is approaching which means it’s time for the annual debunking of the BS that gets spouted about Eostre. There is only one historical reference to Eostre and it is in Bede’s history of the English church.
Continue readingOccultea 5: Conclusions
Joanna Wiedźma (polish.folk.witch on Instagram) has shared some prompts to get people thinking about online witchcraft community. To participate, use the hashtag #occultea and tag her on Instagram or Threads.
5. Conclusions
• What are some topics of conversation I’d like to see more of in our community?
• What are my community needs?
• Where would I like to be held and supported?
• Where do I feel like I’m not truly being seen by my community?
• How can we help each other in removing the external peer pressure and grow in community?
• How can we, as a community, come together more with constructive criticism without it seeming shady/passive aggressive?
• How can we, as a community, do better when we do receive criticism/feedback?
• Who are some community members that I look up to that are reliable resources and aspirations?
• Add any further thoughts/comments/prompt questions of your own/express further points/offer solutions.
Continue readingOccultea 4: community and hustle
Joanna Wiedźma (polish.folk.witch on Instagram) has shared some prompts to get people thinking about online witchcraft community. To participate, use the hashtag #occultea and tag her on Instagram or Threads.
Topic 4: Capitalising Off Community
• Do I consider online communities as equally valid to in-person communities?
• How have online occult/witchcraft communities impacted me as a person & practitioner?
• What are some of the dangers of the current phenomenon of capitalising off the witchcraft community?
• Have I been personally affected by this, or have I witnessed someone else be affected?
• Should there be paywalled communities and online courses?
• How does one ensure the authenticity of courses/workshops/memberships/etc. as a financial investment?
Continue readingOccultea 3: Imposter Syndrome and FOMO
Joanna Wiedźma (polish.folk.witch on Instagram) has shared some prompts to get people thinking about online witchcraft community.
Topic 3: Imposter Syndrome and FOMO
• When I follow other creators in the community space, does it make me feel genuinely inspired and empowered or does it create feelings of FOMO and being less than?
• If I experience FOMO, has it ever left me feeling vulnerable to be taken advantage of financially, or otherwise?
• An example would be: the “need” to purchase the latest popular product or book to “fit in”?
• When practising my craft, do I find myself comparing what I do to what I’ve been seeing people do online?
• In what ways do I combat imposter syndrome?
• What would my practice look like without the social media influence of other creators?
Continue readingOccultea 2: Influencer Authenticity
Joanna Wiedźma (polish.folk.witch on Instagram) has shared some prompts to get people thinking about online witchcraft community. To participate, use the hashtag #occultea and tag her on Instagram or Threads.
Topic 2: Influencer Authenticity
• Out of what I share on social media, how much of it is staged vs. reality?
• Do I think there is an element of censorship in online spaces?
• How do I decipher what is “appropriate” to share online vs. what to keep privately? Is this based on “social media etiquette” or a personal preference?
• Have I ever encountered or heard of grifters in our community?
• Do I recognize them? What are significant signs of grifters in the community?
• What tools are helpful to decipher misinformation, and how can we as a community prevent widespread misinformation?
• How does a large following impact the perception of the creator?
• Does this immediately make them an “expert”? Or are there other assumptions as to why they may have a large following?
• How does one maintain the balance of authenticity and content creation?
Continue readingOccultea 1: impact on community
Joanna Wiedźma (polish.folk.witch on Instagram) has shared some prompts to get people thinking about online witchcraft community. To participate, use the hashtag #occultea and tag her on Instagram or Threads.
Topic 1: Impact on Community
• What is my personal reasoning/inspiration behind sharing my practice online?
• What am I looking to achieve by participating? Do I seek to educate, learn or connect?
• How do I believe social media, as a whole, has impacted the community?
• How do I think social platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube have each impacted education/sharing information?
• Is consuming witchcraft content becoming a substitute for practice?
Continue readingTide Marks
It’s interesting to look back and reflect on how long I have been a Pagan and a Wiccan. The various milestones along the way could be described as tide marks — welcome ones, as the seasonal round keeps turning and I find I’ve been celebrating the festivals for more than half my life.
Continue readingDiverse Witchy Novels
There are many excellent and entertaining books with diverse LGBTQ+ and Black characters that you could be reading instead of that book, or that other book. Deciding whether to boycott the work of problematic authors is on a case-by-case basis, and depends on how awful they are, or were. In the case of living artists, is buying their work enabling them to continue to be awful? (Almost always yes.) Is their awfulness reflected in their work? But that’s the subject of another post. This is about reading authors who write more inclusive books.
There seems to be a flurry of witchy romance books at the moment, and magical stories in general are definitely having a moment.
Continue readingA historic moment
I am so proud of my friend Linda, who gave the first ever Pagan reflection at the Scottish Parliament today. She did a brilliant job.
Continue reading
Dowsing for Divinity 