Ex Penna

So I meet a witch and we begin to engage in that most sacred of magical rituals, the Intellect Dance. Who knows more? Who's read more books? What spells have you cast? What was your most impressive success?

We weave around each other offering tiny boasts, sprinkling the exchange with quizzes and minor tricks.

And in the midst of this--especially when it's painfully obvious that there's no need for it--I offer up too much information.  I say something that gives away what took me years to discover. Or maybe I reveal my ignorance of a popular practice. Or brag that my collection contains illegal items and then spend the rest of our conversation wondering if I can trust you to keep that to yourself.


Then there are the times I've found a conversant who thrills at the topic of magic but has very little knowledge of it. I should take it slow, lay out something soft and easy to digest, but instead, my excitement overrides my judgement and suddenly I'm chatting about my history with coercive love spells. Or I launch into a passionate rant about the value of demonic evocations. Or gossip about the trouble I've had with covenmates in the past.

Yep, I've said too much again.

As you know, I'm a firm believer that all practitioners, as to their desire, should be honest with themselves and others. We have the right to openly discuss our knowledge, abilities, and practices on the same level as any other person, and to use our magic in whatever way we choose. That being said, there is a definite point when things can go too far and that which should have been better guarded is allowed to land in front of those utterly unprepared to receive it. The one hurt by a reveal like this could be either party, or both.

So the question becomes, is there is a limit and, if so, can it be perfectly predicted?  Is there a way to prevent spilling secrets to those with whom we don't share a magical intimacy?

To this end I've devised a simple method--SCRIBE

 

 

SETTING

Does this information fit this time and place? Should I save it for a more private occasion? Would it be best shared after I've gotten to know this person better?

CONTEXT

Does this information fit the current conversation? Am I rerouting its direction just to talk about witchcraft?

RESPONSE

Is this a conversation? Will the other person have anything to add to this topic?

INTEREST

If I consider this informative, has this person expressed interest or am I just spouting facts?

BREVITY

Do I have already in mind the best way to express this concept to this person? Am I able to explain it without slowing down the give-and-take of our conversation?

EGO

(As honest as you can) Is this just bragging? What do I hope to gain by sharing this?

Some Life Experience

As often happens to those of us who inhabit a counterculture, I've been faced with circumstances that give me only a moment's pause to consider whether or not to open up to a certain person about my occult life. Sometimes it has proven to be the wisest choice.

An example that I often return to is a story that Silver RavenWolf told in her book "To Ride a Silver Broomstick" wherein she told a job interviewer that she was a witch--before she even got the job. That, to me, is the absolute wrong time, wrong person, wrong place kind of scenario. How many of the SCRIBE items did she forget to check before she came out with this information?  

Keeping Perspective

Magic is a big, emotional topic and it seems that everyone--even non-practitioners--have big, emotional opinions about it. Keep this in mind when you're talking to others, especially if you stray into the more controversial corners.  If you keep facts clearly separate from opinions, maintain a strong take-away message, and hold onto a "quick escape" statement in case you need to wrap things up quickly (especially if the other person is getting upset at your choice of discussion), and all will be well.

Remember that sharing of all kinds is about letting people in on the real you. This means that anyone from your sister to the coworker you've been hanging out with after work can hear about this part of your life and it isn't going to ruin everything. Naturally, too, other witches should hear about your take on magic.  The secretive nature of the occult really does us a disservice when we try to hide from fellow practitioners.



So go on--share! But do it like all your magic: with care, skill, and no more than is required.






Images from:

empowher.com/adult-living/content/do-i-talk-too-much
pontosdeumbanda.com.br/category/omulu
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki
relate.org.uk/relationship-help/help-relationships/making-your-relationship-stronger/talking-friends-about-relationship-problems

Flakiness exists in every subculture. There's always going to be that set of people who just seem to float from place to place, ideology to aesthetic, without any real ties to any of it. Such is the way for the ones who inhabit the magical community.

Just what are we talking about when we say "flakes" or "phonies" or "fake witches"? Usually, when that kind of language is thrown around--and generally, with as much venom as possible-- the individual in question displays one or more of the following qualities:

• False knowledge or no knowledge
• Pretentious behavior
• Unwillingness to commit to a coven's expectations
• Free-will taken to a selfish degree
• Carefree turning to carelessness

It scares us that we are surrounded by--and possibly are just such a one ourselves--people of no substance.

That happens, folks.

We need to come to terms with that. What means anything now is what we do with that knowledge. Stop acting like flakes are going to be anything but. It's okay. That's what they do; they're going to let you down, they'll tell you flimsy lies, they'll give you the runaround about the smallest, dumbest things. But that's what you should expect of any flake, not just the magical ones.

Because the magical community loves its autonomy and self-directed paths, we're dealing with a fair amount of them. Because we deal with outcomes that don't have a direct physical correlation to the work we put in, they can say a lot before we realize that they know nothing. But that doesn't mean that we should spend all our energy decrying them.

I've had coven-mates who were flakes. One was a glorious example of what not to be, and the rest of the coven was bolstered by it. We were stronger before this person was booted out. Sometimes, an in-group is given its strength by the existence of an out-group.

I've met with new people who did their level best to snow me into being impressed by them, even to the point of later telling everyone that I had begged them to teach me, which was ridiculously false.

But that's not the thrust of what I do, not then and not today. I am a stronger witch based on the storms that I've weathered, the troubles I've endured, the problems I've solved, and--yes--the flakes I've suffered and from which I've drawn wisdom.

So feel free to kick them out, to turn away every flake and every false witch if you feel so compelled. But stop acting like there won't be two more on the way. Instead, get smart, get tough, be firm, turn away from what is wrong for you and for your coven. But then let it die. Don't worry over it. Don't barrage others with expectations of eradicating them totally.

It just can't happen.

Dream Bible: the Online Guide to Dream Interpretation


Keeping a diary of your dreams can be a good way to keep track of the hidden things, the broken things, and the undigested knowledge we gain every day.  Some dreams are straight-forward replays of the waking world but others require some delving to understand their true meaning.

To aid you, I offer today's link: an expansive listing of dream interpretations for you to check against the wonderland of your dream world.