Althaea Sebastiani's Blog, page 2

Cleansing & Purification, pt 4:

20 Simple yet Effective Cleansing & Purification Techniques This marks the fourth and final post in a series on Cleansing & Purification. This series has taken a surprisingly in-depth look at these two subjects specifically within the context of witchcraft and how they are relevant to witches. The first post in this series was What is Ritual Pollution? Understanding Miasma and Ritual Purity, looking at those activities in witchcraft that can cause the need for cleansing or purificatory...

Cleansing & Purification, pt 3: What's the Difference?

This is the third post in a series on Cleansing & Purification. As this series has unfolded, we’ve taken a detailed look at what ritual pollution and miasma are, the value of ritual purity, and the effect that ritual pollution has on a witch’s practice. We also discussed what activities are specifically miasmic to a witch and how to recognize the signs and symptoms of miasma. In this post, we’ll look at the subtle differences that exist between cleansing and purification techniques, elucidati...

Cleansing & Purification, pt 2: Signs & Symptoms of Ritual Pollution

This is the second post in a series on Cleansing & Purification. This series aims to elucidate the concept of ritual purity and ritual pollution (aka miasma) specifically within the context of witchcraft. The first post in this series What is Ritual Pollution? discussed the various causes of miasma, as well as those activities common within witchcraft that naturally cause miasma. This, the second post in this series, focuses on identifying ritual pollution in yourself so that you can ta...

Cleansing & Purification, pt 1: What is Ritual Pollution?

Understanding Miasma, Ritual Pollution, & Ritual Purity This is the first post in a series looking at Cleansing & Purification. Throughout this series, we’ll be exploring the concept of ritual pollution, how to recognize ritual pollution and miasma, the similarities and differences between cleansing and purification, and wrap it up with simple and practical -yet highly effective- means of remedying miasma and achieving ritual purity. In this first post, we’ll take an in-depth look at wh...

When the Words Aren’t There…

There are times when something that is such a normal part of your life becomes distant. It’s still there, only the edges have become hazy and there’s an air of memory to it, like something half-forgotten yet would almost be tangible if you could only wrap your fingers about it and draw it closer. But like smoke, it remains unattainable and subject to the faintest of breezes… Grasping fingers slide through the air and come back wanting.

We’re not supposed to talk about the fallow times -t...

Approaching the Gods

This post is part of a sporadic series on Working with Spirits. The first post in this series was Making Friends with the Genius Loci, providing an introduction to the nature and variety of spirits and how to begin forming a relationship with the spirits of the land. The second post, Death Midwifery, explored what the work of a Death Midwife entails and some of my personal experience in this role. The third and previous post was Acknowledging the Spirits in your Home. It looked at the p...

How to Use Any Object for Witchcraft

This article is part of an ongoing series on Building Competency in Witchcraft. This series aims to prepare you to do advanced witchcraft by filling the beginner-become-adept void of information. The first post was Crafting Your Spiritual Calendar, which focused on the importance of consistent practice and provided examples and guidance in creating a regular spiritual practice. The second post was Mastering the Basics of Witchcraft, which provided a working definition of witchcraft and...

Intention is NOT Enough

This article is part of a sporadic series on Building Competency in Witchcraft that aims to bridge the gap between beginner and intermediate information to better prepare you to do advanced witchcraft. The aim of this series is to also encourage you to consider why you do the things you do, and why you do them the way you do them, in order to develop clarity of thought and action -all of this to help you be as effective with your witchcraft as possible. The first post in this series, Creating...

Mastering the Basics of Witchcraft

This post is part of a sporadic series on Building Competency in Witchcraft. The search for advanced witchcraft and advanced magick is common throughout the witchcraft community. Yet, much of what qualifies as advanced work is only possible after the cultivation and mastery of basic witchcraft skills -the advanced work comes about as a culmination of skills and the experience gained through cultivating and honing those foundational skills. The previous post in this series, Creating Your...

Why You Need to Know More than one Divination Technique

Divination is a means of analyzing a situation in order to gain clarity and insight through random variables. With some forms of divination, such as using cards, throwing bones, or scattering herbs upon water, those random variables come together to present a sort of snapshot of the currents of energy surrounding the focus of the reading. But with all divination methods, those random variables serve as a means for us to engage our psychic senses, either by intuiting the messages and ins...