it’s a witchy life

Gemini Season Collective Tarot Reading

I want everyone to know that there are queers in the hollers of Appalachia, in the bayous and marshland of the Deep South, in Southwestern deserts, through the Ozark mountains and up to the Rockies. There are queers in the Great Plains, there are queers in rural America, in trailer parks of the Osage foothills. In the places you least expect us to live, we are here, carving out community and fighting for liberation with pride despite it all. Stop forgetting about us. Stop overlooking our experiences and our impact just because we don’t live in a Big Gay City. And for the love of God, stop looking at us with pity.

Here’s a tip for newbie/baby witches: Always, ALWAYS exercise the utmost caution around anyone offering to be your teacher. If somebody approaches you saying something like “I’m a magic practitioner looking for a student” it’s never a bad idea to just… RUN. I’m serious. The reason is, the kind of people who go around doing this are not the kinds of people you want to get involved with. A lot of them are just straight-up sexual predators. You’ll often find these ones saying they’re into Tantric magic, or that they can sense something really amazing in you, or that they can sense some deep mystical connection with you. Many of them are wannabe mystical leaders who think they’ve discovered some great truth, but in reality they’re so far up their own asses they can’t tell down from up. They tend to have really fragile egos and will lash out if you question them on anything. Some of them are Nazi recruiters. These ones often lean into the conspiracy theory angle, claiming that true history has been covered up and the world is under the control of malevolent forces. They frequently also position themselves as being able to lift you from abject unhappiness and failure. Here are some red flags with anyone claiming to be some kind of spiritual leader or teacher: Conspiracism: For example, telling you that the supposed great wisdom they’re offering to share with you has been intentionally suppressed by a grand conspiracy. Claiming anyone who disagrees with them and their teachings is part of said conspiracy. Claiming that nothing in books can ever be trusted because this members of the conspiracy managed to corrupt all the documents for all time. Evading basic questions: For example, if you ask them which books or traditions they’ve studied and they act like you’re being impertinent, or respond with some vague answer like “I learned from the great spiritual masters.” Promising you amazing life-changing results: For example, claiming that they can make you wealthy, heal all your illnesses, or give your life purpose. (Honestly, anyone who claims they’re here to give you purpose is never to be trusted, because they’re basically just here to recruit you into their cause.) Pressure to commit: For example, claiming that you’ll miss out on some amazing opportunity if you don’t join or follow them right now (FOMO), or refusing to answer basic questions about their beliefs until after you’ve joined their group. Disrespecting boundaries: For example, pressuring you to tell them personally identifying information (no one you meet on the internet needs your real name), or any other kind of sensitive information (for example, traumatic memories), or trying to make you wholly dependent on them.

Acting like they’re entitled to degrade and humiliate you: For example, claiming that they can’t build you up unless they break you down first, or claiming that you just won’t learn unless they talk to you that way, or claiming they’re “just telling you like it is.”

Anything else that looks scammy: All spiritual frauds are essentially just scam artists. If you see them promising maximum results for minimum effort, pushing toxic positivity pushing a spiritual grindset, paywalling allegedly vital information, acting like they have this super-amazing thing you just have to get in on, or anything else scam artists often do, get the heck out! I know a lot of baby witches out there really like the idea of a personal spiritual mentor, but that’s not really feasible for most practitioners. We live in the same shitty world you do, and a lot of us are struggling just to survive. The idea of a personal mentor can definitely be really appealing in a world where it can be extremely difficult to connect with others and form meaningful relationships. Unfortunately, this is exactly what frauds and predators are taking advantage of. If you’re lonely, then try and reach out to people. Try and get involved in online witch communities, or just any communities at all. Talk to people here on Tumblr or wherever. For learning witchcraft, the best way to do that is to just do the research. Yes, there’s a lot of dodgy information out there, but there’s also a lot of people right here who can help you learn how to avoid all that.

This is something I was thinking about warning my followers about as well, but this is said so well and with much more than I was planning on adding. This is all excellent advice; please pay close attention.

Nathalie

Here is the newest collective reading!

It feels like the community forgets about these things a lot, so a reminder for us all:

If you're unable to tell the difference between misinformation and differing opinions, it's best not to label something as wrong without seeking further context. Magic comes in many forms, built from many different cultures and religions, and chances are you're not going to find somebody whose practices exactly match yours.

Know when it's best to keep your opinions to yourself.

Secular Celebrations - Midsummer

After Beltane comes Midsummer, which some also call Litha, mid to late June. I call it “probably already too hot to go outside.” I’m not exactly a summertime person to begin with and I live in Virginia, in the middle of a swamp. So the rest of you can enjoy Midsummer. I’m going to be spending it indoors where the air conditioning is.

Midsummer is the summer solstice, the middle of the growing season, the highest point of high summer. It’s a time to celebrate the hard work we’ve done, take a bit of ease while the weather is pleasant, and have a good romp before we have to start bringing in the harvests in August. If you work with solar magic or the Fair Folk, this is your holiday. Both of these themes run deep and strong through Midsummer, along with the urge to get outside and revel in the beauty of nature at peak flourish.

So enjoy Midsummer first and foremost by getting outside...if you can. If it’s too damn hot, yanno, be realistic. But at least make an effort if you enjoy the hotter weather and it’s not dangerous to be out. Go to your favorite park, maybe go to the beach, go hiking, go to a pick-your-own fruit farm, have a picnic, attend a fair or a carnival, do some stargazing. All this assumes a lot about public safety since we’re still living in the COVID era, so use your good judgement. If it’s not safe to be around crowds, try to focus on solo activities or things you can do in the safety of your home or your backyard.

This is another good time for herb-picking. If you have a garden, your plants should be producing by this point, and you can start pruning your plants and drying those trimmings for use in your craft. This is actually my favorite part of the summer. I love putting up those bundles of plants and flowers to dry, I love the look of them in my home, and I love the satisfaction of putting the dried material into jars for storage. And hey, if you’re not growing anything, you can still enjoy this by picking up fresh herbs from the supermarket or the local garden store and drying them.

You can also go herb gathering like I mentioned for Beltane, since different plants will be in season. Again, always observe permission and best practices if you’re going to do this. And always make sure you label your bundles and your jars for easy identification.

On a practical note, if you’re going to be doing things outside for Midsummer, always make sure you wear sunscreen and adequate clothing to avoid too much UV exposure, including a face covering. Remember to hydrate properly throughout the day, be careful with your alcohol intake, and if you start to feel tired or woozy, or if you stop sweating, get out of the sun IMMEDIATELY. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are no joke, witches. Take care of yourselves out there.

And speaking of herbs and ways of keeping cool, one of the things I really enjoy doing in the summertime is making magical iced teas. I know some of my overseas listeners might be blinking in confusion right about now, so if you’ve never heard of this, let me enlighten you. In the US, particularly in the South, we’re very fond of iced tea. Now, that doesn’t mean cold tea, it’s tea that’s been sweetened and chilled, and it’s usually served over ice with lemon or mint leaves, depending on the recipe. This is a fun and easy herbal potion that anyone can make. You just need a pitcher of hot water, some herbal tea bags, some sugar or honey, and whatever flavorings you want to add.

Using several teabags or a big pouch of looseleaf tea, mix up a batch of tea that’s a little stronger than you’d usually make for a hot cuppa. Stir in sugar or honey until it’s as sweet as you like it - we usually go a step or two sweeter than you’d think. Then add whatever flavorings you like. And you can use just about anything for this. I’m partial to a nice blend of chamomile and peppermint with a good dollop of honey, or white tea with jasmine, or spearmint and elderflower, or hibiscus and raspberry. Lavender and lemon is another popular recipe, if you can get your hands on culinary lavender. (And yes, there IS a difference between lavender grown for the kitchen and lavender grown for aromatherapy purposes, so shop carefully.) Feel free to make drinks that correspond to magical purposes, too. Health, wealth, happiness, whatever you like. Sweet iced potions? Yes please!

This can be stretched to alcoholic drinks too, if you’re partial. I mean, what are we even doing with our craft if we’re not stirring spells into sangria or joining the midnight margarita club, right? My husband makes a delightful little cocktail he calls a Gardener’s Tonic - basically a gin and tonic with muddled sweet basil and lime juice and a slice of cucumber. Just make sure that when you’re enjoying your alcoholic alchemy, you’re doing so responsibly.

So once you’ve got your drink of choice and you’ve had a chance to relax, look to your homestead. Tend that garden, like I mentioned before. Attend to any pest problems you might be having, or any home repairs that might need doing. Try not to put things off. Once autumn arrives, you may find that you’re too busy. Reorganize your witchy supplies. If you’ve got new material or new tools coming in, try to declutter and get rid of anything that’s gone stale or sour, or anything that’s used up. Check your jars for signs of mold and give your accoutrements a good cleaning.

If you feel that kitchen witch itch, there’s a cream for that….it’s in the fridge next to the milk. (I apologize for NOTHING.) You can check on the beverages you started back around Beltane, or start a batch if you didn’t do one in the spring. You can start a sourdough, since that seems to be all the rage right now, or make preserves and jams with those early fruits and berries. Make food or homemade sweet with local produce and local honey. Oh and bless the bees and the pollinators while you’re at it! Bless their little hearts, they bring so much sweetness to the world, they deserve thanks for their hard work.

Midsummer is a big holiday for picnics, so if you can have one, definitely do it, even if it’s just on your back porch. If you happen to have a fenced yard and a tent to work with, maybe try an overnight campout just for fun. My dad used to do this all the time when my brother and I were kids. We’d set up a tent in the backyard, he’d drag out a TV and VCR on extension cords, and we’d stay up half the night watching movies and eating junk food. Hey, we were suburban kids, my dad’s idea of “roughing it” was having no remote for the TV. It was super fun, and if you can manage something like this, I definitely recommend it to witches with little ones. Lot of good memories there, if they’re inclined to such things.

Of course, summer isn’t all clear skies and sunshine. Sometimes it rains. But heck, that can be just as much fun. Apart from the obvious option of gathering the rainwater for magical purposes, have you ever gone out in the rain on purpose? When it’s warm out and the rain is coming down in nice fat drops and you’re wearing stuff that can stand a little soaking, few things are more fun than running around and getting absolutely drenched. I’ve got a few fond memories of walking in the woods during rainstorms with my bestie from middle school. There’s a saying that goes, “Life isn’t about avoiding the storms, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.” If there’s not a danger of lightning, I definitely recommend giving it a try. It’s really kind of exhilarating.

Midsummer is the longest day of the year. It’s the day when we see the most light, the earliest sunrise, the latest sunset. Meditate on how you can bring more light and positivity into your life, and how you can have a positive impact on the lives of others, on your community, and the world in general. Think about your productivity, your projects, your path to personal growth. How are things going? Is there anything that feels stuck that needs to be addressed? Where can you modify your outlook to something more optimistic, and where do you maybe need to take off the rose-colored glasses and be more of a realist? All things to contemplate while you’re sipping that magical iced tea potion.

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Ok, so you want to practice every day?

You know what, valid. So do I. I'm going to make this as short as I can because we have a lot to get through.

"Practice" does not equal repeating exercises and casting spells.

When witches say "in my practice," IMO they are using this word interchangeably with "in my path," or "when I actively engage in my path."

Eschew the idea that your "daily practice" is supposed to be a workout routine that is training you for something better.

Embrace the idea that we're actually talking about "practicing daily," aka "engaging with my path on a daily basis." You aren't training for the next thing - you're at the thing already :)

Your daily practice needs to start with what you want out of your faith and practice.

Brainstorm your idealized path. I mean envision yourself in the cutest little cottagecore village, living your total fantasy witch life. What are you doing?

Do you want to...

(The list goes on)

Also ask yourself what you don't want. Gods freak you out? Ok, don't interact with them. You want to do pure energy work with very little ritual ingredients? Beautiful. Stand your ground, flip off people who tell you "but witches worship pagan gods and burn candles to their familiars 🥺"

Find ways to start including what is the most important to you in your daily life.

It might be helpful to make a list of the 1-3 things you really want to focus on right now. If it helps, choose a time frame of weeks to try out these practices and see if you like them.

But before you get too far into that:

[Picture ID: A tweet from @rmccarthyjames which reads, "all of my plans for the future involve me waking up tomorrow with a sudden sense of discipline and adherence to routine that i have never displayed even once in my life"]

This, right here, is what we want to avoid.

Please, for the love of God, do not sit down and say, "okay, I'm going to wake up 30 minutes early and do a 15 minute meditation each morning, then 5-10 minutes of energy exercises. Then, I'm going to ground and center (energy work goals). Then during breakfast I'll enchant my food and read about herbalism while I eat (kitchen witch goals). Then, in the evening ---"

I can pretty much guarantee you that almost any activity you have access to right now will be actively draining.

Magical techniques, exercises, and spellwork take energy - just like working out at the gym.

Meditation, grounding, and centering can restore metaphysical energy to your body, and increase your access to it. But it's like eating a protein bar after a workout - you still have to rest and recover.

So if you've tried to stick to "do X, Y, Z" activities every day and failed, ask yourself if you were actually engaging in a strenuous magical workout routine that wore you into the ground.

Instead of choosing "X activity for Y minutes at Z time every day, consider this:

One of the most available ways you can engage in your path is by dwelling within your magical and spiritual worldviews.

The more you dwell within your magical and spiritual worldviews, the more you "phase in" to the reality that you're a witch and magic is within you and around you.

Over time, constantly engaging with your path in these small ways - through choosing to see the world through the lens of your practice - makes choosing and employing "techniques," exercises, and spells soooo much more relevant and practical.

With that tangent is out of the way, practical tips for how to interact with your path on a daily basis:

Avoid "daily" activities with a high barrier to entry. If you make all these rules and regulations for your own practice, like you have to make a journal entry for every spell and magical activity, and it has to include the moon phase and planetary hour, you're going to be engaging probably a lot less than you think you will.

Choose activities which directly help and support your day to day life.

You do not need to create barriers to these things. You DO NOT need to meditate, ground, or center before you make an energy shield. You can just make one right now, actually.

You don't need to learn protection and warding before you practice talking to the nature spirits around you, or bringing protective presences into your sphere.

You don't need to copy down a two-page spell and then write grimoire entries for each correspondence before you can do effective spells and charms.

One of the easiest ways to perform casual, daily magic is to extend regular daily actions into the spirit world.

(For me, the "spirit world" is where all magic happens. Maybe you might call it the etheric, or the energy-double of the world).

("Expend energy" can be done in many ways; most often we say "visualization" but you can also dedicate your power to the task through words of intent ["I apply my power to nourish myself thrice over"], mindfulness [staying present in the moment and maintaining focus on your spiritual goal], physical gestures [stirring food clockwise with the knowledge that you are stirring power into it], etc.)

So you've found some free time. What do you want to do with it?

Maybe you started energy shielding earlier this week, and now you're feeling worn out and just want to take a day off.

Hot take: "Hey, I'm too tired to do this magical thing, I'm going to choose something else instead" is engaging with your path :) You didn't forget or ignore your path. You checked in with your magical self, took stock of the situation, and choose the activity of rest.

Be flexible!

I personally say, give all techniques and methods a chance. I myself am not a person where I start out good at things. I'm one of the people where I start out bad at things and get a little better each time I practice.

But if a technique is not vibing with you, or if new concerns arise in your life, there's no need to dedicate yourself to doing something you don't like and don't need for the sake of reaching an arbitrary goal of completion.

Remember, it's not a daily workout until you're good enough to improve your life.

It's improving your life, right now, and each time you do it you get a lil better at it :)

Your path is not subject to object impermanence*.

(*The following is primarily poetic; take it or leave it as you please)

You are what you are and wherever you stand, there your path is around you. To try and curse your path into a quasi-existence where it only appears when you're making energy balls is a terrible fate for a path to be bound to.

It's your friend. It wants to be with you. It doesn't want to be told it's invisible and un-present unless you're staring it in the eye.

A great deal of my early path was taking huge breaks from magical practice - I mean, for months and months at a time. It's called the Crooked Path, not the Straightforward Linear Path Where Expected Things Occur.

Sure, if you're done with witchcraft for a while (or forever), set it aside. Tell your path it's done, closed down, and you'll be back when you're back.

But while you're in, you're walking it. Is your path one where you accidentally forget witchcraft exists and take breaks for months at a time without meaning to? So that's your path. It matches you step for step, no matter where you go.

It doesn't go hungry - you eat and you sleep, and it eats and rests with you. It doesn't feel rejected - it's right there with you. When you touch the doorknob, your path reaches through and holds your hand. When you write a school exam, it traces the pencil lead from the other side. It doesn't matter if you know it or see it - it's there, patient and waiting, watching you with love. All you need to do is fail to believe that your path is gone when you stop paying attention to it.

Bring a little magic wherever you go. Especially good for protection or luck sigils ✨

• March 7/8/9 Daily Reading •

The only other place I've shown this reading is in my snap and ig stories where I've been debuting Rachel True's Tarot Deck since the beginning of February. I post my personal readings weekly and discuss all things divination + writing in those stories so if you're interested in seeing more of this deck in my other readings and discussions, inbox me about the snap access. If you want to support my content, follow my writing blog or my new tiktok to see more of my work. And of course please always share my public work, I've put so much time and love into it + I'm so passionate about what I do and love to share that with others who have interest.

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