Pagan/Witchcraft practicing Merfolk? Anyone?

[Mermaid Mhara]

Well hello fellow merfolk! I have done a wide search for the last few hours and came up with...almost nothing! A few posts here and there on other threads but that's about it really...

So there's a Christian Mer thread, and an atheist one as far as I know...and so I'm reaching a fin out to those of similar beliefs to mine! Anyone really who identifies under the labels 'Pagan' or even 'Witch'! or even just those of you who like studying or learning of such things! And so yes...it's a WIDE and broad reach out! As it should be.

So come on in, chat and tell us about your beliefs if you wish! And where they spawn from! :) And pleeeeeease don't come in her under the intention to tell us how sinful we are, or how ridiculous we are for believing in what we do...as the biggest annoyance on the Atheist Mer thread was literally a person stating why Atheists were wrong...or people going on there saying how atheists believe 'nothing'...just don't, it's literally ridiculous and pointless...save your fingers and go onto a topic you can contribute to and be a little brighter of mood in, no one likes a know it all or an arrogant prat. Thaaanks.

So happy posting and I hope I can connect with few like minded Merfolk! :)

[Lorelei]

Here! Although, just as a fair warning, I am not completely Wiccan. I have taken certain ideas from other religions and mixed them into my own way of thinking, although one of my main influences is Wicca. Sadly, my practices have died down a bit in the past few years as a result of stress and mental health, but I'm starting to get better. It is definitely a hard religion to hold, people at school would call me a demon or witch if I ever wore my pentagram (so glad I'm done with high school).

[Mermaid Wesley]

Sortof loosely yes...


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[Mermaid Meara]

I identified as Wiccan in school as I was exploring my spirituality. Now I don't identify as any religion but more as a Starseed spirituality though I still loosely celebrate the Sabbaths.

[Mermaid Mhara]

I don't identify as Wiccan in any shape or form ;) I have very urm...biased opinions on using the term 'Wiccan' and whether usage is correct or not being a snobby Brit from the land of the religions creation! Haha

I'm a bit of a weird witch in all honesty...I don't believe in most spiritual practices such as Psychics, crystal healing (or using crystals in general for a big reason, and I won't get into that now as I don't have much strength for an essay at this time of night!) reiki etc...though I'm completely respectful of those who do believe in such things!

I mostly fit into the 'British Traditional Witchcraft' category as I tend to stay towards the traditional forms of practice recorded through British history of Witches, Wise women etc. I also have a strong Celtic rooting in my path as I live in Wales, on the Isle of Anglesey (The druids Island)

Great to see some replies!

[Mermaid Wesley]

I'm a casual modern witch and a devotee of Ishtar. I have a working relationship with Njord, and some fae stuff twisted in there. It's fuzzy and inconsistent but I'm happy with it.
I also do oracle card readings and stuff.

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[Merman Dan]

Energy vampire who occasionally "almost sees" fairies, feels spirits, and is absolutely recharged by sand, sea, and soil, here. :)

[Mermaid Wesley]

Energy vampire who occasionally "almost sees" fairies, feels spirits, and is absolutely recharged by sand, sea, and soil, here. :)

Ah I can see that. Look at all the reasonable pagany witchy peeps *highfives everyone*


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[PhaylennMurúch]

I'm an eclectic solitary witch and a practicing Druid. Im clairsentient and do energy/ theta healing.


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[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

I consider myself catholic, but my approach to catholicism is a variation of "polymorphous monotheism," where all gods and the like are aspects or actions or appearances of the same God. I pray and meditate, avoid ill-wishing people, and try to look for guidance and signs in nature, people, and other events.

I also have a number of books on Witchcraft and Shamanism, and I collect different tarot card sets, as well as psychic and fairy related books, and I never miss the opportunity to explore or read or learn about different civilizations' mythology. I've been considering practicing witchcraft and rituals, but haven't quite found myself in the point where I go for it yet.

[Echidna]

There is no label that fits me, but I've studied mythologies and religions and came to the conclusion all of them, especially pagan ones, are attempts to understand the incomprehensible, and explain the unexplainable.

Old pagan cults (includes shamanism, original wicca, fairy lore, and whatever was around there in different parts of the world) have concepts that are now beginning to be explored by science (string theory, multiverse, alternate and higher dimensions).

I ascribe to some of the concepts of paganism, but not all of them.
I think it's a given that nature interconnects us all, and the planet is alive.
So if humans go on harming and ultimately killing it, we all will die. (duh)

I also honor the sabbaths (equinoxes, solstices, and other special times), the only spells I'm confident casting happen in MMOs, though xD

[Sherielle]

Echidna, I think like you do about this. I have a belief in a common energy shared by everything.

[Mermaid Kelda]

I'm not a witch but I love reading about paganism and wicca. Vaughan, do you have any examples of or links to websites about the traditional practices you mentioned? I'm curious!

[PearlieMae]

There is no label that fits me, but I've studied mythologies and religions and came to the conclusion all of them, especially pagan ones, are attempts to understand the incomprehensible, and explain the unexplainable.

Old pagan cults (includes shamanism, original wicca, fairy lore, and whatever was around there in different parts of the world) have concepts that are now beginning to be explored by science (string theory, multiverse, alternate and higher dimensions).

I ascribe to some of the concepts of paganism, but not all of them.
I think it's a given that nature interconnects us all, and the planet is alive.
So if humans go on harming and ultimately killing it, we all will die. (duh)

I also honor the sabbaths (equinoxes, solstices, and other special times), the only spells I'm confident casting happen in MMOs, though xD

The only spell I can cast with any success is the one where my wallet gets lighter.

[Adalira]

LOL Pearliemae! :lol:

I am a witch by blood. My great grandmother was a practicing witch. People from her village and around the village came to her for herbs, creams, tinctures etc.
Unfortunatly she wrote none of it down (she was very very poor, not even sure if she could read or write).
She tried to teach my mother her knowledge but my grandmother (so her daughter) did not allow it.
For years i wondered why i was so interested in helping others, healing them the natural way until some years ago ( i think 8 years ago maybe?) my mom told me about my great grandmother.
She even had a round garden...a circle of specfic flowers on the outside and the herbs on the inside (the way witches have their garden)
I have studied natural medicine years ago but the study was mostly about making some sort of a tea and not really in depth how i would have liked to study.
I have also studied Reiki and have Reiki 2 as they call it.
I would not consider myself a wiccan though.
Some great news is that my mom remembers just a few treatments from my greatgrandmother and all of them work amazingly well.
My mom told me today actually that she found a recipe online for a natural penniciline that she is going to make. It will take 2 weeks before it is ready but i can't wait to try it!
For a few years i had a massage practice which i loved to do but when the financial crisis really hit here, the clients (even the regulars) stopped coming.
I had to make a decision then, keep the room empty for massages and hope the clients would come back eventually or use the room for our business with Fairy Me.
I just the last option which was the right choice.
When we move out of this house i may start my practice up again but i don't know yet.
Anyway...got of track there lol, i am like Echidna....no label fits me. I believe in many things.
I also have a sixth sense, or whatever you want to call it, but i choose not to "turn it on" so to speak because it scares the crap out of me at times lol
I would love to get back into natural medicine one day and find a study that really covers it all, even if it takes years.
Each time i see an antique bookstore i cant help myself and go inside...hoping to find a really really old book from a witch with all her recipes in there...so far no luck.

[Mermaid Mhara]

@Mermaid Wesley - Oooh very interesting! I myself work very closely with Fae within my practice :) fuzzy and inconsistent can sometimes be the best way to go about things ;) hehe

@Merman Dan - ah cool! I myself incorporate a lot of my 'Mer' personality into my practice and cleansing by saltwater, and re-energising by taking dips into the sea is one thing that really keeps me alive and kicking lately!

@Echidna - your posts always fascinate me and peak my interests on here! :) and yep, I remember reading a good book not too long ago which discussed the recent scientific developments and 'discoveries' which are basically just proven methods of older practices by Pagans and the old wise women of villages and towns, the 'magic' these people had coming to life once more in the light of modern day science it's really amazing! The quote I loved and will always remember from that book though was "Many concepts now only just being touched upon by science, were beliefs and practices long before. Some may even say that in certain ways Witchcraft is not catching up to science, but rather modern day science is catching up to Witchcraft!"

@Mermaid Kelda - Do you mean British Traditional craft? Or my own path, the celtic-druid-trad mix?? :) I'd be happy to fish out some info for you when I have a bit more time over the weekend!!

Oh Pearlie...how would this forum function without you and your comments ;) hehehe.

@Adalira - Oooh now that's a tale to tell! ;) hehe I myself come from a similar situation, one side of my family are devoted Christians whereas the other side are far from it! My late grandmother was also a practicing 'Witch' so to speak and dealt in the areas of divination (she read tea leaves and worked with a crystal ball), and spell work for those in need, whilst also doing the things most village 'witches' probably would have during their time...she was a midwife, and often helped the elderly in the area even when she was getting old herself! She also had a brilliant knack for knowing everyone's business yet next to no one knew much about her at all!
When I was younger she did teach me about nature, it's importance, how to collect and dry herbs properly, and even how to keep a journal of my thoughts, feelings and ideas! She taught me to respect all life, as not a single thing in this world has a higher importance or higher being than us, nor does anything have a lower importance...everything is equal and everything happens for a reason. I was passed down a few bits and pieces from her when she eventually died and they're my treasured posessions even if they are tattered and old by now!

Once she died though, I did not get into witchcraft as being a child I didn't know that's what she did! It was in my late 13-14 yr old self I started my path. Following in her footsteps but all the while being an individual of my own ideas and knowledge.


Thanks everyone! Such wonderful replies!

[Mermaid Mhara]

I'm not a witch but I love reading about paganism and wicca. Vaughan, do you have any examples of or links to websites about the traditional practices you mentioned? I'm curious!

I got bored and over excited over writing out my reply so I looked into some traditional witchcraft resources for you! :) if you have any questions feel free to ask.

'Traditional Witchcraft' is usually pre-Gardnerian (Pre-wicca) based beliefs as Wicca is a very new 'religion' whereas the craft has been practiced throughout many cultures and traditions worldwide! Trad Craft focuses more on folk tales, and local 'wives tales' if you know what I mean by that? So rather than going for a modern belief system such as Wicca, where all the rules and guidelines are set out for you...BTWitchcraft is more focused on looking into your own country or lands customs, traditions, lore and legends in order to create your own craft.

Here's a list of some books I can recommend! I'm sorry I don't do websites much when it comes to Witchcraft as there's so much SharkShit out there! But if you'd prefer websites to books I'd be happy to look into some!

(This list is Copy+Pasted from a closed Traditional witchcraft Facebook page I am part of)

Books on general Traditional Witchcraft


"A Deed Without a Name: Unearthing the Legacy of Traditional Witchcraft" by Lee Morgan ISBN 1780995490
Cochrane Witchcraft (The Clan of Tubal Cain, Regency etc)
Perhaps the most well-known branch of traditional Witchcraft is the work derived from Robert Cochrane of the Clan of Tubal Cain.


Roebuck in the Thicket by Evan John Jones ISBN: 186163 1553
The Robert Cochrane Letters by Robert Cochrane (Roy Bowers) ISBN: 186163 2215
Sacred mask, Sacred Dance by Evan John Jones & Chas Clifton ISBN: 978-1567183733
Witchcraft: A Tradition Renewed by Evan John Jones & Doreen Valiente ISBN: 978-0919345614
The Star Crossed Serpent: Volume I by Shani Oates and Evan John Jones ISBN: 978-1906958374
The Star Crossed Serpent: Volume 2 by Shani Oates ISBN: 978-1906958381
The Arcane Veil by Shani Oates ISBN: 978-1906958350
The People of Goda by Shani Oates ISBN: 978-1477481004
Tubelos Green Fire by Shani Oates ISBN: 978-1906958077
Light From The Shadows by Gwen (Michael Howard) ISBN: 978-1861630612
This last book is about the Regency, a Cochrane derived coven that has an impressive legacy in its own right.
Genuine Witchcraft is Explained by Shani Oates et al. ISBN: 978-1861633347
The Rollright Ritual by W.G. Gray ISBN 900448 210, Robert Cochrane was involved in this ritual.



George Pickingill & Witchcraft
In the 1960’s a figure named Taliesin (aka W.E. Liddell) published a series of letters in Pentagram, the newsletter of the Witchcraft Research Association decrying Wicca and speaking of an older traditional witchcraft relating to cunning man George Pickingill. This is a collection of his account of this traditional witchcraft.
The Pickingill Craft by W.E. Liddell (Capall Bann) ISBN: 1898307 10 5


Traditional Witchcraft: Folk traditions
A lot of traditional witchcraft is rooted in folk magic and regional folk customs, in cultural expressions including Christian festival markings, and in research and inspiration from the past. From cunning folk to peller there is a rich tradition of pre-Gardnerian Witchrafts (operative) in the folk practices of various regions. These are important sources in synthesising a modern and breathing tradition. Of particular interest is Michael Howards Children of Cain which offers an overview of the history and development of the spectrum of traditional witchcraft.
Cunningfolk and Familiar Spirits by Emma Wilby
Craft of the Untamed: An Inspired Vision of Traditional Witchcraft by Nicholaj de Mattos Frisvold ISBN: 978-1906958398
Operative Witchcraft by Nigel Pennick ISBN: 978-1907614101
A Grimoire for Modern Cunningfolk by Peter Paddon ISBN: 978-0984330218
Ecstasies: Deciphering the Witches' Sabbath by Carlo Ginzburg ISBN: 978-0226296937
Popular Magic: Cunning-folk in English History by Owen Davies ISBN: 978-1847250360
Traditional Witchcraft: A Cornish Book of Ways by Gemma Gary ISBN: 978-0956104342
The Black Toad by Gemma Gary ISBN: 978-0956104380
Hedge-Rider: Witches and the Underworld by Eric De Vries ISBN: 978-0979616877
The Cornish Traditional Year by Simon Reed ISBN: 978-0956104328
Devon Witchcraft and Folk Ways by Sarah Hewett ISBN unknown
In Field And Fen by Nigel Pennick ISBN: 978-1907614064
Children Of Cain: A Study Of Modern Traditional Witches by Michael Howard*
West Country Witches by Michael Howard*
Welsh Witches and Wizards by Michael Howard*
Scottish Witches and Warlocks by Michael Howard*


Nigel Jackson
Though Nigel Jackson draws from several sources, he is a primary source within his own work which is both drawing from common traditions yet also presenting important innovations..
The Call of the Horned Piper by Nigel Jackson ISBN: 978-1898307099
Masks Of Misrule by Nigel Jackson ISBN: 978-1898307679
Pillars of Tubal Cain by Nigel Jackson & Michael Howard ISBN: 978-1861630292


Cultus Sabbati & Sabbatic Witchcraft
In trying to define what sabbatic witchcraft is, I struggled to define it. On one hand it is traditional witchcraft built around the stories of the witches sabbat in medieval accounts, but on the other hand it refers to a body of work deriving from the Cultus Sabbati. A more thorough explanation is given by Sarah Lawless here. The Cutlus Sabbati started a publishing press in the 90’s, Xoanon, and released high quality limited edition grimoires, and they truly are grimoires in a way few other modern books are. Later a sister publishing company was started called Three Hands Press which publishes both limited editions and trade editions opening the work of Cultus Sabbati to a much wider audience.
Opuscula Magica vol 1: Essays on Witchcraft & the Sabbatic Tradition by Andrew Chumbley*
Opuscula Magica vol 2: Essays on Witchcraft and Crooked Path Sorcery by Andrew Chumbley*
The Leaper Between by Andrew Chumbley*
Venecficium: Witchcraft, Magic and The Poisons Path by Daniel A. Schulke*
Azoetia: A Grimoire of the Sabbatic Craft by Andrew Chumbley†
Qutub by Andrew Chumbley†
One: The Grimoire of the Golden Toad by Andrew Chumbley†
Ars Philtron by Daniel A Schulke†
Viridarium Umbris by Daniel A Schulke †


Ophidian Traditional Witchcraft
A school of Witchcraft originally expounded by Bob Clay-Egerton. Also described in Michael Howards Children Of Cain.
Water Witches by Tony Steele (Capall Bann) ISBN: 186163 0492
Rites & Rituals of Traditional Witchcraft by Tony Steele (Capall Bann) ISBN: 186163 1405
Coven of the Scales by Melusine Draco (Ignotus Press) ISBN: 1903768047

[Adalira]

@ Mermaid Vaughan....wow that was so great to read. You actually got to be with your grandmother for a while and have her teach you! How amazing!
And it must be so great to still have things from her that she passed down to you! Wow!
My greatgrandmother was also a midwife! If that is the word for someone who helps deliver babies that is lol.
Your grandmother must have been an amazing woman!
Thank you for sharing that with us.
It gave me a big smile when i read it :)

[PearlieMae]

Most healers were called witches...wicce is the old word (Celtic, maybe?) that means 'wise'. When the spread of certain religions swept through Europe, matriarchal societies were driven out by the patriarchal system of political power...property was passed down through the female side of families and when that started to change and invasive beliefs were being touted, all you had to do was accuse your wife of witchcraft or Satanism, and she would be hauled off and you inherited her land. Remember, political power was with the churches, not kings or politicians, and the spread of the Roman empire was an incredible upheaval. A lot of religions were dismantled, appropriated, or assimilated.

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

Technically, my great grandmother was a strega, and could prevent or remove the Maloik (pronounced Mah-luhk or Malook, spelled variantly Malocchio). It is taken very seriously by my family.

I also really like the following two books, which both gave me interesting ideas, even if you're not a gay man.
Gay Witchcraft: Empowering the Tribe by Christopher Penczak
The Path of the Green Man: Gay Men, Wicca, and Living a Magical Life by Michael Thomas Ford

[PearlieMae]

La Vecchio Via! The Old Way! Stregheria is a fascinating path. Living in New Jersey, you meet many Strega.

All I had too do was tie a red ribbon around an open pair of scissors and hang them on my doorknob, and all my neighbors kept their noses out of my business. No one ever the the horns my way! :lol:

[Mary Marine]

I'm eclectic Wiccan, though I trained with a pretty traditional coven. The high priest received his 3rd degree from Janet Farrar, who was married to Stewart Farrar, who was initiated by Maxine Sanders, who was married to Alex Sanders, who was initiated by Patricia Crowther (or someone in her coven), who was initiated by Gerald Gardner. So if I ever formally join the coven as a 1st I'll have a fancy pedigree!

I'm a pretty lazy witch in that I hardly ever do spells or even full moon rituals, though I do celebrate the sabbats with my coven community. I'm trying to do basic energy exercises more regularly though (my third eye need glasses, no joke).

Magic and rituals aside, my religion is a pretty big part of my life. Except for a handful of family members, I'm lucky enough to live out of the broom closet with my friends, family, and coworkers. As a result anyone who steps into my room can pretty much instantly tell by the altar, pagan books, Llewellyn's calander, egyptian art, and jars of herbs that I am a witch!

[Mermaid Kelda]

I got bored and over excited over writing out my reply so I looked into some traditional witchcraft resources for you! :) if you have any questions feel free to ask.
Thank you Vaughan! What a great haul! I will check out some of those books when I can :)

You say a lot of it is based on the lore of your country, which inspires me to look into the practices of indigenous Australians. While I'm not inclined towards the spiritual side of things, I'd love to know how they used native plants and herbs for healing etc. I do try to stay away from treating non-serious maladies with drugs, especially when there are natural remedies that work, if only because it's often much cheaper! (plus, there's things like anti-bacterial resistance, which I'd rather not contribute to if I don't have to). For example, my mum buys cold sore cream from a herbalist that's just a mixture of essential oils, and it works a treat and her cold sore will be gone the next day. Why pay for store-bought cream when nature has its own remedy? While the use of plants for healing is not specifically tied to witchcraft, I can certainly see some cross-over, and I'd love to look into it more.

[Raayvhen]

Though I do follow a very mainstream "conventional" religion, I frequently use oracle cards and I find so much peace through them.

[Miyu]

I suppose I'm what you would call an eclectic pagan/spiritualist... I'm especially interested in following the Shamanic path, and I am somewhat of a medicine woman/healer myself. I am part Italian myself, so the talk about Malocchio and Strega is fascinating :D Sadly, due to life circumstances, I've let myself put a good deal of my practices to the side.

I use crystals a lot, and energy work, but mainly I work a lot in herbal/natural remedies - I'm fairly knowledgeable for being self-taught, and I'd love to take some formal courses on it someday! I've been a healer since I was a child; all my high school friends would call me up when they were sick and ask me for remedies, LOL! I love helping people feel better with natural solutions; I'm a hit at festivals because I'm a walking medicine cabinet. :lol:

I believe everything is connected and comes from one central source, and also that we can all connect to a collective consciousness (I believe that there are levels to this, and that the first level is ancestral, the second is global, and then levels go from there that we haven't quite established well yet because we have yet to make real, lasting contact with beings from beyond our planet). I ascribe to a lot of Starseed beliefs, though there are quite a few that I have a hard time taking seriously.

I enjoy using oracles, but more to have a sort of "conversation" with "the force"... I understand that attempting to see into the future is a bit futile, as the future changes every second... But I love playing with pendulums, and sort of playing "guessing games" with tarot/oracles/etc. I kind of have this relationship with a lot of the oracle-type things, as well as crystals; they will literally jump off of shelves and racks at me. Store associates have seen it happen, and they just gift the item to me sometimes because I won't even be touching anything at all and well-secured things jump off their display at me. One deck was on a second row (behind the first row) on a shelf, and the lady at the shop was pretty stunned by it as well. I've acquired a pendulum in a similar way. "Oracle" tools and I just seem to have a good time together, I suppose, even if it's only because it helps tap into the "collective consciousness" or "the force" or whatever.

I love to make some pretty extravagant "medicine pouches" for pagan stuffs, I've made some custom ones for folks that I just adore!

Also, I completely believe in aliens. I have my reasons, but I am 1000% positive that they exist, and I'm fairly certain they've visited us ;)

[Adalira]

Wow, that is so awesome!:)

[Mermaid Kelda]

Just a note to anyone who uses tarot cards - look what I found on etsy!
www.etsy.com/au/listing/212866075/undersea-fish-scaled-hand-stamped

[Miyu]

Oooh Kelda, that's pretty! :swoon: I had seen that shop's "Ask The Cards" cases before, but those fish scales are just loverly... As is everything else in their shop, LOL! :drool:

[Seraphina Suds]

I'm pagan, but kind of do my own thing. very low key lol. I used to do spell work when I was younger and it was always a good experience. I'm still interested in it but I don't have the time or energy to dedicate to it.
I've always been solitary except for once when I went to a croning ceremony. That was really interesting. I've thought about joining a local coven but I'm shy and wouldn't really be able to be dedicated.

[Imogen Finnly]

I am a solitary practitioner of the pagan/Wiccian ways. ;)

formerly jayy

[WaterWitch]

I'm a Druid that helps run an eclectic Pagan church with other volunteers. It's a fairly laid back group rather than a formal coven structure, so just about everyone's welcome who wants to worship with us. I practice with them frequently, but haven't done too much on my own lately. I've been meaning to get back to doing more in a solitary sense.

I've always been pretty close with mythological creatures. Growing up I was practically obsessed with dragons, and I practice dragon magick on a regular basis. I've been wanting to learn more about other magickal creatures, especially merfolk, but as I said haven't been doing much in terms of solitary magick.

Perhaps there's some here who have more experience or advice for working with merfolk? I'd love to hear some other opinions!

[Mermaid Neri Elvina]

I have been studying Wicca for a few months now and have always been interested in mythology. I am currently setting up an altar. I have also tried to reach out to Artemis in the past, unsuccessfully.

"the only spells I'm confident casting happen in MMOs, though xD" Same here

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[Imogen Finnly]

Does anybody know of a temple or coven in LA? While i love being a S.P i would enjoy the company of sisters and brothers of the craft as well.

formerly jayy

[PearlieMae]

There are many. What trad do you follow? Do you frequent public rituals? Do you network online? Do you have a favorite shop where you get your supplies? It's one thing to practice solitary, it's another thing to sequester yourself. If you want to join a group, you'll have to do the legwork to find the one for you.

Usually, when you are ready, a coven will find you.

[Mermaid Wesley]

I looked for a coven or group for a looooooong time in LA. I wasn't able to find anything online and then eventually realized i dont work well in groups. I like to do my own thing. But anyways, good luck, I haven't found anything, but i haven't looked lately.

[PhaylennMurúch]

I'm a Druid that helps run an eclectic Pagan church with other volunteers. It's a fairly laid back group rather than a formal coven structure, so just about everyone's welcome who wants to worship with us. I practice with them frequently, but haven't done too much on my own lately. I've been meaning to get back to doing more in a solitary sense.

I've always been pretty close with mythological creatures. Growing up I was practically obsessed with dragons, and I practice dragon magick on a regular basis. I've been wanting to learn more about other magickal creatures, especially merfolk, but as I said haven't been doing much in terms of solitary magick.

Perhaps there's some here who have more experience or advice for working with merfolk? I'd love to hear some other opinions!

another Druid! yay!

[Imogen Finnly]

Pearlie: thanks! Yeah i usually am in noho at the green man for any supplies and what not but for whatever readon it never occured to me to ask for like work shop times and classes which i know they have. 😧 haha i dont know why i havent asked.
Wesley: i saw this website called like witchvox. Or something but i havent tried it yet. I just want to check it out ad absorb knowledge and info. I hope i like it but if not than. At least i networked.

formerly jayy

[Dreadful Mermaids]

Just seen this thread. I converted to wicca at a young age after a falling out of my church (long story) I started with a coven, they tried forcing certain things on me and didn't really have an open belief so I went solitary, been happier ever since. Haven't done any spell work in a while. I'm also a lazy witch. Had my alter set up in my last apartment but not this one because I'm probably not going to be here longer. We are looking for a new place. Any books or material you ladies recommend for witches trying to get back into it? Retouching the roots? ~blessed be~

[PearlieMae]

Witchvox is a great resource! Getting out there is the first step in finding kindred spirits!

Wicca refresher? I like Scott Cunningham's 'Living Wicca'. He's (was) a pragmatic guy who doesn't get all airy fairy on you.

[Imogen Finnly]

I have the books, Wicca fron the inside, a guide for the solitary practitioner, practical solitary magic. And a few others too. Im a slow going witch and book reader when it comes to learning anything lol.
I actually have a forum for witches and other magic practices too! I just learned about witchvox on there today when i was asking about local witches.

formerly jayy

[Azurin Luna]

I'm not really pagan or doing witchcraft, but I do like their believes more then the ones in the churches. I've been doing energy healing and used pendulums and tarot cards. I even had something come true for a friend at the other side of the world, which was kinda scary. But since the last years I haven't done much with it, which is a shame, cause I enjoyed it.
I've been thinking about joining a coven, but the few I found have such strict rules that they already scare me off when I read their webside. I just don't like to be bound by rules.

[Mermaid Muir]

I practice some metaphysical things like crystal meditation. Crystals are so powerful to me and I use them regularly. I may join and eventually start practicing some form of pagan beliefs but I still have a lot to learn.

[Prince Calypso]

OK im late to the party lol
sorry haven't had interent for a few weeks

i was taught witchcraft as a kid and delved into Wicca a bit wasn't my thing
i consider myself a witch by practice

[Siren Lily]

MY PEOPLE!

My mother was raised by lazy not-so-religious catholics, but she dabbled in so many things. Judaism, Christianity, Paganism. Very eclectic woman. When I was ~8, she was explaining religion to me in the car, she told me that I could be whatever I wanted to be. Without even knowing anything about paganism, the first words out of my mouth were "I want to be a witch!" So, I was, and have been ever since.

I am a neo-classic eclectic pagan, but I really do favor the simple word Witch. My mother is more of a hedgewitch, so I tend to use many of their practices. I love many aspects of many religions, though, because I am of the firm belief that they are all reflections of one another - different names for the same things. My ancestry ties me closely with Norse and Celtic gods and practices, but I sort of do my own thing. Often I simply feel like my "deity" is the universe itself, rather in that everything is energetic and everything is tied together. Magic is a beautiful thing. I love candles, crystals, cards, and spellwork. I actually hope to start making magical supplies (bath salts, ointments, perfumes, potions) and listing them in my etsy soon.

Whenever I walk into the ocean, I feel such a connection with the universe, and it's probably some of the most profound magic I've ever felt.

[Dreadful Mermaids]

she told me that I could be whatever I wanted to be. Without even knowing anything about paganism, the first words out of my mouth were "I want to be a witch!" So, I was, and have been ever since.

I've always heard that if you say it at a young age and without hesitation its because it's your true path. Crazy huh?

[Siren Lily]

How interesting! Seems legit! My full chart, too, (I forget what sign in what house, it's been a while) says "they will be religious their whole life, and faithfully follow the religion they were raised with," or something to that effect.

I vastly prefer the pagan community, anyhow. At least I'll stick around for the company.

[JamesGunnels]

been practicing for over a decade!

[Kabuki-Bunny]

First of all, LOVE this thread!!!!
[emoji13] Although it's been a very long time since I've practiced,I still feel very closely connected to the Earth and the Moon. The Wiccan faith was the only system of beliefs that ever really made any sense to me and allowed me to be myself. I felt the healthiest mentally and physically and the most spiritually centered. But then I sort of fell off the broomstick when my life became really complicated and out of control. I stopped practicing and abandoned it completely because there were so many negative things at that point in my life,muddying up my mind and turning me against the things that were actually making me happy!:(

...But maybe one day,I'll brush off those old books and candles and get back to it with my tree huggin' self! [emoji12]


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[Aquatic Raider]

I'm an agnostic Sea-Witch.

When it comes to my personal practice I deal primarily with warding, spirit working, totem speaking and hex-scribing. And before you jump down my throat about using the word 'totem' to describe my relationships with greater plant/animal spirits I encourage reading "Talking about the Elephant" by Lupa.

I got no fancy spiritual heritage. I've made my path through trial and error and what works best with me. Thats about it.

It's awesome hearing about other peoples spiritual paths!

[coral_sybil]

I am a witch

[PhaylennMurúch]

I'm an agnostic Sea-Witch.

When it comes to my personal practice I deal primarily with warding, spirit working, totem speaking and hex-scribing. And before you jump down my throat about using the word 'totem' to describe my relationships with greater plant/animal spirits I encourage reading "Talking about the Elephant" by Lupa.

I got no fancy spiritual heritage. I've made my path through trial and error and what works best with me. Thats about it.

It's awesome hearing about other peoples spiritual paths!


no one is going to jump down your throat for using the term totem.

everyone walks different paths. I started out Wiccan, but a full on Silver RavenWolf Wiccan. But that path stopped ringing true for me after a while, so I branched out and farther back in history for my path

[Kabuki-Bunny]

no one is going to jump down your throat for using the term totem.

everyone walks different paths. I started out Wiccan, but a full on Silver RavenWolf Wiccan. But that path stopped ringing true for me after a while, so I branched out and farther back in history for my path

I started off on Silver RavenWolf as well,pretty early on...but I couldn't help but feel like it was too much of a textbook sort of structure of beliefs;like I wasn't reaching in deep enough to find answers but instead,constantly referring back to a book with a GIGANTIC list of 'dos and don'ts' to follow. I felt like (especially being at that age,and really trying to figure things out,) I just couldn't stick to it and was always messing up because I didn't follow her set of instructions EXACTLY...Ahh...to be young lol


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[PearlieMae]

Pagan author, the late Don Michael Kraig, would always say "QUESTION EVERYTHING"...figure out on your own WHY something is being done a certain way, don't just believe something because someone put it in a book. Author Ed Fitch purposefully put in incorrect information in his Magical Rites from the Crystal Well for the very same reason. If it doesn't ring true for you, examine the reasons why. It could be a clash of traditions, it could be that a different path is what you should seek. DO YOUR RESEARCH!

Silver Ravenwolf has a lot of good info, but she's always seemed a little fluffy for my tastes. But she does sell a lot of books.

The Wiccan Rede makes you think...WILL your actions harm yourself or others? It's easy to follow a religion that has a million rules, you don't have to think. Paganism requires that you consider your deeds.

Paganism is nothing more than the honoring the higher power through Nature. 'Witchcraft' is manipulating energy towards a goal. There is a difference.

[PhaylennMurúch]

oh I was a full on 'never again the burning times' fluff bunny.

then it hit me, Silvers writings read like Christianity. The rules, the adamant pushing of ONE God and ONE Goddess. How ancient Wicca is, not pagan practices but Wicca itself and when I did my own research on Wicca and Gerald I discovered that I did not want to be part of a harem culture disguised as a spiritual path. I know that there are branches of Wicca that disavow Gerald but it's like Lutherans, in the end it's the same religion but with itty bitty differences

[Onyx Jewel Catfish]

Love this thread! thanks for the reading material list! I have always been a healer. All sick critters did well undery care even as s kid the neighbors would bring over the fogs if they fought somrtex torn up pretty bad, and the cat when his ear would abscess. They would let me tend them where they would barely tolerate the touch of the owner when in pain. That was one reason I studied as to be a Veterinarian technician. I deal a lot in herbalism and gem therapy. I do practice in spell craft on occasion. Also I am a believer that if you never ask for what you desire it us much harder to get! Vision boards are a great tool for me. Thanks again!

[SeaGlass Siren]

Thinking of picking up paganism.

Mainly because most of my belief system goes hand in hand with paganism.
(3 fold karma, don't harm others, don't be an asshole in general towards others, questioning everything, respecting nature and honoring a higher power through nature... Mind you I don't believe in a God who rules over everyone and decides the fate of everyone, but I know there should be something.)

I've been doing basic tarot readings since the 9th grade but it's still a little rusty.

Seaglass is actually my pagan name that my friend gave me.
I'm not sure. Can someone "pick up paganism" or call themselves "pagan" because their beliefs are the same? What do you guys think?

[PearlieMae]

You don't really have to 'pick it up' or label yourself Pagan. If you study the aspects and it seems like your path, you follow it. It's really no one else's business what your spiritual leanings are.

[SeaGlass Siren]

that makes sense.

[Mermaid Freyja]

You don't really have to 'pick it up' or label yourself Pagan. If you study the aspects and it seems like your path, you follow it. It's really no one else's business what your spiritual leanings are.

PearlieMae, you hit the nail on the head.

Oh and hi, I'm late to this party too ;)
My personal path is not what I would usually like to even call 'Pagan'. It seems that is a name given to those that follow practices other or older than Christianity, and a name given to us by Christians.
But, I am technically Norse, which is seen as Pagan by mainstream society and I don't really mind it.
Norse has many forms these days, yet some of those have become a little too similar in practice to the Judeo-Christian practices.
'Asatru' is one modern interpretation. I'm not knocking it, its style of organization is just not for me.

The Norse religion is not about temples, 'praying' to the gods and asking for things, forgiveness, or to repent in any way. Nor is it about expecting them to have any power to change things for us. The concept being that they are holding the universe together. They are too busy fighting other forces to deal with our petty BS, so we need to use their stories as inspiration to live a good life, to treat all others with fairness, and to be responsible for our own issues, to care for our village, etc.
If you happen to do something exceptionally amazing, like singlehandedly saving the planet from nuclear war, they might take notice.

For those that die in battle, Odin sends the Valkyries to bring them to Valhalla.
Instead of praying for things to happen, we find inspiration in the gods for strength, insight, and to find the path to happiness.
There were and are rituals of course, that historically were more involved with more earthbound deities, but the names of the gods were often spoken nonetheless.
The Viking tribes throughout Scandinavia had various rituals or what was called a Blot for a good harvest, spring fertility rites, a successful hunt and to ward off illness to name a few. Vikings were farmers and explorers far more often than they were invaders, as media (and the church) has told us for so long...since they tended to sack churches that often held all the gold ;-)
They were closely connected with the earth, weather patterns and the rhythm of nature, which is probably why they were such amazing shipbuilders and explorers that got farther around the world than anyone at the time. Proof continues to surface that Vikings reached North America well before Columbus landed further South, and other Europeans arrived centuries later.

But I digress; many of these earth-related Norse rituals are still practiced today. Iceland recently decided, after 900+ years, to reinstate its Norse religion as a main religion next to Christianity (it's not in its original form, but they practice a newer version that is known as 'Asatruarfelagid', similar to Asatru mentioned above).
They are even building a large temple to the Norse gods that will be more a gathering spot and heritage museum than a typical church. It will host weddings, funerals and such and from the descriptions I've heard so far, it sounds like it will be gorgeous.

"The temple will be circular and will be dug 13 feet down into a hill overlooking the Icelandic capital Reykjavik, with a dome on top to let in the sunlight." - NBC News.com

[Psychiccupid]

Hello! I believe in a subsect of Peganism called "Hellenic Polytheistic Recreationalist" where I believe in the traditional Greek Gods. I know that probably sounds dumb, and childish. But I do believe in them!

[Mermaid Mhara]

Psychiccupid that doesn't sound dumb or childish to me at all! :) not too different from my own tradition as I follow a Welsh based practice believing in Celtic deities and such.


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[Psychiccupid]

Well thank you very much :D Oooh! Celtic dieties! That sounds wonderful. (I love hearing about all religions!)

[Mermaid Mhara]

Hehe no problem :)

Yeah I have very specific deities which I focus on. Here in Wales we have a set of tales known as the mabinogi. The Druids of the island treat this book like their bible, the tales in it speak of Annwn the 'underworld' counterpart of our side of the world, magical horse deities, witches, Wizards, Giants, and all sorts.

We have deities such as Rhiannon, Ceridwen, Llyr etc. Rhiannon is now modernly known as a horse goddess (with ties to epona) Ceridwen a witch goddess, and Llyr is the sea. These are but a few. What's interesting about the mabinogi though is that these figures are never referred to as 'Gods' they are normal people and witches and such.

But yeah that's kinda a small section of my practice any who.


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[Miyu]

I've been delving into creating Spiritual Portraits lately; I hope to someday get a commission for a full Spiritual Painting! Right now I'm working with paper, pen, and coloured pencil.

Wanting to get more into crystal gazing, and still need to put together some sort of personalized "casting set", mermaid-themed of course :) . First, though, my tarot cards are asking for a new bag, because the one I made long ago is more of a purse than a case, and they need something more portable so I can carry them around easier. However, I'm getting the sense more and more that the deck I have now is supposed to be more for my own personal reading than for others, so I have my eye on a couple of other decks to hopefully acquire this year.

[SeaGlass Siren]

I'd love to have one of those for the new home

[PhaylennMurúch]

Psychiccupid, my first and longest running guide is Ares

[Mermaid Strega]

Hello, I'm coming on my 16th year as a practicing Wiccan. :) it's neat to see this thread here. Water is a very spiritual thing for me, and while I'm new to mermaiding in general I've already waxed philosophical about it. (Retreats back to lurking)

[Mer-Crazy]

Whilst I'm not a practicing pegan etc I met a lady who was once. She didn't like my mum and my mum said the woman was casting spells on her so she bought all the stuff to do this like reversal spell or something, basically anything anyone attempted to cast on her would bounce back onto them. It took her ages to find all the ingredients and the day after she found the last one and was going to actually perform the spell that lady's house burnt down (before she did it). Needless to say she decided against it.

My apologises if I sound really ignorant or anything like that.

[PhaylennMurúch]

Whilst I'm not a practicing pegan etc I met a lady who was once. She didn't like my mum and my mum said the woman was casting spells on her so she bought all the stuff to do this like reversal spell or something, basically anything anyone attempted to cast on her would bounce back onto them. It took her ages to find all the ingredients and the day after she found the last one and was going to actually perform the spell that lady's house burnt down (before she did it). Needless to say she decided against it.

My apologises if I sound really ignorant or anything like that.

if the woman really was casting negative spells on your mom (and probably others) then that right there is a prime example of the Threefold Law

[MermaidRuby]

Im a Witch mixed with a little Buddhism. I prefer Worshipping Kwan Yin more than any other goddess.

[Mermaid Jaffa]

When I was in my teens, I could pick the first 3 winners in a horse race. I've always had an interest in tarot cards.

I have had dreams that came true. I dreamt the Ash Wednesday fire and the next day I saw it on tv. It was very creepy. I've only told one person about my dreams and he's now a famous psychic in Sydney. That was years ago though. I don't have dreams like that anymore, maybe its because I stopped listening.

[Echidna]

I used to have such dreams. They were terrifying though.
Also pretty much had spot-on premonitions, and could see through falsehoods immediately.
(Didn't make me a popular person to be around :lol: )

I think these abilities were strongest during my teens though, and gradually subsided the older I became.
I read this also happens to other people (i.e., being strongest during and a short while after puberty).

You just gave me a real cool idea though, Jaffa.
I have tried unsuccessfully to predict the lottery countless times, but that means coming up with 7 numbers and I usually have around 3 spot on, the others usually just one number short, it's a hassle and not really suited for tarot cards.
Horse racing though...with just a few horses participating...must do research!

[Mermaid Rillia]

Wow, I'm wayy late to this party... But hi, practicing eclectic/secular witch here. I'm also and empath and privvy to herbal things. I'm an incense hoarder, and a tea fanatic. I love learning new things about different paths of the craft. Thank you for the reading list, it's quite nifty. I'm coming from a lazy Christian background. My mom never went to church unless it was Easter or Christmas eve. I've always felt pulled to nature and all the gifts she provides us. I recently started actively practicing again after some time due to being way in the broom closet. I'm so stoked that there are fellow mers on here that I have something in common with and can maybe bounce ideas off of. :)

[Mermaid Jaffa]

I used to have such dreams. They were terrifying though.
Also pretty much had spot-on premonitions, and could see through falsehoods immediately.
(Didn't make me a popular person to be around :lol: )

I think these abilities were strongest during my teens though, and gradually subsided the older I became.
I read this also happens to other people (i.e., being strongest during and a short while after puberty).

You just gave me a real cool idea though, Jaffa.
I have tried unsuccessfully to predict the lottery countless times, but that means coming up with 7 numbers and I usually have around 3 spot on, the others usually just one number short, it's a hassle and not really suited for tarot cards.
Horse racing though...with just a few horses participating...must do research!

Yea, one of my Aunties used to get me to pick numbers lotto numbers from a jar for her (she still does whenever I go back for a holiday), she reckons I bring her luck. She's won little bits of money but nothing major. I used to tell her I could only do horses!!

I've been asked many times how I did it. I used to say the colors were brighter, and everyone would look at me strangely.

[Mermaid Mhara]

Managed to get a few lovely books yesterday whilst out and about! A local second hand book shop had a large assortment of witchy books!

Managed to nab Witchcraft Today, a Gerald Gardner book! And witchcraft for tomorrow by Doreen Valiente to add to my Valiente collection so far.
Also picked up a Celtic gods and goddesses one and two books on herbs and plants. Had a fantastic day!

Then last night we also had our monthly moot where we discussed faeries, as it's close to Beltane. As well as Beltane traditions and folklore. Then of course we partied through the night haha. As witches should.


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[Echidna]

^^sounds lovely!
I wish we had a coven of some sort where I live, but so far, I drew a blank.

Germany is a witch-barren country, maybe coz the witch hunt was especially bad here, in a few cities (I've lived in one of them) there was not a single woman left alive when they were done burning.



I've been asked many times how I did it. I used to say the colors were brighter, and everyone would look at me strangely.
I get it!
And I don't think anyone has managed to predict a lottery number combo with cards.
Small change, yes, because it's possible to narrow down on some numbers, but a jackpot? Nah.

[MermaidAine]

Another Pagan Mermaid here! I am pretty eclectic and very Goddess oriented.

[theMerFanc]

Hey thur! I am an eclectic animist druid but I pull from Paganism, Buddhism, Shamanism and a few other things. I was raised Wiccan and grew up in a coven with lots of Witchey families. I am currently a part of my University's Neo-Pagan Alliance. A lot of my spirituality and my path is on my own although I do group rituals with the Club.

[MermaidBrandie]

*is casually and fairly privately heathen*

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[CheshireKat]

:: waves hand casually :: sup. :)

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[Imogen Finnly]

Are there any witches in Santa Monica? Or closer? I would love to pick a brain!

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[Mermaid Wesley]

Where are you based out of?


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[Imogen Finnly]

San Fernando valley.

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[Mermaid Wesley]

Hmmmmmm well we could probably meet up in santa monica sometime! I go to school in LA so im not too far.

[Mermaid Momo]

How in the world did I miss this thread? (Thanks Finnly for bringing it back)
I'm not pagan but I am a witch, mostly a solitary practitioner mostly because I can only find fluffy witches or the ones who read Silver Ravenwolf like she's the one and only true god, then there are also the wiccans who are determined to tell you that you are also wiccan because you're a witch and every single witch is a wiccan, and you're a bad witch if you practice hexes and don't give 2 shits about the rede.

But on another note, I have a witchy blog if anyone wants to check it out :)
http://wildechangeling.tumblr.com (beware, I just posted a photo set of a spell I did and there are boobies)

[theMerFanc]

I think you and I might be the same person.

Momo, we have a nature based spirituality group on NAU campus that welcome all paths. We meet Thursday at 6:30 in the com building. We would love to have you and I promise, we aren't those types. Tbh, no one in the group is not a Silverwolf fan. We hold rituals for the main holidays while school is in session and for full moons when they are close to club day. Each week we discuss a different topic. Last week was ritual writing, this week is BOS making and we do other things like dorm safe practice, divination, and lots of other things :)

I will stop selling now xD. But seriously we do like all the same things and live in the same city. How have we never met...


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[Imogen Finnly]

Hmmmmmm well we could probably meet up in santa monica sometime! I go to school in LA so im not too far.
That sounds good! Just pm me whenever, so we can make a date

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[darksiren]

I am second generation Pagan. Eventually I intend to be clergy, but right now, I'm needing to focus more inward. One thing I love about Paganism, it's so eclectic. I love the general "does it work? Are you connected to the divine? Then do what you do" kind of feeling I get at events. I

[Amapele]

I'm Wiccan. :)

[KaylinSilvermerr]

Also late to the party, but yes.

My specific brand is Kemetic Orthodoxy. If you have questions, ask.
I also honour some of the Indigenous traditions in my local area, mainly Anishinaabe, Innu and Métis people. Part of that is heritage, part of it is from my Bachelor Degree. I keep both practices entirely separate, and Kemetic Orthodoxy is the primary focus.

~Kaylin

[Amapele]

I take a little bit from every culture. ;)

Amapele's Shellphone

[MermaidSasha]

I'm pagan. I don't really identify as Wiccan, or really anything, just pagan xD. I am trying to learn more about traditional witchcraft and I've been given a lot of book recommendations. I believe in fairies and spirits and all that. I'm working my way through countless books and they are helping me learn a lot about myself and what I choose to follow.

I'm learning to read tarot cards and I've realized that I am starting to get better so that made me pretty happy :D

[IllynReaver]

Green witch.

[Mardoll_Star]

I think I'm the first one in the thread to say that I'm Asatruar/Heathen.. I follow the Norse Gods, and am dedicated to Odin.
My mermaid name, Mardoll is one of the aspects of Freyja.
Anyone else here work with Norse deities?

[Mermaid Mia]

Hello. Just found this thread. Its so cool to see so many like minded people!
I grew up with a christian mother (not a church gower, more a god loves everyone type) and an athiest father. My sister sits as a firm agnostic and i am very pagan.
For a long time i did not have a word other than pagan for my beliefs. I identified as a druid for a while snd then I got to join a Wiccan coven in Highschool but we were very loose with that word and open to new practices and new people.
Now i just say pagan again. Mainly i believe that every god exists and they look out for those who believe in them. Which is why when i pray for others i pray to their god. I personally put my faith in the one mother, but believe she more... Set stuff up and left it to us. I am very eclectic and spiritual and empathic, but don't have any real rituals or firm beliefs. I feel we are all connected and call on that energy in different ways, for some its spells, for some its prayers, and for some its their birthday wish. I think nature strengthens this connection and any work I ever do is with water.


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[deepblue]

Resurrecting this thread, there's a lot of good info already here and I see no reason to bury by starting a new one.

An acquaintance of mine online, one of the founders of the Water Witches and Sea Witches groups on FB, wrote this lovely little blog post and I want to share it. She writes a lot of good posts, really, she knows her stuff. She's been a speaker at various events, teaches, etc.

Five Ways You Know You Are A Water Witch (http://www.patheos.com/blogs/waterwitch/2017/06/5-ways-know-water-witch.html)

I had to chuckle when I saw the part about bottles, I'm almost done unpacking at our new place, and I was setting out all my empty bottles and feeling nice and mermaidy about my hoarding of them. lol Two from Ocean Vodka (http://oceanvodka.com/) (one small, one large) because of their shape and color, one from another vodka in a dark blue bottle (I cannot even drink alcohol anymore, allergy but some of the bottles are so cool), a couple little booze bottles, and some from craft stores which have nifty patterns embossed. I plan to retrieve sea water in the large Ocean bottle once I've cleaned off the lettering, and then if we get any rain at all this autumn, I'll collect it in the other. I need to go to the lighthouse nearby and collect soil from there, and maybe water from the tide pools.


And I have a bathtub here, which is awesome, and I cannot wait to take magickal baths. I just feel like I need to get my entire house settled, unpacked, all set for living, before I can indulge in anything past a quick shower. :)

[Neerai]

Here's a pagan mermaid! Someone pagan from Spain?

[MermaidSasha]

Glad to still see this active!

[Merliah]

Right here. Im not specific with the types of paganism and wicca. I study all of it when i can

Mermaid Merliah

[Prince Calypso]

electric Essex witch

[lotusauriel]

Yeeessss! Very pagan for 20 plus years, in land locked STL. Always loved mermaid lore, and have been playing with it actively for about 2 years. I do need to find me some seawater!

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[deepblue]

Did everyone have a lovely new moon? Did anyone do any rites, baths, etc.?

I basically just finished putting my altar shelves together that night, and let it sit idle for one last night before engaging it in work the next night. It's a large bookcase, I use the top for an altar, and put my cards, stones, books and bottles, herbs, oils, etc., on the shelves. My altar center is laid out on netting, I have shells and hag stones, dried sea grass and a little kelp, sea salt, and some coral there. I used to have a ton of black netting above it against the wall, also, but I have plans for the wall before I do that this time.

My coral is one of those things that came to me. I had wanted some for ages, but I didn't want to buy it. As many know, there are a lot of issues with coral harvesting, and one doesn't always know where it came from, and much like using bones- where I don't mind obtaining bones from a creature who died naturally or because of something unavoidable, but I don't want to buy bones from something that was killed for the profit of it, this is just a personal ethos- I don't want to buy coral. But one night at club, a friend of mine from that club and another dance night approached me. She and I had been involved in a fling, and had fun but nothing more, but she was re-evaluating her life I guess, her relationships, etc., and she had been quiet that whole night. Until she approached me, put something in my pocket without a word, just looked me in the eyes and then walked away. I never saw her again. I gave her time to leave, and reached into my pocket to find a piece of red coral that she'd worn often, something that had been very important to her and she never let anyone touch. I still have that piece on my altar. I still miss that gal, but I think she went onto a different life for herself, and I was just part of her old life, and I'm okay with that. I keep the fond memories close.

Oh there is another subject I love to hear about- any of you have mermaidy or watery things that have come to you in these special, unplanned ways?

[Merman Dan]

My coral is one of those things that came to me. I had wanted some for ages, but I didn't want to buy it. As many know, there are a lot of issues with coral harvesting, and one doesn't always know where it came from, and much like using bones- where I don't mind obtaining bones from a creature who died naturally or because of something unavoidable, but I don't want to buy bones from something that was killed for the profit of it, this is just a personal ethos- I don't want to buy coral.

You could always keep living coral fragments in a saltwater aquarium. A tad extreme, I know, but the option is there.

[deepblue]

You could always keep living coral fragments in a saltwater aquarium. A tad extreme, I know, but the option is there.
I do really want to have a small reef tank. It's in my plans for the not too distant future, but coming after some other priorities. :) And a lot of research. I don't want to make any mistakes when lives are in my hands.

[MermaidSaph]

I'm not pagan/wiccan etc. myself, but I've always found it interesting. I'll have to go back through this thread on my laptop and check out some of the links/sources listed here!
However, I am an emotional energy/ elemental+nature energy/sanguinarian vampire. I also work with crystals and meditate when I can.

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[deepblue]

Long post ahead!

Because so many of us here are aligned with water, I'm sharing these links. I realize there might be those here who don't do water magick or focus on watery spirituality, and some who focus entirely on other things, but these are good resources for water focus or if you just want to add more info to your general practice.


http://www.waterwitchcraft.com/


http://witchesofthecraft.com/2012/02/11/the-path-of-the-water-witch/


http://www.waterwitchcraft.com/thewaterwitch//2014/08/water-witchcraft.html?rq=water+witchcraft


http://seawitch.org/




A list of books on water witchery from Annwyn Avalon's site: http://www.waterwitchcraft.com/books/


And there is a much longer, more comprehensive book list on the Sea Witch group, you can find that here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SeaWitches2/ Because you can't see it unless you are a member, I acquired permission from two of the mods to post this here:


A COMPARISON OF SEA WITCHCRAFT & WATER WITCHCRAFT
http://www.waterwitchcraft.com/thewaterwitch//2014/08/water-witchcraft.html?rq=water+witchcraft

SEA WITCH

http://witchesofthecraft.com/2012/02/11/the-path-of-the-water-witch/

http://seawitch.org/

http://www.seacoven.com/?q=node%2F711

http://strawberrymooncoven.blogspot.com/2011/07/sea-witchery.html

http://paganthings.tumblr.com/post/61466269740/sea-witchcraft-sinking

Sea Witchery: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmaMami9cSPhGQRwZIy4PvA

http://ivypaths.blogspot.com/2012/06/life-as-witch-by-sea.html

http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/bookofshadows/a/Water-Folklore-And-Legends.htm

SEA MAGICK

http://www.katiemcbrien.com/sea-magick

http://www.jesterbear.com/Aradia/SeaMagic.html

http://witchesofthecraft.com/2012/02/19/water-magick/

https://witchspells.wordpress.com/2014/03/10/sea-witch-charm-empowerment-chant/ (https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwitchspells.wordpress.com%2F 2014%2F03%2F10%2Fsea-witch-charm-empowerment-chant%2F&h=ATNBYhuR3T-SaS9Q2qL1JguhkXDlhV0N6X2CnoxBfsMOGPkO8Dls82FUizdWA ScJUGQy2k59p28OIvgPNDXAETNPbSB9mriZVWXTrBZbrDtlNZz DzQYx-sFwO50DRhXuHyOKaGC_6vhYcjH-0EylyhsaVzdc&s=1)

https://witchspells.wordpress.com/2014/03/05/ocean-wish-spell/ (https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwitchspells.wordpress.com%2F 2014%2F03%2F05%2Focean-wish-spell%2F&h=ATM29lzPFxFRqqy2g4XZk7OxBvMXUzvqypI9DdQf5glQv_YJ 4jap5SDsL9KxtR7kqeDzKlBnV-dinjra6pfJs4IPQjDcty77Ix-Rth-rW1bXA2i9PpgZMh6iHB8OByxVF8j4INe279IoLZ6rnOKiD4C-RL24&s=1)

https://witchspells.wordpress.com/2014/02/25/sand-dollar-money-spell/ (https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwitchspells.wordpress.com%2F 2014%2F02%2F25%2Fsand-dollar-money-spell%2F&h=ATPi7axnktP97By5o4R_GmSfo1mcdh4lbELqp8YLpbZpD18t su4i0zy7SHsEtOFvn7BpAvMfZ8szXUA8TdH5NfWc-u6ze2JMikAFMkmLUuHXyAUdNq4UcsvcEQCflz8e4yp2l20rD5c 4AakITNsDL-mbo6PS&s=1)

https://witchspells.wordpress.com/2014/01/23/a-sea-witch-psychic-chant/ (https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwitchspells.wordpress.com%2F 2014%2F01%2F23%2Fa-sea-witch-psychic-chant%2F&h=ATMdVhEyY-RQSIVwOJ8QzNoCJgY6yWCcgNC_XuusSa0rLHX2vhBvgrzZcvWm lVkBW4dWl3voSKiiDuNmekHrOvQ78ySUWytJ5wMbmYNAYpwkLw GuTdVbypWjW97hdfTrAHgs9JI6UjxtoN_FcIcUsiqu_xfy&s=1)

DIVINATION & SYMBOLlSM

Sea witch Runes:http://www.faerymagic.net/images/eDownloads/Mermaid%20eBook%20Janarric%20Runes.pdf (https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.faerymagic.net%2Fimages%2 FeDownloads%2FMermaid%2520eBook%2520Janarric%2520R unes.pdf&h=ATOHU25v9mF3ExsSsXj1PeH0iAIYI7RGOF4XYeGMX0Igkwjc-Q7NK9z0pIM-jQL47PrN5ERm9rWRd8aOCIQ5FWihgpSLQouvZozhHWNkkOBDn_ GO4kGoqG1124NK5707876sWyYJqk6a69rD5vsdNSLcz4OH&s=1)

http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/sea-symbols/ (https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aeclectic.net%2Ftarot%2Fc ards%2Fsea-symbols%2F&h=ATOCqHIHrtlyC_yEC-WJ9EC3NlEG9QzrFswijxYVSytQYarHm72g-o9koR-WWwrSrUMCKQWtinskSHZKkdkCSEuu7v16xrtbI4BURtGXuWhv1 y_gs4S9mE9Y-DFMFcYIeiQItzx1psFTQt1NbiZ6bnmlhbY6&s=1)

BOOK LlSTS

http://www.waterwitchcraft.com/books/ (https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterwitchcraft.com%2Fboo ks%2F&h=ATN5-RfstEnMmDjDfVn1SpWJCDSiEmzjQy9RQBUIy4eKh9L7CtlBBp5 6oEL9pg5LVF6690OooAfwyPeYlkmoE8H2CORFV5RZW7dnPm4o6 MdLorm9JIy9qjx9IWmWX4aoeafhAiIYg-bwUAL8t7x3gVv34-YC&s=1)


http://www.lulu.com/us/en/shop/theresa-helton/sea-witch-magick/paperback/product-11493275.html (https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lulu.com%2Fus%2Fen%2Fshop %2Ftheresa-helton%2Fsea-witch-magick%2Fpaperback%2Fproduct-11493275.html&h=ATOFickuZ3jSQeRLADWJ_XspE-JOWYkVeoGZUSevaZ909sGA3Ou68AgDR07O3YTozXWORQ-ey0BbvkEVqV2RkfZy0vfkVnSGF6EI241sd2QnJZvkvywbqgXRU uCgg0ISVOSTDLnCm6IiLXfHBUj__eu4FPcD&s=1)

BOOK REVIEWS
The Way of the Sea Priestess - http://avalonblessings.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-way-of-sea-priestess.html (https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Favalonblessings.blogspot.com% 2F2012%2F08%2Fthe-way-of-sea-priestess.html&h=ATPGeYajkJkTDbS0x2slXMT7yLn29jhrm5rZaNatYpsN3ddF LqdPWA6Hv6BV_wg40YdNfxWzK6kNIY559u5PDgKLHKe5Ch5ck8 dn0j_v1DEExAbYkyqd5NDm6FL5TE6KtczgtknVRChrlXFYefzL-O_N8kE-&s=1)

SEA WITCH MEMBER ON-LINE PRODUCTS
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.792444144140155&type=1

AUTHOR PAGES
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SeaWitches2/files/


There will be things that don't jibe with you, and things that click immediately. For me, the kind of generalizing that says things like, "Water witches project an aura of calm and serenity, like a reflecting pool." does not click. On some days, sure. And there are times when one might be more well compared to a stormy sea, a raging river, or a stagnant pond for that matter. I can understand if it's the ideal, but like most spiritual things, it's all pretty subjective to the personal evolution of the individual.

[Arking]

Hmn I guess if I had a thread I'd fit in more it'd be this one. My dad is Roman Catholic, and my mother is Jewish but due to their differences I wasn't raised much on either so they chose to let more of their cultures influence my spiritual upbringing. I come from a small rural town in Michigan adjacent to where my family settled after moving over from what was then Bohemia. My family has been tree farmers growing forests for as long as I can tell which goes hand in hand with the paternal last name prior to it's simplified americanized version, Hajny. The name translates to gamekeeper or ranger which seems fitting really, but yeah old world farming family with old world rituals and practices.

Any who I wouldn't say I'm organized about any of it, rather I read up on stuff and keep informed on histories and cultures that I find fascinating, doesn't stop me from owning little occult things here and there that I find appealing. I've got whosits and whatsits galore, :/ It's a problem really.

[deepblue]

I'm not organized about my path, either, beyond what works for me. I do much better as a very 'what comes naturally' kind of thing than I do as someone who is following steps, and it's always worked out well for me. Not that I haven't read and learned from books, I certainly have. I'm just more of the wild witch type than the neatly organized kind- and neither is more valid, each way has its purpose in the life of the person engaging in the work. I gather more power standing in the ocean and feeling the tide than I ever have any other way- drawing down the moon is a wonderful thing, but I prefer to draw the tides. There are exceptions of course, but mostly, it's about what comes naturally for me.

Meanwhile, I got to practicing drawing in the tides now that I'm back at the beach. It's not coming as easy as it used to... being away and what was going on with me while I was away have affected that, but the ocean is a great source of power and comfort, and I will find myself in the water again.

[Arking]

Oh I did a drawing in the tides thing when I was pretty young. It was a nice experience very spiritual to do in a small and close group of friends and I recall the rush of it. I don't do group stuff anymore though, mostly just stick to my own thing and let instinct and interest lead me to where I will go next. Living in the city I've found I pulled inward more than ever before and built up a nice little shield for myself as I continue to evolve my interests, talents and knowledge in various craft. I do fondly remember community based activities though, a good memory that comes to mind considering the time of the year was the summer solstice back home, you could see the bonfires on the various hills of the valleys where the wiccans and pagans had gathered to join around the pits to share stories and well wishes. It feels all so distant now, different time, and far different place. I'm getting old.

I have a crystal ball, palmistry posters, tarot, stones, bones, boards, and probably more in my apothecary drawers. Lately my hobbies have been embroidering different altar placement cloths, and digitally restoring old books and posters from the 18th and 19th century on the topics of spirits, psychics, and witchcraft. I'd be a dull person to know for actual organized practice though, I guess I'm always too busy making and never partaking.

[lotusauriel]

Long post ahead!

Because so many of us here are aligned with water, I'm sharing these links. I realize there might be those here who don't do water magick or focus on watery spirituality, and some who focus entirely on other things, but these are good resources for water focus or if you just want to add more info to your general practice.


http://www.waterwitchcraft.com/


http://witchesofthecraft.com/2012/02/11/the-path-of-the-water-witch/


http://www.waterwitchcraft.com/thewaterwitch//2014/08/water-witchcraft.html?rq=water+witchcraft


http://seawitch.org/




A list of books on water witchery from Annwyn Avalon's site: http://www.waterwitchcraft.com/books/


And there is a much longer, more comprehensive book list on the Sea Witch group, you can find that here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SeaWitches2/ Because you can't see it unless you are a member, I acquired permission from two of the mods to post this here:



There will be things that don't jibe with you, and things that click immediately. For me, the kind of generalizing that says things like, "Water witches project an aura of calm and serenity, like a reflecting pool." does not click. On some days, sure. And there are times when one might be more well compared to a stormy sea, a raging river, or a stagnant pond for that matter. I can understand if it's the ideal, but like most spiritual things, it's all pretty subjective to the personal evolution of the individual.
Wow! Thanks for this!

Sent from my SM-N910H using Tapatalk

[deepblue]

This is why I love threads like this, people understand what I'm talking about, or at least they have an inkling, or desire to understand.

And at the intersection of mer and magick, it's even better.

[Slim]

Maybe not the best place to ask but is there any other Reiki mers on here?

[deepblue]

That could be worth its own thread to ask. There might be Reiki practitioners who won't look inside this thread.

[MermaidLorelei]

I consider myself an eclectic witch. I tend to be drawn towards the Norse mythologies but other than that I do whatever feels right. Since I started mermaiding I have been drawn towards water magic and have been drawn esp. to waterfalls and the ocean.

[deepblue]

I meant to ask if anyone did any rituals or spellwork on the full moon over last weekend?

It was the first full moon work I've done since moving back here and feeling like my batteries have been recharged. It was absolutely splendid. I had some important work to do that went along with this particular moon. I felt high off of it for hours.

Then the next night I was doing spellwork for something else, ran into a wall with it, my candle decided to throw itself from the holder and I decided to step back and come at that from a different approach. lol

[TillyGemDracha]

I'm eclectic with a main study of draconic. (Dragon magic)

[mermaidrobynn]

Sorry, stupid question, but would anyone be willing to help me out with starting with witchcraft? When i learned about it I just felt it click, like it was something I missed, but I don't know how to start. There is so much to learn...

[DancingJohari]

I became a witch in college and still practice today...although i tend to not celebrate ever sabbat, but....well I am a busy mom of 3!

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[mermaid anastasia]

I love this thread

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[Arking]

Out of curiosity I've been looking into altars lately as I've started making embroidered altar cloths and was wondering what people expect to be mandatory for theirs? I've seen so many variances (personal tastes of course) that its got me wondering if there's consistency really. I was looking into some really nifty diagrams that have helped me figure out some but some more input never hurt.
4188441885

My gut instinct is to first make coasters or free standing lace markers so people can customize their own cloths. Right now I'm working on embroideries for the Goddess, God, and pentagram and later a four pack of the elements.

[Winged Mermaid]

Consistency? Not at all :P Even different traditions have their different "traditional" altar set ups. It's interesting, really! The two above don't look like the altar layout in the tradition I'm in, for example. A lot of people don't go for all the "frills" either, when it comes to tools. I did, because I really enjoy it. Also, it depends on where the altar is facing. Typically most traditions agree that it is usually facing North or East. But the last place I lived in, the best place to put the thing was where it faced South. So I moved all the places of my tools, so they would correspond with the directions. So I think customizable would be the best idea :)

I'm not sure about picking some standard sizes for the actual cloth either. People use different surfaces. My main one is an old coffee table (that I had my husband chop of some of the legs so I can sit on the floor). My deity altar is a foldable side table I got from Target that is probably the height of a card table but not as big. I've seen others use chess tables, board game tables, tops of dressers, shelves, etc. And all of those are different sizes- some are square and some are rectangular. My guess would be to make them bigger so it will cover the table (if it's bigger or smaller) then the excess can hang down off of it.

As far as material goes, I've leaned that silky things slide around and bunch up. Even if I straighten it all out and just leave it, I'll come back and it will have bunched a bit (and it's more noticeable since the material is shiny). Just something to keep in mind. Can't wait to see what you make!

[Winged Mermaid]

Maybe not the best place to ask but is there any other Reiki mers on here?

*raises hand* Reiki Master here :)

[Slim]

Seriously? That is awesome. By any chance could you do long distance reatunning? My Reiki Master didn't properly attuned me correctly so I'm basically without filter so to speak from the energy flow and most likely at risk of getting the energy vamped from me.


*raises hand* Reiki Master here :)

[Winged Mermaid]

I honestly feel that I'm not experienced enough to do one long distance. Also I'm currently not physically able to hold the Hui Yin position used for the attunement process, for more than a few seconds (as tested by my physical therapist), becuase of pelvic floor dysfunction :/

But I'm curious as to why you think you weren't attuned properly? Like 99% of an attunement is intent. Long distance is trickier, but yeah. Could you describe more what you mean by being without a filter?

[Arking]

I figured they may need to be customizable, thankfully I went ahead with the freestanding lace idea with the idea of selling sets that can be arranged and sewn into altar cloth of one's choosing. Entirely customizable as well since I'm using my own hardware and software. If I so desired I can just as easily remove the freestanding element and sew directly onto a pre-shaped cloth.

I personally liked the look of velvet but paired with the wrong colour embroidery it just looks a darn mess. If I get around to stitching my own I'm hoping for a pearl white on midnight blue or black with lunar embellishments.
41887
Ignore the satanic content and you can get an idea of what I'm talking about.

[Slim]

The attune accord within my first job event room. Everyone else got attuned properly. During my process, there was an interruption that distracted her and I. When a person hasn't been attuned properly, the Reiki healer will feel left drain after providing them with energy. The without filter means I'm not protected from that. It also mean I may accidentally leave them feeling drained if I need the energy myself. I researched this inside the USF library on the effect of improper attuned person.


I honestly feel that I'm not experienced enough to do one long distance. Also I'm currently not physically able to hold the Hui Yin position used for the attunement process, for more than a few seconds (as tested by my physical therapist), becuase of pelvic floor dysfunction :/

But I'm curious as to why you think you weren't attuned properly? Like 99% of an attunement is intent. Long distance is trickier, but yeah. Could you describe more what you mean by being without a filter?

[Mary Marine]

Oh yay, this thread came back!

To everyone who has posted articles and book recommendations, 20 points to your Hogwarts house. I'll be reading through all of those when I get home from work.

Anyone do anything magical for THE eclipse? I meant to, but unless I set an alarm on my phone I'm really bad about keeping track of moon phases, holidays, etc.

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[Mermaid Whisper]

I set out all my crystals, decks, and pendulums [emoji1316] that was a bad day for me, but I'm happy I at least got to do that. I put my selenite out too, thinking ahead! :P


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[Neerai]

In Spain we hadn't any eclipse T_T I want my black sun back..!

[Deep reef]

I'm a Wikia and one of my friends mums is also Wikia (a Wikia is someone that is part witch part spirit shifter) and I got tezzed soooo much I pritty much cryed my life away in middle school. But then I found out I could shape shift and then I DIED with happiness FREAKING DIED!! My favorite form is a mermiad then werewolf then vampire E.T.... And I was like: " DUUUUUUDE SHOVE THAT UP YOUR HUMAN BUTT!!!!!!"

[Mermaid Kane]

All of my family are hard-core conservative Christians, and I have fallen far away from that.
I've dabbled in some water-based witch stuff, but know next to nothing. I know my great-great-great grandma was a ''witch'', but my parents (being the super Christians they are) won't let me know anything more about her. They won't even let me read the Harry Potter series because it ''celebrates magic and evil''.

Anyways... I take take baths everyday, and (secretly) do some ''syncing'' with the water and the moon.
Now here me out. I literally know nothing about this stuff, but I have a feeling like ''syncing'' is what I should be doing. By syncing, I mean like... meditating and connecting. It makes me feel really good, and I don't know why.


Does any experienced person know what this is? Sorry that it sounds stupid, but I really don't have a clue! Educate me!
again I am going to apologize because I really have no clue, and I'd like to learn.

[PearlieMae]

I'm a Wikia and one of my friends mums is also Wikia (a Wikia is someone that is part witch part spirit shifter) and I got tezzed soooo much I pritty much cryed my life away in middle school. But then I found out I could shape shift and then I DIED with happiness FREAKING DIED!! My favorite form is a mermiad then werewolf then vampire E.T.... And I was like: " DUUUUUUDE SHOVE THAT UP YOUR HUMAN BUTT!!!!!!"

Seriously? :surrender:

[Mermaid Momo]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171016/7b104ae88e5ead6fd5e03c2b37b0b87c.jpg

Forgot to post this but i got a custom mermaid wand made buy a local witch here, i love it so much! I haven't had a chance to use it though (part of that is because i don't even really use wands for anything but decor)

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[ame.ahes]

New to the forum but just saw this thread. Guess its a good way to introduce myself.

My family comes from Romanian Gypsies (I know the term "gypsy" is controversial but that is what my family has always called themselves for generations). My great- grandmother was a "witch" who told fortunes etc. My grandmother stopped the line of tradition by marrying and becoming Catholic. My mother dabbled but never really got into the Craft. She just gave me my great-grandmother's cards.

Ive been practicing over 20 years first starting as a teen in Wicca. My path has expanded and changed over the years. I include aspects of Buddhism, Hinduism and Shamanism. I am an intuitive empath, Reiki 2 Healer, Herbalist and Yoga and Mediation teacher.

My path now is one based more on my long love of the water. I call myself a MerWitch and work with magick using oceans, seas, lakes, etc.

[Mermaid.Mikayla]

Hi. I'm a Christian. I don't believe in witchcraft. But I'm open to learning more about other people's religions and their views on it.

[Mermaid.Mikayla]

New to the forum but just saw this thread. Guess its a good way to introduce myself.

My family comes from Romanian Gypsies (I know the term "gypsy" is controversial but that is what my family has always called themselves for generations). My great- grandmother was a "witch" who told fortunes etc. My grandmother stopped the line of tradition by marrying and becoming Catholic. My mother dabbled but never really got into the Craft. She just gave me my great-grandmother's cards.

Ive been practicing over 20 years first starting as a teen in Wicca. My path has expanded and changed over the years. I include aspects of Buddhism, Hinduism and Shamanism. I am an intuitive empath, Reiki 2 Healer, Herbalist and Yoga and Mediation teacher.

My path now is one based more on my long love of the water. I call myself a MerWitch and work with magick using oceans, seas, lakes, etc.
That's cool that you continued your families tradition.

[Mermaid.Mikayla]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171016/7b104ae88e5ead6fd5e03c2b37b0b87c.jpg

Forgot to post this but i got a custom mermaid wand made buy a local witch here, i love it so much! I haven't had a chance to use it though (part of that is because i don't even really use wands for anything but decor)

Sent from my LG-M210 using MerNetwork mobile app (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=95032)
I love that wand. It's beautiful!

[PearlieMae]

Hi. I'm a Christian. I don't believe in witchcraft. But I'm open to learning more about other people's religions and their views on it.

That's really kind of rude. It would be like me saying 'I don't believe in Jesus. But I'm open to learning more about other people's religions and their views on it.'

You could have left out everything up to, and including, "But".

[Mermaid.Mikayla]

That's really kind of rude. It would be like me saying 'I don't believe in Jesus. But I'm open to learning more about other people's religions and their views on it.'

You could have left out everything up to, and including, "But".
Sorry, I didn't mean to seem rude. I was just stating a fact. I have nothing against what any of you believe. Sorry if it was taken the wrong way.

[PearlieMae]

No worries...i get a little defensive when my beliefs are treated like something that isn't as valid as ' mainstream' beliefs.

[Mermaid.Mikayla]

No worries...i get a little defensive when my beliefs are treated like something that isn't as valid as ' mainstream' beliefs.
Oh no, I totally get it. So what all entails in your beliefs? Like what is it all about? I'm curious; I'd like to know more about it. If y'all would like to share. :) (It's okay if you don't want to)

[Mermaid Kane]

Oh no, I totally get it. So what all entails in your beliefs? Like what is it all about? I'm curious; I'd like to know more about it. If y'all would like to share. :) (It's okay if you don't want to)

First of all, what entails MY belief is juat that... I believe it. There are a million religions in this world. Any of them could be true.
But with my religion, it doesn't just focus on humans. I doesn't just focus on glorification of on deity. It focuses on the whole universe. On nature. It can apply to anyone.

I used to be a Christian. I still live in a devoted Christian home where God is mentioned every five seconds. They are constantly yelling at the TV saying how wrong everything is. Saying the world isn't dieing. Spouting conspiracy theries. Well. It's not for me. I have always been close to the earth, to nature, and to the mystery of it all.

[lotusauriel]

There are a million resources online outlining different forms of paganism and witchcraft. It is really a personal, individual thing, and is different for each person. The important thing is to learn, be open to the universe, and be true to what you feel is right for yourself. What is right for one person, is not necessarily exactly the same for another, or any other. But we do universally accept that each person has the right to believe and do whatever they feel, as long as it doesn't hurt or harm or encroach on others. There may be a little wiggle room here depending on the exact circumstances, but that is generally true. Anything else is fair game. Basically because there are many things we don't know.
We use all of our senses and gifts, whether they are acknowledged by mainstream society, or not, and that opens us up to other streams of information and knowing that are just as valid as reading it in a book that various humans put together over a huge span of time, that doesn't necessarily agree with itself or make sense, and has also been edited and re-edited to fit with different individuals' needs and wants over the course of time. I'm not trying to start an argument. But this is important, and you said you wanted to understand. This really is not ever going to be a good topic of conversation, if you really want to keep things friendly. There are too many stressors and antagonisms with this one. I would suggest that you just go read up on it. Seriously.


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[Mermaid.Mikayla]

There are a million resources online outlining different forms of paganism and witchcraft. It is really a personal, individual thing, and is different for each person. The important thing is to learn, be open to the universe, and be true to what you feel is right for yourself. What is right for one person, is not necessarily exactly the same for another, or any other. But we do universally accept that each person has the right to believe and do whatever they feel, as long as it doesn't hurt or harm or encroach on others. There may be a little wiggle room here depending on the exact circumstances, but that is generally true. Anything else is fair game. Basically because there are many things we don't know.
We use all of our senses and gifts, whether they are acknowledged by mainstream society, or not, and that opens us up to other streams of information and knowing that are just as valid as reading it in a book that various humans put together over a huge span of time, that doesn't necessarily agree with itself or make sense, and has also been edited and re-edited to fit with different individuals' needs and wants over the course of time. I'm not trying to start an argument. But this is important, and you said you wanted to understand. This really is not ever going to be a good topic of conversation, if you really want to keep things friendly. There are too many stressors and antagonisms with this one. I would suggest that you just go read up on it. Seriously.


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I understand all of that and most (if not all) I believe as well. But I will look into it more and not further the conversation as to not offend anyone in any possible way. Thank you both for answering my question. :) I appreciate it.

[lotusauriel]

I understand all of that and most (if not all) I believe as well. But I will look into it more and not further the conversation as to not offend anyone in any possible way. Thank you both for answering my question. :) I appreciate it.YVW

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[gay-mermaid]

Witch here! although i tend to be too tired to do much witching!! i like making my own sigils, and want to get into tarot reading and working with spirits!

[Mermaid.Mikayla]

Witch here! although i tend to be too tired to do much witching!! i like making my own sigils, and want to get into tarot reading and working with spirits!
That's really cool! Good luck!

[PearlieMae]

The quick answer is that the core belief of Paganism is the worship of the Divine through nature.

[lotusauriel]

The quick answer is that the core belief of Paganism is the worship of the Divine through nature.[emoji178]

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[Mermaid.Mikayla]

The quick answer is that the core belief of Paganism is the worship of the Divine through nature.
That makes sense.

[Mermaid Kane]

The quick answer is that the core belief of Paganism is the worship of the Divine through nature.

Hmm, gotta love nature.

[Mermaid Momo]

I've been attempting to identify a spirit for a while, but since I've had no luck I've come to you all for help! Here's the post from my blog:


I need a bit of help identifying a spirit:
Anyone have a good handle on water spirits or deities? I keep have reoccurring dreams featuring open ocean and something in the darkness, something that keeps helping me but won’t let me see itself fully. (scroll down for dream examples)..

One dream I am under ice, the turquoise water stretches out around me and below me it goes into darkness. Whale calls are all around me, and in the darkness below me I can see something massive moving but I’m not fully scared of it. I’m aware whatever it is can be dangerous but I know it won’t hurt me because it’s just around all the time. I look back up to the bright water and in the distance a giant woman, with white hair and a blue tail swims up to me, she doesn’t seem bothered at all by whatever is in the deep water below us.

..Another dream has a pack of wolves chasing me, the only way for me to get away is jumping into dark black water and swimming to the other side of the shore, I jump in and sink to the bottom, and on the bottom is a giant ship, and draped over it is the tail of something dark and massive, I’m too scared to follow the tail to see what the whole thing looks like. As I’m looking at it, I hear the wolves get to the edge of the water, the creature moves really fast and swims towards them and the howls go quiet. .

.Last dream I am again in the open ocean, on an ice drift with a bunch of mermaids, There are a few swimming out in the open water and I go to join them when one decides to attempt to drown me, I can feel something swimming beneath me, I look down and there’s something giant swimming right below me, like a shadow. The other mermaids scream in fear and scream a name that I can’t make out and start swimming as fast as they can for the ice drift. I can’t move though, it’s like I forgot how to swim and I’m scared of it but also familiar with it. I start sinking but whatever it is floats right below me, keeping me floating near the surface so I won’t drown. It takes doesn’t take me back to the ice, but I hear in the water around me “swim. Move. You know how” and eventually I remember how to swim again and as I swim to the ice, whatever was in the water swims back into the deep water . ..

As you can see I only ever catch either the back of a tail, or the tip of a tail and nothing else. My mom thinks it may be some kind of spirit that is protecting me and guiding me as she believes the woman I saw was a goddess and her not caring about it being around shows it isn’t too dangerous. Does anyone have any ideas as what it could be?

and here's what it looks like (I've only seen a part of the tail so this is basically what a part of it looks like)
- long tail
- dark colored, like a brownish green.
- looks "sick" (scales aren't smooth, tail is ragged with lots of scars and cuts)

Anyone have any idea what kind of water spirit this is? I'd like to do some research on them.

[lotusauriel]

I've been attempting to identify a spirit for a while, but since I've had no luck I've come to you all for help! Here's the post from my blog:

[COLOR=#1D2129][FONT=Helvetica]

and here's what it looks like (I've only seen a part of the tail so this is basically what a part of it looks like)
- long tail
- dark colored, like a brownish green.
- looks "sick" (scales aren't smooth, tail is ragged with lots of scars and cuts)

Anyone have any idea what kind of water spirit this is? I'd like to do some research on them.I don't know, but it feels right for you. That's really awesome. I do think that if and when you are supposed to understand fully, it will reveal itself to you. Or maybe just be content with it's obvious protection. [emoji4]

[Mermaidhunter]

Was raised catholic but my beliefs range from Wiccan, nature worship, Native American beliefs, taoism with more emphasis on anything water or water-based. I am naturally drawn to water, find peace and serenity when near, on or under it and usually turn to it when stressed or needing mental and sometime mental healing. Never cast any spells per say but will invoke the natural "lifeforce" that it provides.

[Merman Dylan Zalrian]

I will admit that I am Christian. I believe in God. I pray to God. I entrust my faith in God. I believe Jesus died for my Sins.

All that being said, I'm more spiritual than devout. I came to this thread because my family treats food, fresh air, sunshine, and more alternative stuff as medicine. I may thank God for this, but I have a hard time talking to other Christians about alternative stuff.

As crazy as it might sound, something that has always been a curiosity of mine are healing practices.

For me, water is good for the soul. It makes me feel better. Good food is so important. The food matters. I even use some alternatives to treat sickness because I'm allergic to penicillin and sulfa.

Maybe I'm in the wrong thread, but I was wondering if anyone knew of anything that might be healing in nature.

I also have this empathic nature where my emotions are like other people's emotions. I get emotionally drained a lot.

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[mermaid anastasia]

I will admit that I am Christian. I believe in God. I pray to God. I entrust my faith in God. I believe Jesus died for my Sins.

All that being said, I'm more spiritual than devout. I came to this thread because my family treats food, fresh air, sunshine, and more alternative stuff as medicine. I may thank God for this, but I have a hard time talking to other Christians about alternative stuff.

As crazy as it might sound, something that has always been a curiosity of mine are healing practices.

For me, water is good for the soul. It makes me feel better. Good food is so important. The food matters. I even use some alternatives to treat sickness because I'm allergic to penicillin and sulfa.

Maybe I'm in the wrong thread, but I was wondering if anyone knew of anything that might be healing in nature.

I also have this empathic nature where my emotions are like other people's emotions. I get emotionally drained a lot.

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There is no problem opening up about that here (in my opinion anyway) as long as you dont come off as pushy winch you did not and if its something you are interested in look into Crystal healing different stones have different attributes however i think its the belief in them that does a lot of the good by putting you in the right mind set

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[Merman Dylan Zalrian]

There is no problem opening up about that here (in my opinion anyway) as long as you dont come off as pushy winch you did not and if its something you are interested in look into Crystal healing different stones have different attributes however i think its the belief in them that does a lot of the good by putting you in the right mind set

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Honestly, I don't think everything written in the bible is interpreted correctly.

I'm not sure if crystals were what I was looking for, but I don't know anything about that. Are there any links I can use to read up on it?

Things my family does is stuff with food. Certain foods have certain properties that are really good. If I feel cold, I make spicy food. If I feel sick, I eat hot soup with lots of vegetables. If my mood is bad, I wash the day away in the shower. If I feel emotionally unstable, I spend time with one of the cats. With the cats, I let my emotions connect with them.

I've been having stomach troubles and coffee, relaxing showers, music, and everything I think of isn't helping. I feel like it's a mix of stress and Bipolar medication. I've also consumed probiotic and recently some more specific medicine.

Still, I'm curious about things like meditation or something that might help with the stress.

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[Merman Dylan Zalrian]

Typically, I can connect emotionally with music to break away from stress. A part of how I write is invoking the emotions I feel from listening to music.

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[Merman Dylan Zalrian]

Also, I apologize for the spam, but God says do not judge. Judging others is a sin. That's a part of my faith in God. I try not to hold any ill will in my heart towards others. My belief is to love thy neighbor.

I wholeheartedly apologize for anyone that comes to this thread seeking to criticize anyone. This may not be my normal practice, but I have found this thread to be extremely interesting.

I have my own personal curiosity about spirits, the healing power of nature, and so much more. I may or may not feel comfortable doing certain things, but I know I have a lot to learn from everyone here. Did I mention I was curious about this stuff?

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[Mermaid Kane]

Also, I apologize for the spam, but God says do not judge. Judging others is a sin. That's a part of my faith in God. I try not to hold any ill will in my heart towards others. My belief is to love thy neighbor.

I wholeheartedly apologize for anyone that comes to this thread seeking to criticize anyone. This may not be my normal practice, but I have found this thread to be extremely interesting.

I have my own personal curiosity about spirits, the healing power of nature, and so much more. I may or may not feel comfortable doing certain things, but I know I have a lot to learn from everyone here. Did I mention I was curious about this stuff?

Let's see what I can say, as a former devout Christian in a ''super-Christian'' home who is now a newish witch. I am not a fan of Christianity, from experience so be warned against my bias. :)

I am also ''in the broom closet'', so anyone reading this, do NOT mention it outside of this forum lest I be kicked out of the house.

The Bible is extremely confusing, and there is a lot of seemingly mixed info. A lot of things were geared towards the people of that time, and had context. For witchcraft, it was usually in relation to Satan worshiping witches, non-Christian witches, the likes.
If you are a Christian, its believed that all power that doesn't come from God is Satanic. So, for you, when it comes to magic, you should shun it. If you want healing, ask God or whatever. Its against your religion's boundaries to ask the trees/crystals/etc. like they can give you anything. Its God's job.
As for spirits, you probably shouldn't like/believe in them either. They are demons or angels, according to your religion.

One thing about true Christianity, is that you take it or leave it. You are supposed to believe the Bible %100. It is your lifeline. I happen to hear my parents complain about ''half-Christians'' all the time. However, there is such thing as Christian witches. Look it up! I cannot guarantee that you may not be kicked out of your church if they find out, however.


I'm glad you are opening up to the idea of the occult!

[Mermaid Whisper]

I have been pagan for about 10 years now and am staff on a server of almost 1,000 witches.

My parents used to be super against it when I was growing up, but now that my mom has left, my dad says I can have an altar and all my tarot decks (he’s even let me read for him!) as long as I’m not doing spellwork in the house (I don’t do spells much anyway, just Sabbats).

I don’t believe we should be telling folks how their religion works, particularly when we don’t subscribe to that belief set any longer.


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[Merman Dylan Zalrian]

It's okay. It's like I said from the start. Many of my beliefs are Christian, but I'm more spiritual than devout.

As for healing, I don't think the things I find helpful are strictly of the Christian mind set. I was told that as long as you believe in God as I stated from the beginning you are Christian.

Anyways, I want to be respectful of this thread, so I don't want to talk about Christianity here unless I absolutely need to. I'm still hoping to learn anything that people might know about healing practices.

Are there links about Crystals anyone might recommend?

Does anyone know anything else aside from Crystals that they find healing in nature?

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[Merman Dylan Zalrian]

So, this seems close to something I think about with food. I'm not sure if it's 100% true.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171028/b77c71532dbce39adbc76b62509fdf05.jpg

However, cooking makes me think of potions. Is that strange?

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[mermanofdaveyjones]

I'm Wiccan and follow the Celtic deities.

[Mermaid Oracle]

Practicing pagan of 17 years here! (Waves fins)

[deepblue]

It's okay. It's like I said from the start. Many of my beliefs are Christian, but I'm more spiritual than devout.

As for healing, I don't think the things I find helpful are strictly of the Christian mind set. I was told that as long as you believe in God as I stated from the beginning you are Christian.

If you need to talk about the various forms of Christianity, and the way various Christians might incorporate natural healing (there is a huge movement of natural health Christians out there, you can Google it) there is another thread for Christians (the Christian Fellowship thread). There are also Christian Witches, a number of them are on the Sea Witches and Water Witches FB groups I mentioned earlier in the thread.

Many if not most of the pagans here deal with having to hide their path from people around them or are told this or that erroneous things about their beliefs, and this should not be a place where they have to worry about it also. So thank you for recognizing that this isn't the place for talking about the major religions as a focus.

So did anyone do any Samhain or similar rituals or ceremony? I usually do, and this year I didn't at all do the same as usual... for some reason, I'm missing my deceased friends so much more than usual this year. Next Saturday is the 8th anniversary of one of my best beloved's deaths, and it's hitting me harder this year because of other things that are going on. I know she'd understand. We'd talk about it, we'd laugh, we'd cry, and she's not here to do that anymore. And she hasn't visited in ages. I probably will honor the dead next year. And my friends Tim, Bob, Ash, Jesse... so many lost in just the past few years. Last year's altar held them all. This year I just didn't have it in me to set it up. Halloween itself was a blast, we have a haunt two doors down and holy cow, the line was long and went past our house, so we ran out of candy and I had to go out and get more. It was awesome, though, to have adults from the line trick or treating. lol Everyone gets candy at our house.

Meanwhile, Winter Solstice approaches, and I'm pretty sure I'll have an altar for that set up in our living room. I will walk to the water that day (it's like two minutes away from me), and I'm feeling very thoughtful about it all this year. We're putting up decor next week, the Yule tree, etc, but yeah, an altar also sounds really nice.

[Merman Dan]

Some time ago, I came across a news article and video describing the ease with which one could establish ones own church. The idea began to germinate. What about a "mermaid church"? The Roman Emperor Tiberius had his own natural Nymphaeum in the Blue Grotto of Capri. Others have been established in ancient cities elsewhere. Why not establish a small local congregation and an larger online following to honor Melusine, Poseidon, Oannes, and the like?

[PearlieMae]

Dan, the last thing Pagans needed to do is organize themselves. You know that.

[lotusauriel]

There are already established covens, churches, groups, casual meetings, whatever you want, worshiping whoever and whatever they want, however they want, everywhere. There are also solitaries that rather enjoy not being locked into some other human's vision.

[PearlieMae]

There are already established covens, churches, groups, casual meetings, whatever you want, worshiping whoever and whatever they want, however they want, everywhere. There are also solitaries that rather enjoy not being locked into some other human's vision.

That was my point. :mermaid kiss:

[Merman Dan]

Perhaps a secret order, then? C'mon... who doesn't want their own sigil ring, password, and secret knock? ;)

[lotusauriel]

Anyone, and I do mean ANYONE, can become a legally ordained minister. So if you want to set up your own mer-religion, you go right ahead. I'm just going to stay over here, on my rock, drowning pirates.

[MermaidSaph]

I'm not pagan/wiccan etc. myself, but I've always found it interesting. I'll have to go back through this thread on my laptop and check out some of the links/sources listed here!
However, I am an emotional energy/ elemental+nature energy/sanguinarian vampire. I also work with crystals and meditate when I can.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using MerNetwork mobile app (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=95032)Well whaddya know. I guess working with crystals n such was gonna eventually lead me to at least looking into witchcraft. [emoji38]
Since making the original post I researched witchcraft and things related to it, and it just kinda...made sense? I dunno. I don't really follow any specific paths or traditions, I just kinda do a little bit of everything.

[Mermaid Amanda]

I was raised catholic but as I have gotten older ive come into my own beliefs. I do believe in the spirit world and I don't just mean ghosts. I have a boyfriend that is spiritual and we live cross country from each other and 2 timezones. Hes in AZ and im in FL. When we first started talking and he started talking about it i thought he was a little nuts and thought i was crazy for believing him or that he was trying to pull something over on me. but then he had me close my eyes and he showed me and i could honestly feel him sitting right next to me on my couch. He had never seen my house but could accurately describe a few things about it. He studies things about projecting auras and projecting his spirit. Im definately fascinated by the spirit world and what lies within it.

[PearlieMae]

To boil it all down, here are the basics:

Paganism is the honoring of diety through Nature. Pagans recognize both the male and female aspects of diety.

'Witchcraft', and in this context, I'm talking mainly about divination and spellworking, is simply the manipulation of energy towards a goal.

That's it...the BIG SECRET of Paganism. :mermaid kiss:

[BlueCorvidae]

I thought the modern definition Paganism was any religion that wasn't Abrahamic or Eastern. Historically it was simply any polytheistic faith, but we changed that these days because most priests of any Eastern faith take offense to the term.

[PearlieMae]

I was speaking in terms of Neo-Paganism, which are loosely associated with most Celtic/Druidic/Stregheria/Santeria (Western Europe/Mediteranean/North African) traditions. The overreaching 'pile them all into one bucket' definition of paganism is most likely found in Comparative Theology discussions. The 'Everything Not Judeo/Christian is Pagan' thinking is painfully shortsighted.

[Mermaid Whisper]

It certainly is. A lot of folks who follow those religions (under the supposed pagan catchall) really don’t appreciate being called so.


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[BlueCorvidae]

Ah. I've known a few witches that would object to the pagans worship through nature definition, since they don't really acknowledge nature, they worship a specific god. (I believe the ones I've talked to specifically were worshipers of Odin and Yemaja, respectively.) They didn't worship nature, or even claim to like all of nature. After all, cockroaches and mold on their showers still disgusted them, nature or not.

I might be getting things wrong though. I'm not pagan, I'm Christian. But I prefer discussing spirituality with self-identified pagans and witches. I get a lot less "you suffer because it's God's plan" or "have you been sinning a lot lately?" that way. (That and it's a lot more interesting to watch than a church service. Hope you guys don't mind.)

[PhaylennMurúch]

Some time ago, I came across a news article and video describing the ease with which one could establish ones own church. The idea began to germinate. What about a "mermaid church"? The Roman Emperor Tiberius had his own natural Nymphaeum in the Blue Grotto of Capri. Others have been established in ancient cities elsewhere. Why not establish a small local congregation and an larger online following to honor Melusine, Poseidon, Oannes, and the like?
You can’t run a damn convention right. Leave polytheism alone, Dan

[BlueCorvidae]

JFC that drama is spilling everywhere, isn't it? Lmao. :lol:

[Ransom]

JFC that drama is spilling everywhere, isn't it? Lmao. [emoji38]Let's leave it here, please. I'm sure we can agree that fighting on hallowed ground isn't wise.

[BlueCorvidae]

Let's leave it here, please. I'm sure we can agree that fighting on hallowed ground isn't wise.

No, I agree with you. It's not wise to fight in public anywhere, or even at all if it can be avoided.

[PearlieMae]

Ah. I've known a few witches that would object to the pagans worship through nature definition, since they don't really acknowledge nature, they worship a specific god. (I believe the ones I've talked to specifically were worshipers of Odin and Yemaja, respectively.) They didn't worship nature, or even claim to like all of nature. After all, cockroaches and mold on their showers still disgusted them, nature or not.

I might be getting things wrong though. I'm not pagan, I'm Christian. But I prefer discussing spirituality with self-identified pagans and witches. I get a lot less "you suffer because it's God's plan" or "have you been sinning a lot lately?" that way. (That and it's a lot more interesting to watch than a church service. Hope you guys don't mind.)

Well, Odin, for the Nordic traditions and Yemeya from the Youruban/Santeria traditions do have specific gods and goddesses associated with them, however, they do recognize the male/female dichotomies of spiritual nature - and if you dig deep enough, both traditions are rooted in Earth-based beliefs. Judeo-Christian beliefs hold themselves separate from those energies.

The 'I'm right, you're wrong and you're going to suffer for it because my book says so' mentality is exhausting.

[Mermaid Kane]

Judeo-Christian beliefs hold themselves separate from those energies..

Indeed, its in the book; the desires of your flesh are 'evil', and Capital 'G' Man is the only was to 'fix' it... like our bodies are somehow special from the rest of the matter in the universe. I mean, c'mon... everything eats (organic or energy and loose matter), shits (whether is dead organic material, or gamma rays/light/energy), and then dies (or collapses/explodes).


The 'I'm right, you're wrong and you're going to suffer for it because my book says so' mentality is exhausting.
I had a book that told me Santa was real, too... He must be, then!

[BlueCorvidae]

Well, Odin, for the Nordic traditions and Yemeya from the Youruban/Santeria traditions do have specific gods and goddesses associated with them, however, they do recognize the male/female dichotomies of spiritual nature - and if you dig deep enough, both traditions are rooted in Earth-based beliefs. Judeo-Christian beliefs hold themselves separate from those energies.

The 'I'm right, you're wrong and you're going to suffer for it because my book says so' mentality is exhausting.

I'm sorry if I came across that way. I like discussing and learning new things, I didn't mean to imply that anyone was wrong.

[PearlieMae]

No worries, Blue! I didn't mean to imply YOU personally were exhausting, I meant the stereotypical Christian attitude of intolerance.

And Kane, Santa did exist, but he was a Druidic shaman!

[Merman Dan]

You can’t run a damn convention right. Leave polytheism alone, Dan

42890

Everyone's a critic. I outgrew monotheism by the time I was twelve.
As for the future of NC Mer-Mania, I'll address that elsewhere, since drama seems to run heavy on MN.
In a nutshell, the venue could no longer accommodate our needs. I was perhaps too patient in waiting for additional dates that never came. And now we'll be moving to a new timeframe.
Meanwhile, though I have now completed an Event Manager course and have commissioned a local artist for new artwork, I will be sticking to local events. I never expected the event to draw more that 50 people anyway. So here we go again.
So yeah, watch for news on FB and the website but most likely not here.

[PearlieMae]

42890

Everyone's a critic. I outgrew monotheism by the time I was twelve.
As for the future of NC Mer-Mania, I'll address that elsewhere, since drama seems to run heavy on MN.
In a nutshell, the venue could no longer accommodate our needs. I was perhaps too patient in waiting for additional dates that never came. And now we'll be moving to a new timeframe.
Meanwhile, though I have now completed an Event Manager course and have commissioned a local artist for new artwork, I will be sticking to local events. I never expected the event to draw more that 50 people anyway. So here we go again.
So yeah, watch for news on FB and the website but most likely not here.

Don't you have a series of apologies you should be writing?

[BlueCorvidae]

Oh, we talking about Christmas history and folklore? This is my jam!

Funfact; Santa Claus is actually a mix of various people, some real and some mythological! (I love this topic.) First you have St. Nicholas, who was a Catholic Bishop in ancient Rome, which is modern-day Turkey. He was an interesting man because despite his habits of leaving money in the shoes of the poor people, he actually had quite the temper and was prone to getting into fist fights! This was not only recorded about him, but we found evidence of it when his skull was found with a nose that was once broken and healed in a strange angle. This is probably my favorite version of Santa, because I love the idea of a man in a toga punching people while having a soft side and doing charitable deeds. (May utilize this for D&D one day.)

You've also got Joulupukki, who has the whole red suit with white trim going on, and I believe he has a habit of delivering food and turning into a goat. He's from Finnish tradition, but I can't really find a lot of information on him since he isn't widely known and these days I guess the Finnish just like to go, "eh, he's Santa now." He liked to take part in the Wild Hunt though. Speaking of that...

The third figure is Odin, who has a habit of entering people's homes through the chimney, and took part in a wild hunt in the sky, which involved a procession of deer and horses. Not to mention his glorious beard. I don't think I need to tell you guys about how awesome Odin is, but I think you'll all get a tickle out of how Germanic Yule traditions let him slip into our modern portrayal of Santa. Mainly through my third figure;

The English Father Christmas! Who is really just from English folk in the 1400's saying "We want some of that hot Odin action but without making the church mad" so I guess he doesn't really count. They kind of repurposed him though and went, "This is less about the wild hunt and more about feasting and drinking and staying warm and having fun!"

Then you've got the Roman Sol Invictus festival, which from what I understand is a big festival to several of the gods in the Roman pantheon, during a time of year where trying to flatter the sun itself would have been very appropriate. While I guess this doesn't tie into Santa (or maybe it does and I just haven't learned how yet) it does tie into the Hogfather, which is a Santa-like figure in Discworld, aka the best book series ever. In short, it talks about how belief in things like Santa and pantheons full of gods are what make us human in the first place, and able to comprehend all of our abstract ideas like justice, mercy and beauty.

Red from Overly Sarcastic Productions has an entire video about this, and she perfectly captures why I love Christmas/Yule/Saturnalia so much.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tt9ucyHV-I

Merry February, everyone! Yuletime cheer is only 325 days away! (How do you guys celebrate Christmas?)

[PearlieMae]

That's so awesome!

I don't celebrate Christmas, I celebrate the Winter Solstice!

[Echidna]

I don't celebrate Christmas, I celebrate the Winter Solstice!

this.

And since you're talking about german christmas traditions;
Christmas is called "Holynight(s)" in German.
They simply took the "pagan" previous holiday, called "Smokynight(s)", and replaced smoky with holy.

Would probably have been too much work to rename all the pagan holidays.
Like Easter is still called after Eostre/Astarte, and so on.

[PearlieMae]

It wasn't that it was too difficult to rename holidays, it was easier to convert Pagans to the new religions if they were made to seem like the old ways. It's no coincidence that the 'birth of the son of God' coordinates with the 'birth of the Sun God', when early texts of the Christian bible claim that Jesus (aka Joshua Ben Joseph) was born in the spring when the olive trees were in bloom.

When western European pre-Christian religions were honoring the Goddess, the new Christians would decorate the doors of their churches with carvings of the Goddess of Willendorf and Sheila Na Gig...images the countryfolk were familiar with. Remember, not a lot of people could read back then and depended on the familiar and traditions of their ancestors. Tweak them just a bit, add a little novelty, and you've got a brand new bunch of converts. At one point in early Christian history, forevery church dedicated to Jesus, there were 500 dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. If that's not trying to convert goddess worshippers, I don't know what is.

Catholic Mass is based on the basic Pagan circle ritual, it's just held in rows.

Why? You may ask...then, the Church wielded all the political power. Not like today where it's the rich who are all powerful.

[Echidna]

ye, it's pretty obvious Mary is a replacement for whatever goddess the folk were worshipping previously. In many cases, the goddess idol figure (mostly small, carved statues) were not even replaced :D

If you ever delved a bit deeper into the story of Bernadette Soubirous (the girl famous for her visions that discovered the "Holy Spring" of Lourdes), it's a great example of how rural ancient traditions which are still rife in the Pyrenaes (worship of small fairy damsels connected to caves & springs) were painted in a christian light by the officials, despite Bernadette herself denying that the deity she saw was "Mary", she always called it "aquero" ("that thing") and described it as a pretty little damsel not taller than a ten year old girl.

Greatest irony; the Basques worshipped a female goddess named Mari (who, very familiarly, was married to a flying serpent God).
Wonderful how it's always again the same story, just the names change.

[Myah]

Hi, new here...

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[PearlieMae]

Bright blessings, Myah!

[Cerúleo Marez]

Hi everyone! I consider myself a pantheistic Norse heathen. My mersona is ruled by Æge and Rån. I'm a new budding merling, nice to meet you all!

[MidsummerMermaid]

I'm a weird mix: I'm a Trinitarian Wiccan, or Christian Witch. I see God as a combo of all the gods of the world, and I'm a devotee of Brighid. Been experimenting with different forms of magic and now I'm seeing if I can work with mermaid spirits. I never have time to do so, but it's on my list of things I want to try with oceanic magic.

[Kidiu]

I am a witch. I am spiritual, but religiously ambiguous. I often claim to be Agnostic or even simply Pagan, but to those extremely close to me, I admit I am a devout Luciferian.
I study all forms of the occult, from alchemy and sciences to mythologies and even Lovecraft’s work. Intense stuff, LoL.


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[PearlieMae]

I am a witch. I am spiritual, but religiously ambiguous. I often claim to be Agnostic or even simply Pagan, but to those extremely close to me, I admit I am a devout Luciferian.
I study all forms of the occult, from alchemy and sciences to mythologies and even Lovecraft’s work. Intense stuff, LoL.


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In Utah? That's double tough!

[MidsummerMermaid]

Oh man, luciferian in the bible belt ain't easy. But you do you! It's not like anyone else can say who you are ;)

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[Little_Orca]

Are there any reccomended pagan forums you are all aware of?

[MidsummerMermaid]

I use spellsofmagic.com They're a good community as long as you do as the mods say and obey the rules

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[WickedlyGoodSeaWitch]

I'm a Natural Born witch. On my mother's side witchcraft has been practiced for Generations. My grandmother was a Curandera, like my mother is, and like I am now. I am not a Wiccan. That tradition comes from a different part of the world. I follow traditions of the indigenous people of Peru and Puerto Rican spiritualism from the Caribbean. That is my lineage. I am the High Priestess of my own coven and join in a couple of open public circles in the area in which I live. I live my life as a Magic Woman and take my shamanic traditions very seriously.

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[MidsummerMermaid]

Ok that is amazing! One day I want to be a priestess to Brighid but I'm nowhere near that level yet. But that is flat out amazing

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[KTMaggs]

I’m not trying to offend and I apologize in advance. But what is Pagan/witchcraft? (I can’t google search it because of phone restrictions). And I’m very interested.


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[MidsummerMermaid]

Paganism is a nature based polytheistic religion. Wicca is a duality based religion centered around the god and goddess. Witchcraft is using rituals and spells to alter the world around you

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[KTMaggs]

Paganism is a nature based polytheistic religion. Wicca is a duality based religion centered around the god and goddess. Witchcraft is using rituals and spells to alter the world around you

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Okay. Thank you.


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[MidsummerMermaid]

Remember this:not all pagans are witches, not all witches are wiccans, not all wiccans are pagans

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[MidsummerMermaid]

I've gotten roasted a couple times for that mistake

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[darksiren]

I am a first degree Pagan, based off of Gardnerian/Zell Paganism. Most of my extended community are Wiccan, but its pretty inclusive to different paths to magic and divinity. I was raised Pagan, and live a magical life every day. Realizing my dream of being a mermaid slid so smoothly into my magic it's like it was always there. Maybe it was.

[MidsummerMermaid]

You mean gardnerian wiccan? Gardner wasn't pagan.

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[KTMaggs]

I am a first degree Pagan, based off of Gardnerian/Zell Paganism. Most of my extended community are Wiccan, but its pretty inclusive to different paths to magic and divinity. I was raised Pagan, and live a magical life every day. Realizing my dream of being a mermaid slid so smoothly into my magic it's like it was always there. Maybe it was.

Where does different branches come from? You are raised pagan so your family must be from some where.


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[MidsummerMermaid]

Mainly paganism comes from Europe, but there are many pantheons such as Egyptian, Irish, Greek, Roman, Mesopotamian, etc.

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[darksiren]

I meant what I said. Oberon and Morning Glory Zell had different ideas in a few ways, based from some of the same things. They helped create the Neo Pagan movement.

[MidsummerMermaid]

You said Gardnerian before so I was a bit confused

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[tealmermaid]

Ditto on the confusion.

Gardner had his own ideas based on his experiences with ceremonial magick (the Rosicrucians, if I recall correctly), which is IMO an entirely different thing from post-Cunningham Wicca.

The Zells founded the Church of All Worlds (which is based heavily on Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land), and last I heard identified as Neo-Pagan rather than Wiccan.

If you are a First Degree, darksiren, does that mean you identify as Wiccan? If so, of what tradition or lineage?

[MidsummerMermaid]

The Rosicrucians are an order, not a religion in themselves. Didn't know about the Zells so I learned something new!

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[tealmermaid]

The Rosicrucians are an order, not a religion in themselves.

True, they aren't a religion per se since they are based on Freemasonry, but Gardner built a religion out of his experience with them. There is a lot of overlap between traditional ceremonial magick and what Gardner eventually came up, particularly in regards to initiation rites.

[MidsummerMermaid]

I agree, and Gardner was the one to bring Wicca, an ancient nature religion, back into the public eye.

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[TheChimera]

True, they aren't a religion per se since they are based on Freemasonry, but Gardner built a religion out of his experience with them. There is a lot of overlap between traditional ceremonial magick and what Gardner eventually came up, particularly in regards to initiation rites.

Probably where the idea of our modern interpretation of casting the circle came from, the mix of ceremonial/ folk magick, so could calling the quarters, I could be wrong but just a thought.


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[MidsummerMermaid]

Most of what Wicca is today, from what I understand, are what a local coven told Gardner and he came public with his findings.

[tealmermaid]

I agree, and Gardner was the one to bring Wicca, an ancient nature religion, back into the public eye.

If I may ask, how do you define "Wicca" such that you consider it an ancient nature religion?


Probably where the idea of our modern interpretation of casting the circle came from, the mix of ceremonial/ folk magick, so could calling the quarters, I could be wrong but just a thought.
That's all derived from ceremonial magick: very formal and ritualistic. Freemasons do much the same thing, for what it's worth.

Folk magick is taking a couple of pins and a bit of cloth (or something along those lines), and making the best of it. It's nothing formal.


Most of what Wicca is today, from what I understand, are what a local coven told Gardner and he came public with his findings.
Whatever the New Forest coven may have told Gardner, the coven was, if I recall correctly, later shown by researchers (Hutton et al) to have been founded shortly before contact with Gardner. It's difficult to claim "ancient unbroken line" with such a timeline.

In addition, Gardner was IMO sufficiently well-read to created a religion by playing mix and match with whatever elements appealed to him. He himself was familiar with Murray's now-discredited The Witch-Cult in Western Europe to the point that she wrote the preface to Witchcraft Today. He was initiated into the Rosicrucians and the OTO. He had ample folkloric references at hand to fill in the gaps if necessary.

It doesn't invalidate the resulting religion if he made it up any more than, say, the Church of All Worlds being invalid because it's based on a sci-fi book. It's not like there aren't plenty of what might be termed "reconstructed religions" around nowadays. The Diaspora religions are not the same as the original localized cults in West Africa. Modern Hellenic paganism is far different from the genuine article. So is modern Norse paganism. Etc. That's why this sort of thing falls into the category of Neo-Paganism.

[MidsummerMermaid]

Wicca is a nature religion in that it worships the earth goddess and sun God and rotates within the seasons. However they only worship these two gods, making them separate from pagans. However they can also see the goddess in other goddesses and the same for the God if this makes sense.

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[Little_Orca]

I found this great app I wanted to share with you lovely, magickal fishes. You can get it on iPhone and Android and it's called Pagans and Witches by Amino. It has blogs, articles, inspiration, and chats. It's amazing so far. I recommend it. If you get it, you can find me on there as Mermaid Merlissa.

[MidsummerMermaid]

I prefer good old fashioned spellsofmagic.com. they're a decent community and it was one of the first pagan sites. I'm weird I guess [emoji14]

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[BlueCorvidae]

I'm noticing a lot of confusion on what paganism is here, guys.

The original definition of Paganism is any religion that isn't Christianity. (This included atheists.) The modern definition of Paganism is any religion that isn't a "main world religion" which at this point in time is Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. (Also Shinto, depending on who you ask.)

Wicca, Hellenism, Norse mythos, witchcraft, and anything involving the worship of old-world gods, nature, or magic is all paganism. It's a very broad umbrella term, I know. "Paganism" on it's own isn't a religion, but most faiths discussed here fall under it.

[tealmermaid]

A bit late, but I got busy.

A joyous Midwinter, Saturnalia, Yule, and Dies Natalis Invicti Solis (and anything else I may have missed) to everyone here! :D

[darksiren]

A bit late, but I got busy.

A joyous Midwinter, Saturnalia, Yule, and Dies Natalis Invicti Solis (and anything else I may have missed) to everyone here! :D

And to you!

[Vantin]

the closest I've gotten to witchcraft is a deck of tarot cards. I wouldn't mind expanding but my fiance doesn't like any of that stuff and can't stand to be near my cards. I'm not going to push him and his feelings aside to practice it even though I want to try it.

[PearlieMae]

Oh my gods. Kill me now.

(Teal, thanks for stepping up. I have no patience anymore.)

Vantin, tarot cards are not witchcraft. They are a tool used for divination.

Wicca, derived from the ancient Scottish word "wicce" (pronounced wee-chay) means Wise One. Usually the village healer, versed in natural medicines and herbology, was the wicce (sounds like witch, huh?) This is the roots of western European pre-Christian, earth-based religion, recognizing both the male and female aspects of all nature.

Modern Wicca is, at its core, the worship of deity through nature, both male and female aspects.

Paganism, as Teal explains above, is any non-Christian religion. (Kudos, Blue)

"Witchcraft" in the modern vernacular, has become a blanket term for magick/spell casting. Magick is nothing more than the manipulation of energy towards a goal. Traditional prayer is magick. Carrying a four leaf clover for luck is magick. Knocking on wood is magick. Wishing on a falling star is magick. The main difference between prayer in its current (read typical) form is that prayer is supplication, where neo-pagan magick is application of energies.

Do your research. There have never been more resources so easily available as there are now.

Everything in the universe is energy. Direct it wisely.

[Mermaid Mia]

Oh my gods. Kill me now.

(Teal, thanks for stepping up. I have no patience anymore.)

Vantin, tarot cards are not witchcraft. They are a tool used for divination.

Wicca, derived from the ancient Scottish word "wicce" (pronounced wee-chay) means Wise One. Usually the village healer, versed in natural medicines and herbology, was the wicce (sounds like witch, huh?) This is the roots of western European pre-Christian, earth-based religion, recognizing both the male and female aspects of all nature.

Modern Wicca is, at its core, the worship of deity through nature, both male and female aspects.

Paganism, as Teal explains above, is any non-Christian religion. (Kudos, Blue)

"Witchcraft" in the modern vernacular, has become a blanket term for magick/spell casting. Magick is nothing more than the manipulation of energy towards a goal. Traditional prayer is magick. Carrying a four leaf clover for luck is magick. Knocking on wood is magick. Wishing on a falling star is magick. The main difference between prayer in its current (read typical) form is that prayer is supplication, where neo-pagan magick is application of energies.

Do your research. There have never been more resources so easily available as there are now.

Everything in the universe is energy. Direct it wisely.

I have been practicing on my own or in groups for years and this is still the best/closest explanation of how I feel about magic that I have ever heard. [emoji3590]


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[PearlieMae]

Thanks, Mia!

Being a Crone has its advantages :mermaid kiss:

[PearlieMae]

I use spellsofmagic.com They're a good community as long as you do as the mods say and obey the rules

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http://witchvox.com/ probably has some more in-depth information than spellsofmagic.com - check it out and make your own determination.

[tealmermaid]

Spellsofmagic appears to consist of content that the so-called authors are taking from other sites. There are more than a few articles that are lifted word-for-word from the source URL -- if they credit a source at all. Not a lot of good copyright karma going on there.

WitchVox is in dire need of a good cleanup IMO. It used to be a nice site when the owners first got out from Laurie Cabot's thumb to set up the site, but I don't think anyone wants to read about event reviews, front page updates, or bardic press releases from 1998 at this late date. Their resource section also has a lot of broken or spammy links.

I think a lot of Neo-Pagans are simply moving to social media rather than a more traditional forum or web site.

[TheMerthropologist]

Social media does seem to be the way to go

ThePaganStudyGroup over on Tumblr used to be pretty great I think, they had a lot of info and resources and did their best to answer asks and acknowledge where they didn't have enough info and always encouraged doing your own research and fact-checking, although the blog is on infinite hiatus now.

I still follow MagpiesMagicNest and enjoy their content.

I think with social media it's a lot easier to be well...social.

[tealmermaid]

I want nothing to do with Tumblr, frankly. There's quite a few individuals who do not seem to get the concept that listing a source does not excuse the fact of lifting entire articles from websites -- or worse, pretending they wrote it themselves rather than list a source, then getting social "headpats" for posting great info.

For example, I see several people passing around my sea magick articles even though I have had copyright info posted on my content since 1995. One particular individual on Tumblr seems to have carted off my entire site in the space of two of their(?) lengthy posts. Since I don't have an account over there, I can't contact them to take it down. Ditto for Facebook content thieves, for what it's worth.

And this is why I'm not a social-media-using Neo-Pagan.

[gay-mermaid]

Man, i really wish i could find more modern sources that didnt use wicca as the basic for what all witchcraft is. I see too many people who think you have to be wiccan to practice witchcraft, and as such, many sources push wicca on anyone looking to practice witchcraft

pronouns are they/them/their

[tealmermaid]

Man, i really wish i could find more modern sources that didnt use wicca as the basic for what all witchcraft is. I see too many people who think you have to be wiccan to practice witchcraft, and as such, many sources push wicca on anyone looking to practice witchcraft

I hear you on that one! Wicca and Witchcraft are not the same thing. Nor are "Pagan" and "Wicca" interchangeable, even though there are many "Pagan" books only talk about Wicca and its practices. Any practices outside of that seem to be a foreign concept.

Also, I keep running into people who stretch "Eclectic Wicca" so far that they might as well say they're a Wiccan-Shaman-Druid and be done with it. Wicca is a specific set of practices. If you go too far outside that, it's no longer Wicca.

I don't know, is there a problem nowadays with just staying under the Neo-Pagan umbrella? (I live under a rock, so I really don't know what the current trends in Neo-Paganism are.)

[Mermaid Lily Dewdrop]

Well hello fellow merfolk! I have done a wide search for the last few hours and came up with...almost nothing! A few posts here and there on other threads but that's about it really...

So there's a Christian Mer thread, and an atheist one as far as I know...and so I'm reaching a fin out to those of similar beliefs to mine! Anyone really who identifies under the labels 'Pagan' or even 'Witch'! or even just those of you who like studying or learning of such things! And so yes...it's a WIDE and broad reach out! As it should be.

So come on in, chat and tell us about your beliefs if you wish! And where they spawn from! :) And pleeeeeease don't come in her under the intention to tell us how sinful we are, or how ridiculous we are for believing in what we do...as the biggest annoyance on the Atheist Mer thread was literally a person stating why Atheists were wrong...or people going on there saying how atheists believe 'nothing'...just don't, it's literally ridiculous and pointless...save your fingers and go onto a topic you can contribute to and be a little brighter of mood in, no one likes a know it all or an arrogant prat. Thaaanks.

So happy posting and I hope I can connect with few like minded Merfolk! :)

It’s nice to find fellow Pagans in the community, that was something I was a little worried about (I live in a primarily Christian community). Just glad there’s others out there in the Mer community

[MidsummerMermaid]

Oh yeah, of course :) the ancients believed the water was a deity in itself and filled with water spirits. It's always nice to pay them a visit :)

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[tealmermaid]

the ancients believed the water was a deity in itself and filled with water spirits.

And some of us who are not-quite-ancient find this to be true as well. All life is born from our Mother Ocean, and to Her we shall return. The waters of our world wear down even the hardest rock.

Why would we not acknowledge that?

[MidsummerMermaid]

Exactly! :D I recently took up Triton as one of my patrons. Pretty cool god

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[tealmermaid]

Interesting! Most people I know with an interest in Hellenic sea deities are more interested in Poseidon.

If I may ask, what spurred your call to Triton?

[MermaidMizu]

Oh! I need to be a part of this! [emoji227][emoji102]


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[tealmermaid]

Welcome, MermaidMizu! We are glad to have you.

[MidsummerMermaid]

Interesting! Most people I know with an interest in Hellenic sea deities are more interested in Poseidon.

If I may ask, what spurred your call to Triton?I'd been connected to the merfolk for a while, since I was a little kid, and I'd always seen Triton as close, but I went in for my first psychic reading, she told me she saw a masculine figure next to my primary pateon, Brigid. Recently I went to another psychic (same shop) and asked her if she could help me, and lo and behold it was Triton. And after I accepted it, I had a dream that night about swimming with mermaids so I took it as a sign. Still learning though

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[MidsummerMermaid]

Also my experience with Poseidon leads me to assume he hates my guts and isn't right for me. AP is fun stuff and can ruin your childhood gods for you XD

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[tealmermaid]

Fire and Water? That's an interesting combo there, but it sounds like the psychics were right on!

[MidsummerMermaid]

Yep, Brigid helps me stay productive in the day and I'm still trying to figure out what Triton does with me, so it's a learning experience

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