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Demon or Deity? How to Confirm That You’re Talking To a God or Goddess

2/24/2021

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In the early 5th century, St. Augustine of Hippo wrote a theological essay against Paganism called On the Divination of Demons. In it, he proposed the argument that all Pagan Gods are actually demons in disguise. 

If you have not heard of St. Augustine, you should know that he kickstarted many arguments for Christianity. He was born 40 years after Rome officially became Christian, although most of the Empire was still Pagan at this time. Augustine’s mother was Christian and his father was Pagan, so he understood both sides. He wrote many philosophical arguments for Christianity, his largest being The City of God. 
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In On the Divination of Demons, Augustine fought back against the assertion that a Pagan Oracle predicted the invasion of Serapis's temple. He argued that Gods did not speak to this Oracle; demons did.
[3.7] The demons have also gained, through the long span through which their life is extended, a far greater experience of events than humans can attain, since their lives are brief. Through these capacities, which the nature of an aerial body is allotted, the demons not only predict many things to come, but also do many wonders. Since men cannot say and do these things, some judge them worthy of their service and the bestowal of divine honors, especially under the impulsion of the vice of curiosity, on account of their love of false felicity and of earthly, temporal excellence.
As a side note, Augustine also argued that future predictions were not impressive because circus performers also do things that he couldn’t understand.
[4.8] How many marvelous things have funambulists and the other theatrical specialists done? How many marvelous things have artisans and especially contrivers made? Are they really then better than men who are good and endowed with holy piety?
I’m not trying to undermine St. Augustine’s intelligence, but I laughed so hard when I read that he compared acrobatics to accurately foreseeing an invasion.

Regardless, the idea that Pagan deities are actually demonic pervades through Christian literature. We see it in sermons, theology, Dante’s Inferno and Milton’s Paradise Lost. It is no wonder, then, that many people fear that messages from Pagan deities are actually demonic in origin.
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Can Spirits Impersonate Deities?

The short answer is yes.

The long answer is it depends on your method, experience level, and knowledge of the situation. 

If you do not know how to fact-check the messages you are receiving, you are prone to deceit. If you are not used to the deity’s signs or how They speak, you are prone to deceit. And if you do not know which red flags to look out for, you are prone to deceit. 

I find that people most often encounter this with divination. Divination is one of the best ways to contact a spirit or deity, and it is easy to fact-check by asking the same questions over and over. But if you do not know how to do that, then a spirit can easily take over your pendulum/cards/whatever divination tool.

That said, not all shocking or disturbing messages stem from malicious spirits. Sometimes, people just misinterpret signs. If a practitioner is stressed, anxious, angry, etc., they can mistake these strong emotions for intuition or divine signals. I’ve seen it happen even in practitioners with 10+ years of experience.

People often ask me if they need protection spells to contact a deity. No, you do not. I always recommend spiritual protection for people who are interested in magic, because it is better to be safe than sorry. But you don’t need a spell to know who you’re talking to; you just need to know the signs.
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Red Flags to Watch For

While you are trying to communicate with a deity, watch out for these red flags. Regular readers might recognize some of these from my malicious spirits post. That is not a coincidence.

  • The tone of the message drastically changes. This is by far the biggest and most common red flag that you are not speaking to a deity. Let’s say, for example, that you recently received a sign from the Goddess Ceridwen that She wants to work with you. The next week, you receive another divination message that She does not like you. Deities do not choose people willy-nilly, and They rarely change their mind without good reason. If this happens, double-check your divination.
  • Someone interpreted the message for you. Deities do not need to go through others to speak to you. Even if you cannot hear Them directly, deities can contact you through many different ways. If someone else does a reading that sounds completely different from what a deity has told you, question it. Especially if it came without request. For instance, if someone randomly told you “I heard that Ceridwen doesn’t like you” without you asking for a reading, that would sound fishy, right? Because it is. Even if that person is a friend, they can still be wrong.
  • The message is overly negative or apocalyptic. I've heard an unfortunate amount of people claim that their deity said the world was gonna end, that they were going to die, etc. What are the chances that a deity, who is in constant contact with thousands of worshippers, only told that to you about the apocalypse? Giving someone a sense that they are “the chosen one” is a sign of a malicious spirit. This goes hand-in-hand with the tone change, too. Deities do not go around insulting people or telling them they’re worthless, especially if you’ve worked with that deity before.
  • The entity is trying to force your hand. If you’ve been in the Pagan community for a while, you’ve probably heard that you do not need to answer deities. A deity could ask you to worship Them, but you can also say no. In my thirteen years of experience, I have never heard of a deity punishing someone for not working with Them. If a message sounds like a deity is threatening you, trying to force you, etc., question it. ​
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How to Guarantee That You’re Speaking to a Deity

Depending on your situation, you can try one or more of these techniques to fact-check the concerning message.

  • Ask the same question several times. When you use a divination tool, write down all answers to your questions. Wait at least a day. Then, using the same divination technique, rephrase the question and ask again. Like humans, malicious spirits usually do not remain consistent with their lies.
  • Is it another entity’s thought, or yours? As I mentioned before, some people mistake strong emotions for divine signs. Self-deprecation, anger, guilt, anxiety--if you think these things about yourself, it does not guarantee that a deity feels the same way. During spirit and deity work, I often ask myself, “Is this message what I anticipated would happen, or is it something never thought of?” Even our closest friends and family can surprise us with unexpected answers.
  • Familiarize yourself with the deity before trying a new divination method. This might not be possible for new Pagans, but in an ideal world, you should become comfortable with a deity before attempting something new. Learn how They respond to offerings, divination, prayers, written letters, devotional acts, etc. This way, you’ll be more likely to catch when something is off in the future.
  • Before contacting your deity, stabilize your emotional state. Even the most experienced practitioners can be tricked if they are stressed, angry, self-deprecating, anxious, or sad. It is also possible to misinterpret a deity’s sign if you feel bad. While deities can soothe turbulent emotions, make sure that you’re taking care of yourself, too. 
  • Ask the deity for confirmation. Some people worry that asking a deity about their worries might offend Them. If you feel that a divine message has been compromised, confirm it. The deity might reassure you and, better yet, protect you from future mishaps.
  • Seek an outside opinion. If you are new to deity work or a certain divination method, ask someone who is more experienced in that field. You can even ask a different form of divination (such as tarot cards or runes) for answers.
  • Trust your gut. Although this might sound cliche, intuition matters in deity work. Did the message shock you? Scare you? Infuriate you? Does it seem too convenient? If so, ask your deity next time you pray. You may have good reason to doubt.
  • If you’re constantly worried, put up wards. If you suspect that a spirit is messing with your deity work, cast protection spells. It will give you peace of mind, at least. 
  • Give deities the benefit of the doubt. Deities are here to help people. They want loyal worshippers, not enemies. They can heal, inspire, encourage, and enlighten if you let them. I have personally found that, when people think lowly of themselves, they assume that deities think the same way. They do not. Trust me.
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​Conclusion

Although it is possible for a spirit to pose as a deity, it is not common. If you reach out to a deity, you more likely receive a response from Them. If you want to learn how deities can contact you, check this post. 

St. Augustine made an intelligent philosophical argument in On the Divination of Demons. However, I believe that he is wrong. Pagan deities are not demons in disguise, for two reasons:

  1. This argument can easily be flipped and said about any religion.
  2. We know when we’re talking a deity, because we have methods to fact-check!
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Why Color Magic Correspondence Lists Only Scratch The Surface

2/20/2021

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In 2007, researchers from Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland, tested how color influences pain. They set up participants to feel mild electric shocks. Before shocking them, they showed the participants one of six colors. When participants saw the color red, they felt more pain than when they saw green or blue. It makes sense; many people associate red with burning, bleeding, or inflammation.

During a later study in 2016, French scientists found that color has a physiological effect on people. Participants who stared at red had higher testosterone levels, and they tended to feel more dominance and arousal.

It is no secret that color affects us emotionally, psychologically, and physically. Color is important in every system of magic, no matter where or when it comes from. That is why color magic posts are so popular...and why so many of them are wrong.

The Fault of Color Correspondence Lists

If you look up almost any witchcraft website or book, you will find correspondence lists. These lists are meant to be easy resources for people to glance at when they need it. As a result, most of these associate colors with single nouns. For example, you might see the color “red” with correspondences such as “fire,” “sex,” “passion,” and so on.

But these lists only scratch the surface of what colors mean and how they affect us. I’m willing to bet that the two studies I cited earlier told you more about red than any of the correspondence words in the previous paragraph. 

To be clear, I’m not trying to start beef with people who create color correspondence lists. These lists can be great starting points to inspire people and get them thinking about color. But what I am saying is that, in magic, color has so many associations that further research is imperative.
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The colored inks I use for art magic and devotionals.

Colors Have Contradictory Meanings

Pop quiz: what is the most common wedding dress color?

If you live in the U.S. or Europe, you probably answered white. If you hail from China or India, you probably said red. And if you’re familiar with wedding culture, you probably said that dresses came in a variety of colors until Queen Victoria popularized white in 1840.

But this question isn’t about the wedding industry. I’m trying to point out that every culture has a different association with colors. And depending on the culture you reference, you might find that a color means more than you think it does.
PictureMy Thoth devotional art piece.
Let’s return to white. Many people who grew up in a Christian household end up associating white with purity. But if you lived in China, you would find that white is commonly associated with death. White chrysanthemums frequently appear on caskets, and some people even wear white to funerals (not often, but it does happen). Meanwhile, Finnish folklore says that seeing a white animal--especially albino--is an omen of death.

You might say, “But isn’t black the color of death?” In many cultures, yes. If you’ve seen ancient Egyptian art, you’ve probably noticed that chthonic deities (including Anubis and Thoth) are portrayed with black bodies. But in the same culture, black is associated with fertility because the Nile banks turned black when they became moist. In fact, one of Egypt’s nicknames was Kemet, meaning “the black land.” That’s two seemingly contradictory meanings within the same civilization. 

When I look at color correspondence lists, few take culture or religion into account. You have no idea which culture the author is from. You can only assume that, wherever they’re from, red means “passion.”

Even Emotionally, Colors Have Different Meanings

PictureCandles in various colors with a ziplock bag of coffin nails.
When I look up color correspondences, I often see people cite emotional implications of colors. For example, many people will say that the color blue is calming because of its associations with water. Several psychology studies have reported on color’s emotional associations, and even they have come across mixed results. 

Remember that 2007 study I mentioned where seeing red resulted in more pain? You might be surprised to learn that a different study recorded the healing powers of red. In 1996, researchers gave participants placebo painkiller pills of different colors. Warm-colored pills ended up working better than cool-colored pills. 

On top of that, each color created a different effect. When participants took a blue or green placebo pill, they felt more calm and tired. But red, orange, and yellow pills were more stimulating. 

The contradictory meanings of colors do not work against magic; they work for it. Depending on the spell, a red candle can heal someone, seduce a partner, or curse an enemy. The power stems from the practitioner and how they use it.

Create Your Own Correspondence List

.Before I continue, I want to shout out my friend Lumi who gave me the advice that I’m about to tell you (and for just being fantastic). If you want to learn more about color or art magic, visit her Instagram @artbylumi or her Tumblr @artwitchpath.

To kickstart your color magic journey, create your own correspondence list. With paint, pens, or whatever medium you prefer, jot down every color of the rainbow. I recommend doing different shades too, as light green and dark green could mean different things to you.

Do not worry about folklore or magic yet. Just write down what you think of when you see that color. Is it calming? Scary? Do you associate colors with certain deities or seasons? Approach this as an intuitive writing exercise.

If you need help starting, check out this Instagram poll that I put on my story this week (@death.witch.envy). This is what my followers had to say about certain color associations.
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Do you agree with these results? Do you disagree? Can you think of another color that is more calming, happy, negative, or healing?

At the end of this post, I’ll show you my working color correspondence list. I used paint swatches and wrote all associations I could come up with. Hopefully, it will inspire you.

As You Research, Add to Your List

As you study your Craft, you’ll likely find colors along the way. Update your correspondences as you learn. The more you work with color in magic, the deeper of an understanding you’ll get.

Also, do not feel pressured to write down the meaning of blue in every single culture or religion. Try to focus on what you are practicing. I mentioned some Chinese associations earlier, but my religion and ethnicity are not Chinese, so I do not use those in my practice. Instead, I focus on ancient Greek, Irish, Sumerian, or Egyptian correspondences, depending on the spell or deity I’m working with.

Whenever you perform a spell or ritual, write it down. Include which colors you used in candles, pen ink, flowers, etc. Did the spell succeed? Did it not? This is why I always recommend writing down rituals; it’s the best way to learn what works and what does not.

​For more examples, check out my color correspondence lists below.

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Conclusion

  • Depending on the culture, ethnicity, folklore, religion, or even person, colors have different meanings. That is why most color correspondence lists only scratch the surface of their magical uses.
  • Create your own color list by writing down what you think each shade means.
  • As you research, add meanings that stem from certain spells, folklore, mythology, or religious rituals related to your Craft.
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How to Detect, Avoid, and Handle Malicious Spirits

2/7/2021

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In October 2020, a study measured peoples’ heart rates while they watched horror movies. They aimed to see which movie caused the most consistent rapid heart rate, not just leaps from jump scares. The five scariest movies--Sinister, Insidious, The Conjuring, Hereditary, and Paranormal Activity--all featured malicious demons or ghosts. 

Two years earlier, research from Chapman University determined that 57.7% of Americans believe in spirits or hauntings. Although many participants claimed that they were not scared of spirits, the current horror movie market says otherwise.

Spirit workers might look at these studies and wonder, are all spirits really malicious? Do evil spirits really possess people like in the movies? And how do we, as magicians, keep ourselves safe?

In this post, I’m going to talk about malicious spirits and how to detect them. Much of this post stems from my personal experience and UPG (unverified personal gnosis). However, I will also reference information from folklore.

Do Evil Spirits Exist?

PictureAbd al-'Aziz/Wikipedia Commons
In an effort to make spirit work appear more safe and accessible, some online practitioners have claimed that evil spirits do not exist. Personally, I find this claim to not only be incorrect, but potentially dangerous. 

Some of the world’s earliest magical texts include spells that protect people from spirits. The Maqlû, a collection of incantations from Mesopotamia, lists spells that guard people against witchcraft and spirits. Some of the ancient Greeks practiced apotropaic magic, in which they summoned chthonic deities or heroes to protect them against spirits. Some of these charms can be found in the Greek Magical Papyri, known in the occult community as the PGM (Papyri Graecae Magicae).

But if you were to base your entire spiritual knowledge on horror movies, you might think that all spirits are evil. This is not the case. Religions and folklore tell us that there are far more spirits than just ghosts, poltergeists, and demons. Hell, even if a ghost is in your house, that doesn’t mean that it wants to harm you.

Approach spiritual morality in the same way that most people view human morality. Some are good and helpful, while others and evil, and many are somewhere in the middle. It’s not uncommon for a spirit to act kind until they feel slighted.

How Can Spirits Harm Us?

Depending on the religion and culture, malicious spirits can harm people in any number of ways. According to Mesopotamian religious texts, angry ghosts can inflict illness and bad luck onto people. In certain Muslim traditions, malicious djinn were similar; they could even steal food or other items. Irish folklore tells of faeries who kidnapped humans to work for them before returning them to the human realm. 

For simplicity’s sake, I put together a list of the ways that spirits might harm people. These are based on both UPG and folklore I’ve read.

  • Unusual bad luck
  • Illness
  • Stealing or misplacing belongings
  • Nightmares
  • Possession (very rare)
  • Manipulating people into contracts or deals
  • Physical pain: scratches, burns, hand prints, etc.
  • Forced trances
  • Leeching off your energy
  • Mental or emotional manipulation

How to Quickly Detect Malicious Spirits ​

When I first practiced spirit work around 13 years ago, I ran into quite a few malicious spirits. I was naive, arrogant, and lacked supervision, so I fell for a lot of their tricks. Now, I know how to detect when spirits might have an ulterior motive. Based on my experiences, plus the experiences that other practitioners have shared with me, I’ve put together a list of red flags.

  1. It sounds too good to be true. Some spirits approach magicians with claims of grandeur. They might say that you are their queen/king, that you are gifted, or that you are the “chosen one” or “only one who can help them.” This is especially common with new spirit workers. Take it from a crone: If it sounds too good to be true, it is. We all love to be complimented, and spirits who go out of their way to flatter you are probably manipulating you.
  2. They’re being purposefully vague. “I need you to help me.” With what? “Something bad will happen.” What will happen? “Your ancestor wants to talk to you.” Which ancestor? Many new spirit workers mistake vagueness for their inability to understand spirits. This is another way that an evil spirit can manipulate you. If a spirit genuinely needs your help or wants to give you information, they will find a way to tell you clearly. I guarantee it. 
  3. They guilt-trip you. One of the most common manipulation tactics that spirits use is to claim that they need help, and that you’re the only person who can do it. Predators use this to get victims, too. When I aid the dead, they are usually very grateful. But if the spirit does not act grateful and continues to push, beware. 
  4. They’re giving you different answers each time. This is a huge red flag, especially for people who contact spirits through divination. When you first start working with a spirit, write down questions to ask them. When the spirit answers, jot down the answers. The next day, ask them the same questions. If the answers are different, then either the spirit is lying to you or you need to work on your divination skills. 
  5. You feel awful after working with them. If you want to work with ancestors, heed this tip! You are never required to work with spirits who make you feel awful, even if they’re family. Sure, the spirit might not be intentionally making you feel bad. But at the risk of sounding New-Agey, why waste your time on that negative energy?
Your gut is screaming, “wait!” Just as you should follow your intuition around creepy people, you should do the same for spirits. ​
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Some spirit work protection talismans.

Spirits Who Disguise As Deities ​

I’ve had many people ask me if spirits can pretend to be deities. In short, yes, they can. Learning to distinguish between a deity and spirit requires certain skills and experience, and I plan to write an entire post about this topic. 

Here’s all I will say for now: If your deity suddenly sounds different--if They say something that’s entirely out of character or contradictory--be suspicious.

What to Do When You Encounter a Malicious Spirit

Because this post is already so long, I can’t go into detail about every single spell you should perform. But I put together a short list of what you should do if you believe that you encounter a malicious spirit. If you want a separate post about this topic, comment or message me. 

  1. Rule out all other explanations. When it comes to spirit work, mundane explanations always take precedence. If you have a few nightmares, or if you have a streak of bad luck, that is not guaranteed to be a negative spirit. You can also perform a spell to determine whether or not you are being haunted.
  2. Cut contact. Just cut it. Do not give the spirit a second chance.
  3. Do NOT just cleanse. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve read this: “I tried smoke cleansing, but it didn’t work! The spirit is still there!” The idea that cleansing gets rid of spirits stems from media and common misconception. Cleansing gets rid of negative energies, but it does not get rid of a spirit. What you’re looking for is a banishing spell.
  4. Banish. Again, cleansing is not enough to get rid of a malicious spirit. You want a strong banishing spell to get them away from you.
  5. If the spirit is actively harming you, bind them. Binding is a technique that prevents the spirit from moving. Ceremonial magicians bind spirits as soon as they summon them so they don’t get harmed. A binding spell might keep a spirit away from you. 
  6. Protect yourself and your home. Ideally, spirit workers should cast protection spells on their homes before they contact spirits. But if you need extra protection, cast it. Draw the rune algiz on your body; hang the sator square above your bed; or jam coffin nails into the outside corners of your home. There are many other protection charms; those are just a few.
  7. If you contacted the spirit through a magical tool, put it away for a bit. Cleanse the tool, and then put it in your closet underneath a black blanket. This will cut off all of the energies attached to the tool. I’d leave it for at least a week, and then check it.
If you need help, ask. There are plenty of other magicians, occultists, and priests out there who can help you. Just ensure that you’re asking a trusted source.
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My drawing of the sator square.

Conclusion

Not all spirits act like they do in horror movies. Some are far more subtle, and others work to flatter you instead of scare you. If you know how malicious spirits act, you can detect them early. Then it’s just a matter of cutting contact, banishing, and protecting.
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