Art Feature: Experiments in Emoticons

I've been learning how to draw and so I started experimenting with digital art and I made these little guys.

This is my little rude red sun. The first emoticon I've ever made!!

This is my second emoticon.

It's Leopold from Scary Gary by Mark Buford. My favorite comic. It's dark, weird, funny, and twisted. Leopold is a mutant homicidal dream boat.

Art Feature - Art of Tenshinchigi

The art of Tenshinchigi...

RAWR by Tenshinchigi
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daigon by Tenshinchigi
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Winter Night by Tenshinchigi
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Art Feature

As I am courting carpal tunnel and exhaustion, I'm doing 7 days of art features.

Enjoy some art. I know I did.

Burning by Stalcry
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Sherlock by Finnguala
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road trip by hel999 and Parady
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Achieve Impossible Things

Youkai and Yuurei
Featured with Permission from Stalcry
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To the artists (including Stalcry), I am awed by the work that you all create. I wish I could create drawings from the images in my head (I'm trying to learn but it feels impossible). Until then I will be satisfied with appreciating and being inspired to write by the incredible work of artists.


For years, I've had a problem with finishing. I have finished articles. I've finished college. I have finished writing novels but I've never really gotten to the point where I was really done with a novel.

From each attempt at my novel, I've learned. I've learned the craft. I've learned the process. I've also learned where I fail.

I fail when I lose my passion for the story. I fail when I lose my faith in the story.

So in pursuit of my life's dream I will strive to make the story for my newest attempt more interesting to me (a prequel of which is on my deviantART page. Part 2 is coming after I finish a project at work)

The steps I will take...
Step 1. Reconsider possibility
Step 2. Expand the horizons
Step 3. Have fun with the details
Step 4. Focus on the progression of the characters

I will be striving to achieve. The most probable result will be physical injury (if I survive my plans for November it will be a miracle). For November, I will continue to post daily and I will participate in the annual madness known as Nanowrimo. That along with the regular duties of living my life should leave me a quivering mess by the end of the first week but I'm optimistic.

A Macroscopic Look at Song Lyrics

Butterfly wings are composed of scales. They look flat and solid but they aren't. Everything changes when you look close enough.

Removed from the song and the singer, the meaning of lyrics can change. Everything is different when taken out of context.

Romantic songs become dark and sad. Other songs become strange.

A macroscopic look at some music...

Quote

1. "Everyday is so wonderful and suddenly it's hard to breathe." 
2. "Satin sheets are very romantic. What happens when you're not in bed?"
3. "We can dance until we die."
4. "On the ice-blue line of insanity is a place most never see."
5. "You kill off this common sense of mine." 
6. "Your crystal mind and magenta feelings take up shelter in the base of my spine." 
7. "The pale princess of a palace cracked and now the kingdom comes crashing down"  
8. "Trusting my soul to the ice cream assassin."  
9. "You say you don't want it again and again but you don't, don't really mean it."
10. "Hold you in his armchair, you can feel his disease." 

Song and Artist

1. Beautiful - Christina Aguilera
2. Express Yourself - Madonna
3. Teenage Dream - Katy Perry
4. Maniac - Michael Sembello
5. Born for This - Paramore
6. I Want You - Savage Garden
7. The Beginning is the End is the Beginning - The Smashing Pumpkins
8. Spark - Tori Amos
9. Spark - Tori Amos
10. Come Together - The Beatles

The Flying Spell - 10 Aids to Help You Take Flight

Magic to Take You Anywhere

No Superman, no broomsticks or no fairy wings. 

Okay, maybe Superman, broomsticks, and fairy wings if that's your thing. Me, I'm a bat kind of girl. All four are powerful symbols for flights.

Just don't expect to take to the air and go to Japan for a weekend vacation without a boarding pass. This reality doesn't work that way.

Spells and magic have long been employed to aid in transcending the bonds of the corporeal body (or to fly). Stepping out of your body can offer you the chance to see and experience amazing things.

There are many spells, rituals and methods to aid you in taking flight.

How do I fly? 

Astral projection.

It takes practice to become proficient. Astral Projection can be an attractive escape. This can become a dangerous attraction.

You must find ways to ground yourself or risk becoming lost. Not lost in the dramatic ways of television shows (where you wander in a barren desert cut off from everything you know) but lost in your life and lost inside yourself.

There are many books that offer directions to achieving astral projection. My only advice is for you to find a way that suits your personality.

I cannot meditate in silence. It doesn't work for me so I don't do it that way. I find music helpful for focusing. Photos are helpful as well. I usually employ a charged stone or object for aid in focusing on my desired destination.

Experiment, try different methods and discover what is effective.

Ten Aids to Help You Take Flight

1. Highly Toxic Old School Potion - Please don't do this. I don't want you to get hurt.
2. Flying Ointment - Make your own. That way you know what's in it. But again, avoid toxic ingredients.
3. Astral Projection - Practice, practice, practice.
4. Dreams - Dream incubation, dream programming.
5. Herbal Supplements - There are many supplements that can improve the quality of your dreams and the clarity of your recall.
6. Vitamins - Vitamin B and C are two of my personal favorites. But be careful with B-6 or you will lay awake.
7. Invocation - Choose a flying spirit or creature. 
8. Simple Incantation - Find one or write one. It doesn't have to be Shakespeare or Latin. It just has to be meaningful.
9. Amulet - Create an amulet and imbue it with the intent.
10. Ritual Magick - Combine timing, incantations and anything else you need to raise the energy within yourself and draw the energy into yourself.

Requisite Warning: Be responsible and take care of yourself. This area of magick is draining and can be dangerous if approached wrong. There are physical, magickal, emotional, and psychological dangers so be aware.

Inspiration to Continue

Art is tangible magic. Can you think of a better description? 

There are sacrifices that artists and writers must make. We put time, effort and energy into our projects. We put ourselves into our projects.

We sacrifice time. We spend thousands of hours learning. We spend thousands of hours working. I can't even guess how long I have spent learning to write and writing. 

There are greater sacrifices that the arts demand of some people (be it the visual arts, writing, or even magick). Some of us must sacrifice everything and risk everything for a goal that we never achieve. 

We risk losing our dreams. We risk breaking our hearts. We risk the world calling us crazy. We risk alienating the people in our lives. We risk everything to reach a moment where we can turn around and say, "I did it".

Everyone has their own reason. Whatever your reason, I know what it feels like to put everything on the line. I know what it feels like to be terrified of failing because the cost is so high. 

Risking and losing is a nightmare. But reaching one of those moments where you can say "I did it." It's worth it. It's really worth it.

Magical Uses for Fireworks

Fireworks are beautiful, spectacular and incorporating them into a magical ritual can be a fun idea.

Light Explosion
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A sparkler can take the place of a candle in a short spell.

A fireworks display (such as those during Memorial Day or the Fourth of July) can be a good setting for magick. You can take advantage of the atmosphere of the celebration to charge your spell with positive energy.

A single firecracker can be a unique ingredient to introduce into a spell. They incorporate the elements of fire, light, sound and time. They also incorporate drama which is the point of ritual work. (But choose where you cast carefully.)

Smaller fireworks or sparklers are preferable. You want the flash, not the bang.

You can charge a single firework or sparkler with your intent. Imagine your request being released into the universe as you burn it.

Note - Abide by all local laws and ordinances. Be safe. If fireworks are illegal where you live, don't use them. Getting a fine, a ticket or arrested would ruin your day. If using fireworks, use them with care because an injury would really ruin your day. Finally, be considerate your neighbors (both animal and human). Remember many people and animals don't like the noise.

Writing out Magick.

Writing is a powerful magickal practice.

It's Under Control
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Grant Morrison (author of The Invisibles) is cited as the originator of the term hypersigil. A hypersigil is a complex and well-developed sigil incorporating plot and character or in simpler terms, a hypersigil is a story.

Hypersigils can transform your life. They can transform the world. Hypersigils have transformed the world in the past for the better and for the worse.

It is an accessible form of high level magick. There is nothing stopping you but yourself. Transform yourself. Rewrite your life.

Simple directions for success: Know your intent and purpose. Create three-dimensional characters. Create the world they live in. Develop the themes. Establish symbols within the story. Reinforce the power of the hypersigil through visual representation.

Finally, remember the power is in the practice of writing. The writing is the magick.

A Reminder - Look at the image by Kyle-Lefort and remember that whatever you unleash with your magick is your responsibility.

Recently, work life has demanded my attention. A short term writing project just came up. It has forced me to put some personal projects on the back burner for the next two weeks. DIYmysticism is not going on the back burner. Neither is my personal hypersigil. 

Magick You Can Do with Your Ipod

My iPod
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Sound can be a powerful element to incorporate in a spell.

Incorporating a recorded song is a more complicated proposition than incorporating a sound that you generate. Music and songs are audible sigils. They hold great energy and emotion.

Research the history of a song before using it in your magical work. Avoid using songs with negative meanings and negative histories. Take the history of the musicians and the singers into consideration. 

Also research the meaning of the lyrics. There are many websites with resources (wikipedia is a good place to start). The song should be a theme that suits the magick you want to perform.

The Parchment
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A song that has a significant emotional connection to you is the right choice.

A powerful personal connection supercedes any other history of the song (like the first song you danced to at your wedding or your all time favorite song) .

Music is a good tool for putting yourself in a desired mental state.

An ipod can be a great tool to give yourself a sense of isolation when you are working magick in a public area. You could charge your ipod to work as a portable protective circle.

The choice of the media adds to the power of the song. For instance, listen to a tape that you've had since you were little. After a hundred listens, the tape became imprinted with energy from you. You can remember when you bought it, back when record stores sold tapes.


Sound is a great magical tool. The instrument or media of the music can be an amulet for you. It might be hard to think of a cassette tape as an amulet but remember the amulet has power if it has power for you. 

The Batman Section of my Magick Journal

Batman, Lantern, and Superman samples

I treated myself to a new magick journal as a celebration of a month at this (the blog). I invested in a very nice journal from Graphic Image.

Your magick book can be anything (I mean anything, McDonalds napkins? Sure). A magick book is your personal documentation of your work in magick.

Sturdy journals hold up over time. Stores (like Home Goods) often have a selection of nice (inexpensive) journals for sale. I've found some great ones there myself.

Today, adding Batman to my magick book.

Batman and the other DC heroes have powerful symbols associated with them. These symbols are stylized icons created by DC artists. There are often many variations of these icons like the Batman symbol that is frequently redesigned.

When you add these symbols to your magickal book, you should redesign them to be easily drawn out.

Included in the sample are symbols from the Green Lantern (Darkest Night), variations on Batman symbols, the Superman symbol, and the Robin symbol.

Inspiration to Get Back to Work

Art can open doors to other worlds. Art is tangible magick.

The Ruby Peacock
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Today, I got a new computer and spent three hours watching the Partridge family while waiting for the files from my old computer to load.

I couldn't work on my computer so I worked on learning to draw better. Nothing worth posting came out of the three hours.

It was disheartening to feel like I'm not progressing. I decided that I needed inspiration to keep working (on my drawing, my writing and my magick).

To find inspiration, I turned to art. Today's inspiration is provided by pikminAAA.

Awake in a Dream
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Lost in Seaweed
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On the Edge
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Incantation Invocations from Superheroes to Animals

greetings
featured with permission from
skyrats
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Pop magick (term borrowed from Grant Morrison) gives you the freedom to use the techniques that work for your magical work.  You do not have to be bound by any tradition.

Many contemporary and traditional incantations invoke the ancient goddess or ancient gods to bless and contribute strength to a spell. As a pop magician (or witch) simply write your own invocation to call the strength, blessing, power or energy of your patron to your aid.

You can invoke animals, superheroes and characters that speak to you.

I know I'm not alone in feeling a strong connection with modern myths like Batman. Batman is a figure that has been present my entire life. Batman resonates with more power in my life than the ancient gods and goddesses ever could. Find what characters resonate with you.

15 percent
featured with permission from skyrats
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Red Panda, Flying Squirrel, Batman, Robin, the X-Men, Superman, there are many heroes and superheroes to call to for strength.

You could invoke Macgyver when you find yourself on the side of the road in the morning with a flat tire and no clue. I mean, he could disarm a nuclear missile before the commercial break. A flat tire should be no problem.

If there are no current heroes that inspire you. Create your own. Write out the tales of your hero. These stories can become a hypersigil. Writing and drawing the story can be a magickal act that transforms you and your life. (The Adventures of Frog Man and the Peacock)

Animals for incantation invocations is a traditional practice. Invoke the spirit of an animal for the purpose of the spell. This animal does not have to be your spirit animal or an animal you have encountered in your life. I included Skyrats' photos as illustrations of powerful spirits to invoke. The power of these animals resonate through the photos.

*Note - If you don't know who the Red Panda and the Flying Squirrel are, find out at Decoder Ring Theatre. You won't regret it.

Unleash the Power Within Yourself

Visualization is key to magickal work. 

There is power within you. You just have to unleash it. 

You could visualize a fire inside yourself. You could visualize electricity. You could visualize the power of ocean. You could visualize light. All that matters is what works for you and helps you to focus the magic within yourself.

Get Grounded and Back in Touch with Reality

How to Bring Yourself Back Down to Earth

Life can be a confusing and maddening circus.  It can feel like the Joker is running amuck and Batman's caught in traffic. It can feel like you're in a Tie Fighter spinning off into space. 

When you find yourself at risk of spinning off into space, it's important to be able to ground yourself.

Here are some tips for grounding yourself.

1. Get out of your head

Get back in touch with your body and the physical world. Take a deep breath. Go for a walk. Experience the world around you.

2. Relax 

Stress is a killer. You can't eradicate stress from your life (I know I've tried) but you can ditch for a while. 

Do something that makes you feel good. Listen to music. Play with a baby duck. Write a story.

3. Get a Reality Check

Talk to someone objective and trustworthy. Preferably someone who is willing to gently tell you "You are being insane." This person can give you the benefit of their perspective. 

4. Try to step outside yourself 

Look at the situation through another person's eyes. Consider how they feel and think. What kind of problems are they facing? 

Think about the person you're dealing with. Is this person being unpleasant and grumpy? Maybe they have something going on in their life. Maybe they're trying not to be unpleasant and this is the best they do. Recognizing that everyone around you is under stress can make you more sympathetic and patient.

5. Be Brave

Do something you've never done before. This could be bungee jumping or going somewhere you've never been before. Face a fear and enjoy that little swell of pride.

Drawing Practice (or Magickal Doodling)

I frequently emphasize the importance of expressing your magickal intent in a clear and creative way.

Successful Crocodile
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An example of 
a digital drawing - a clear
and powerful image

As I am a writer (by passion and occasionally, by profession), I most often do this by writing out my intent.


I can easily describe a thoughtform in clear terms. I also have no problem visualizing a thoughtform. But drawing is another story.

If I was going to try conjuring a thoughtform with only drawing, it would probably come out sadly deformed and somewhat dangerous. There is danger in a poor representation of intent (a.k.a. be careful what you wish for) and there's danger in my lack of confidence in my ability to draw.

As a practitioner of magick, I don't want to allow such limitations to stand between me and my magickal growth.

Anyway, my drawing skills stink and I am determined to change that.

Fire Water Burn Featured with permission from Pene
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I love this one, just had to include it

I was always intimidated in school. I had friends who were artists and their work was so great and mine was...so not. I could reproduce the characters from my favorite comic strips. But they weren't art. They were how I passed the time in study hall.

It wasn't until after I graduated high school that I really started experimenting with art. Still my drawing just...it's not good.


So to remedy this I'll be starting with the simplest drawing book I can find. A book written for little kids but nevertheless its a place to start and hopefully will give me some tools for creating powerful statements of intent. In addition, I have a book that I bought on an impulse while I was in Pittsburgh.

So now with books in hand, it's time to get to work.

**Advice, resources and ideas are welcome**

Sigil Solution for Self Improvement

There are 2 main kinds of sigils, personal and representative.


Personal sigils are developed by the user for a specific purpose. Representative sigils are magical seals representing the names of angels, demons or other entities.


This article addresses personal sigils for self-improvement.

Sigil Example

We all have changes we want to ourselves and our lives. Here are nine easy steps to making a change.

First step, identify a purpose. (ex. break a bad habit)

Second, write out a statement of the change you want to make. (ex. I will stop procrastinating)

Third, simplify the statement (ex. Get 2 Work).

Fourth, Mush the letters together into a stylized icon. Redraw the sigil until it suits you (A simple sigil is preferable to a complex sigil).

Fifth, take your final sigil and draw it on a separate piece of paper.

Sixth, charge the sigil. As you charge it, remember that you have the power to change yourself.

Seventh, hang the sigil somewhere in your bedroom so that you will see it every morning.

Eighth, step away from the magical work. Move on to other activities.

Ninth, burn it. After you have forgotten what you wanted, burn the paper outside on a beautiful afternoon. Burn it to ashes. Cast the ashes to the earth with the confidence that the change has grown within you and will continue to grow.

Changing Reality - Rules of Shifting

Do you want to shift reality?

Reality and time can be shifted with contemporary magical techniques. Many magickal practices are essentially efforts to shift reality through ritual.


Learn the rules. Then you will learn how to break the rules.

You need to understand reality before you can change it.


Determine the change you will make.

Clearly visualize what you want. More than that, express what you want (through writing, drawing, sigilization, etc.) Express it in a way that aids your visualization of the change you want make.

Accept the limitations, then move beyond them.

To an extent, time and reality are hesitant to be changed. But it is possible to change them.

It helps to cast a spell to facilitate the change you want to make.

The primary steps in magickal reality shifting are determination, visualization, expression, and facilitation.

It's not easy magick and it's not always practical. It's the creation of a major change.

Finally.

Practice ethical magick. You cannot avoid that what you send out into the universe will come back to you.

Invoking Dinosaurs

Dinosaurs are a symbol of power and ancient strength. They are also a symbol of survival and evolution (when you consider the evolution of dinosaurs into birds).

Archaeopteryx Replica
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Check out the amazing rock and
mineral photography

Dinosaurs are suitable to invoke when you want to tap into an ancient power.

They are particularly appropriate if you are facing a frightening change in your life. Dinosaurs faced the most frightening changes in this world and they changed to face them.

Individual dinosaurs can be chosen for specific purposes such as the Brachiosaurus (to reach unreachable heights) or the Euoplocephalus, an armored dinosaur (for protection from hostility).

Fossils
According to recent discoveries, dinosaur fossils contain biological material from the ancient creatures. Mary Higby Schweitzer was able to retrieve soft tissue from a Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil.

The very power and strength of ancient creatures resonate in fossils.

Magical Amulets
Fossils are a good stone for ritual work.

There's also an infinite selection of symbols of dinosaurs available including charms and toys. The charms and toys are more readily available but you may have a stronger connection to stones.

A Brief Introduction to Amulet Work

A Selection of Amulets

An amulet will hold as much energy as you commit to it.

Some believe that plastic is not a good material for amulet work. I do not hold that position. Plastic can be reshaped to take on any form. It is the ultimate blank slate.

By working with different materials, you can learn what materials resonate with you.

Always cleanse an amulet before using it in a spell. Cleansing can be performed with water or with an elemental ritual.

Choose the material and symbol that best suits the intent of your spell.
======================================================================
Where to find amulets.

Look around your house. An old toy box is sure to reveal little toys (legos, little animals). Your old jewelry box is also a possible source for charms. Your change purse (pennies). A junk drawer (old keys or other odds and ends)

Craft stores often sell packets of charms for scrapbooking and jewelry making. Jewelry supply catalogs have a wide selection of charms representing every symbol imaginable.

Virtually any type of stone can be purchased online.

You can make your own amulets from many materials. 

One option, shrink plastic. There are several varieties of shrink plastic, including printable shrink plastic. (The Batman symbol in the photo was made using shrink plastic and an inkjet printer) You can cut out the symbol you want and bake it to make an amulet in whatever size you need.

The most commonly available material for amulets is paper. Fabric is also suitable.


Amulets can be spoken words.

Introduction to Incantations

Incantations can reach through time and through space and transform your life. Or they can be quick couplets written for protection from harm, for luck or any purpose imaginable.
======================================================================

On incantations...

An incantation is a spoken spell. It can be a spell on its own or it can be a component of a more intricate ritual.

An incantation can be long or short. Rhyme and meter are traditional.

It's not necessary to be Shakespeare to write a spell. You can always use a rhyming dictionary or a rhyming website.

The words you speak are a way to communicate with the universe and express your desire.

Negative desires possess the same risks as any negative magick. The energy that you send out into the universe will return to you. It is better to wish good on yourself than evil on another. It is even better to wish good on another.

Incantations are often repeated for increased power.

Focus and intent are important for the effectiveness of an incantation.

In your personal magickal record, write out your incantations and record any changes you make to the words.

Poetry of Gravestones

Poetry of Gravestones 

The oldest stones of the graveyards in my town have some beautiful words to remember the people that have passed.

In Memoriam: Mary 1799

In memory of Mary Daugr

of Joseph & Catharine Boyle

who died March 30th 1799

the 15th year of her age

It is the Lord our Saviours hand

Weakens our strength amidst the race

Disease & death at his command

Arrest us & cut short our days

Choosing the Language for Your Magick

Quick Tips

When choosing a language for writing incantations, you can choose from any language. I'm drawn primarily to Latin and English.

In the age of dictionaries, libraries, online translation, and "learn this language free" websites, your choices are unlimited. My favorite sources include google.translate.com and Random House dictionaries (and the library, you can't put a price on free). I bought a Japanese dictionary from Random House at a bookstore like 7 years ago. It's a great resource.

The best guideline for choosing a language is to stick with a language that is easy for you to memorize and on which you have a strong grasp.

Your native language is a good choice for primary spell work. A language with personal significance is a good choice as a secondary language (whether it be from your heritage or your personal history).

Despite what movies would have you believe, just reading a bunch of gobbledygook from an old book is not the way to conjure. Words without meaning are spells without power. The power of an incantation is in the meaning of your words and the intent you put behind them.

Magically Recovering from a Bad Day

Some days it's like I'm Wile E. Coyote. I have a plan...then there's this huge shadow over me...all I have is a little pink umbrella...and CRASH...a boulder comes down on my head...and that bird...that bird goes meep-meep.

What is there to do about soul-devouring days? Plenty.

There are many small cleansing practices that can help after a bad day.

1. Wash the bad day away. Take a shower and visualize the water carrying each moment of the day down the drain. Give yourself permission to forget about everything. Realize that only in leaving behind the day that has past can you start to prepare for tomorrow.

2. Try breathing. Find an image or song. Meditate on that inspiration and let it reignite you. Inhale and exhale. Picture a little spark. With each breath you are blowing on the spark and making it grow.

3. Take a walk and reconnect with nature and yourself.

Is this magic? Yes. It can be some of the most powerful and effective magic.

Do you think you need a different fix? Something with more punch than washing a bad day away.

4. Work a spell to give yourself a better umbrella (future articles will address specific spells). It could be a simple spell with an incantation and a candle or it could be a ritual with multiple components. Good luck, fortuna, and protection spells are suitable options.

Changing Reality - Reality Shifting

"From every point of entry...a wormhole branches into multiple paths." 

-Farscape "Unrealized Reality"

Noah's Ark Experiment
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from sleepyoctopus
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• Reality
• An infinite number of universes with untold possibilities exist.
• Reality is not static. 
• Reality changes all the time.
• Possibilities
• Changing reality through thought.
• Shifting into an alternate reality.
• Changing the odds of an event. 
• Tapping into another version of yourself.

Reality shifting is a powerful concept in magic. Shifting reality can allow you to achieve impossible things.

Some Ways to Use Reality Shifting to Change Your Life: When in the middle of an unbearable situation, be the version of yourself that knows how to face it. Visualize the reality you want and ways to achieve that reality. Use lessons learned in alternate timelines to improve your life and the lives of others. Change yourself and the world.

What the Bleep Do We Know!? is an interesting movie that addresses the idea of thought influencing reality (on a quantum level).  It visually illustrates some concepts in quantum physics that are helpful for reality shifting.

Alternate realities are a popular concept in television shows (Buffy, Warehouse 13, Farscape, Phineas and Ferb, MST3K). An episode of Farscape (Unrealized Realities) had John Crichton traveling to unrealized realities that were starkly different from his own. They all existed. But none of the realities existed for him except in those moments that he experienced them.

Alternate realities in television shows are generally used for dramatic or comedic effect but they illustrate a real idea. Every moment reshapes reality. An alternate reality could possess a version of you that you think is impossible (for better and worse).

Spirit Animals - Communication

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• Two possible ways to communicate with animal spirits, astral projection and visualization. Both take practice to achieve and master.

• A good place to start is by introducing yourself. The purpose is to open a line of communication with the animal from whom you are seeking assistance.

• Should you find yourself in need of help or guidance, ask for it. Your question will only be answered after you ask it.

• Finding the right spirit animal or your spirit guide is tricky. There are many websites and books that spell out qualities associated with specific animals. Ex. butterfly- metamorphosis, owl - wisdom

I have found the Smithsonian Natural History book really helpful. It's a beautiful book. It contains thousands of flora and fauna images. I found it at the library and took it out as a drawing reference. It weighs about 10 pounds. So after borrowing it two or three times, I realized the logical decision (to save my back) was to buy it. It was worth every penny (and more...since I bought it on sale).

The book opened my eyes to the full extent of diversity in the animal world. Lists of symbolic animals are a good place to start but not the only possible spirit guides.

Identifying your spirit guide takes effort. In television shows, it's a ritual with some burning herbs that includes a vision where the animal walks up to the character in a beautiful forest. It's not that easy. As you work with spirit animals, in time you will be guided to your spirit animal or spirit guide.

Some Tips for Creating a Spell

• A spell is a recipe. 



Can't Rain On My Parade
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• A spell needs the right ingredients combined in the right way.
• Timing is also important.
• Intent is the reason and emotion of a spell.
• Intent is more than what you want. It's what you feel while you're casting. It's why you are casting.
• Like attracts like.
• Do bad things and bad things will be attracted to you. 
• Do good things and good things will be attracted to you.
• "Be careful what you wish for"
• Be sure that you want what you ask the universe to give you.
• The universe may give you what you ask for, what you want, or what you need.
• Record what you do and learn.
• A book of magick is a personal expression of your understanding of magic.
• It is also a record of the spells you have cast.
• Incorporate the essential elements.
• The classical elements are most often quoted as being earth, air, fire, water, and spirit. 
• There are many different traditions of essential, classical and cosmic elements.
• Include a statement of purpose.
• This can be drawn, spoken, sculpted, written, or expressed in any way.
• Use what you have.
• A powerful spell can be cast using ingredients in your home and backyard.

Grave Photography

Take your camera to a graveyard...

Graveyards are peaceful places to take photographs. Historical graveyards offer a glimpse into the people that came before you.

In Memoriam: Hannah 1768

Hannah. Wife of [Illegible] Riky

& Daughter of John Roy Esq.

& Margaret his Wife,

died Sept ye 24th AD 1768.

aged 21 Years, 10 Months & 23 ds

My Glass is run, my Grave you see,

Prepare for Death & follow me

Color Magick - Gotham

Costumes are one way to invoke the characters of Batman.

Omgitsemilyc (Maiden of Mischief) was kind enough to let me feature her photography in this article. The confidence and skill of cosplayers is awe-inspiring.

Color can be used to evoke the heroes and villains of Gotham in artwork and magical works.

I once took a lampworking class (Lampworking is sitting over an open propane torch and shaping glass into beads. It's a blast.). There was a little mold that let me make a skull-shaped bead. I used white, green, purple, and red glass rods for the skull. It was my little Joker skull bead.

Choose a character that possesses a quality that you wish to evoke to charge your spell. ex. The colors of Batman can help charge your spell with the power of the Dark Knight.

• Gotham colors:
• Heroes
• Batgirl - blue, grey, yellow (alternatively black)
• Batman - black, yellow (alternatively blue)
• Huntress - purple, black, gold
• Nightwing - blue, black (alternatively red)
• Robin - red, green, yellow
• Villains
• Catwoman - black (alternatively purple)
• Mr. Freeze - silver, white
• Harley Quinn - white, black, red
• Joker - purple, green, white, red
• Penguin - black, white
• Poison Ivy - green, orange
• The Riddler - green, black
• Scarecrow - brown, tan
• Two-Face - black and white, purple (alternatively gray)

Note: If there is a Gotham resident that you feel I must include in the list, use the contact form and I'll add it (with a footnote thanking your contribution).