“BUY! BUY! Cauldron £65, Wand £80, Cloak, Anna Riva Oil £4.95 for 5ml etc.” These days we seem to have made everything consumer friendly, if it isn’t food, then its spirituality. We have come to the idea of making our beliefs just as comfortable to our lifestyle. But when this occurs do we not seem to become so comfortable, that nowadays we also seem to be making magick faster like microwave spells these days? We seem to forget that most of the ways we practice are from the old ways, where magick was simple and self-grown and harvested. Though many people today come to paganism with the idea either its nature based or magick only… now I wouldn’t say it doesn’t offer this, but is this all we offer? Personally, I was drawn to the traditions of the old way due to losing what we seem to lose each day – local customs and truths. We seem to not grasp the longer we become isolated in concrete forests. Many of us wander, aimlessly wandering, what would fulfil us in the days we are going through many of us would cling to comforts and this then leads to the journey of self-discovery? When we are made to do something against our own free will, we will naturally go against this. But do we realise that when we do something more than we should, it becomes indulgence, then it becomes Greed? Where do we learn our limit? When enough is enough? This then leads to Spiritual obesity (ok, I’m not pointing any wands here! All I’m saying is that people who practice must enjoy it and live it, not sit back and do nothing. We need to keep our spirits in shape, not just our body.)
While shopping I would buy all sorts, spending a lot of money in a particular shop, I’d always visit any local new age shop, occult or alternative bookstore (no matter what they sold it was always polite even if I didn’t like the shop I’d still buy incense). But this shop in particular. I fell in love with the atmosphere. It sold everything imaginable, though I have a guilty pleasure, BOOKS! You can never have enough. Those of us in the craft. We all love to read! I would say we are so well versed and well-read it’s underestimated, most folk don’t realise how much we read for a belief which says it’s not a “religion of the book”. I think we’ve become the “keeper of BOOKS” instead. Here the music brought me in (deva primal Moola mantra was playing, the haunting music drew me in), the incense was all appealing. Yet I would begin to buy, and the woman would become interested, but instead of just becoming interested, our bill would grow as well, as she would tour around the shop and say “Ah! Darling seriously you practice this? Have your tried this incense and what about this oil? Would you not like this? Go on I wouldn’t say all shops are like this! Don’t get me wrong, these places cater for us all on all levels, but back then my naivety or maybe my thirst to know more made me buy more, (don’t look at me as if im the only one. I know, while you read this in your hands, the Pagan dawn is either being bought at your local shop and you’re reading this, or cozied up with a nice herbal tea in your little altar space, gradually growing.) So, yes we have all done this, and this isn’t bad. Though, when do we move away from tools and pop culture to explore the depths, and the mystery which lies at the heart of this tradition? “is this a Nature based belief, or Nature based belief”, when I thought this, it occurred to me many times, is it Nature as in fields, trees and the environment around us; or Nature as in our personality and ego. We forget to realise the power of words. I wondered if sometimes we should respect and practice with our spirituality in a way where it shouldn’t be static. We do tend to become bogged down in Theory, and forget to experiment and explore, and not be distracted by the glitz and glam. True, it’s nice to spoil yourself when you want, but my life and world view changed when I began to delve into rootwork and hoodoo, and go back to my ROOTS. I was having intense dreams and was exploring my ancestry and wanted to know more about myself. The theme “know thyself” occurred a lot.
I was now having this urge to go to India! While I arrived, I felt a beauty, as always. I’d been a few times before, but what I felt this time was a sense of depth inside. I was researching “something”. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular but the environment was ALIVE. I was able to look at the poverty in India; how children at the age of 4-5 would beg and ask for one or two rupees, or how people who had nothing still seemed to make the most of themselves. I was changing.
After going back to my roots and learning about myself and my ancestors, a deeper sense came over me. It was like I felt content inside. I no longer felt the need to buy! Or go and get this. It was like I would find things spontaneously and “magickally”. When I came back, I realised we don’t need to go over the top. The Craft was nature based and now I make Incense at home, with dried herbs and oils, candles, and I began to get my own graveyard dirt and use a lot of stuff such as saints and psalms (yes I do use anything which is available and it works well) and I would venture to places which I wouldn’t have before, these days I still attend moots and rituals, but on a personal level, I work on nature and animistic ways, which I learn to do intuitively, I would recommend reading on practical books (Judika Illes – 5,000 spell book and any of her various titles, is the best for anyone, who wants to learn It’s my favourite tombe – don’t be put off by the size you can study it in any way!)
Also when I started practicing hoodoo and folk magick it took me back to realising how the old ways really would have worked, and relived, and why the wise ones were, while going to moots these people become a Community, and each community if explored properly brings something to each of us. If we give, we can take, and I’m blessed being with the people I’m with. When I say this, I don’t mean solitaries don’t have anything to get from this, as you see we always come across many folk who ask for all the tools (as if someone just posted their Hogwarts school list, and due to the closest shop being so far, that it becomes a MUST to have all the tools!) But really, do we need it?
Finally, I think for anyone walking any path, we should explore it, enjoy it, and contemplate as life is one journey we shouldn’t rush or just throw away. And when on a spiritual path, we come face to face with so much that it makes us who we are. This is the reason why I would say, if you do shop again, remember to think of “Do you need it?” And if not what can you use instead, or can you find it somewhere in nature such as a herb or grow it yourself! And if you’re in a shop or occult bookstore, don’t feel like any one of your questions should be useless or stupid – for this is why the shop assistant is there (trust me working in a shop full of crystals, statues of fairies and angels, maybe a dream to some but when it comes to cleaning cabinets and sorting things out it can be boring. Those glass cabinets aren’t self-cleaning or we don’t have self-sweeping brooms like mickey mouse’s sorcerer’s apprentice) we do love to chat and have time go by. If the person doesn’t respond I guess that’s just them or they have more reading to do! You never know where you’ll go if you don’t ask or question you may never know. Explore as much as possible and experiment (safely vesta powder should be used outdoors please, in your room isn’t a good idea). And also when you practice after so many years, you realise why! (I can’t tell you as you know it’s a mystery tradition. My truth is different from yours’, all I’m saying is go out and find it!), once again practice! By loving it; living it and finally being it! This is how magick then becomes a part of you and not something in a jar or obscure.
Blessed Be. Avi Lago.
Y! BUY! Cauldron £65, Wand £80, Cloak, Anna Riva Oil £4.95 for 5ml etc.” These days we seem to have made everything consumer friendly, if it isn’t food, then its spirituality. We have come to the idea of making our beliefs just as comfortable to our lifestyle. But when this occurs do we not seem to become so comfortable, that nowadays we also seem to be making magick faster like microwave spells these days? We seem to forget that most of the ways we practice are from the old ways, where magick was simple and self-grown and harvested. Though many people today come to paganism with the idea either its nature based or magick only… now I wouldn’t say it doesn’t offer this, but is this all we offer? Personally, I was drawn to the traditions of the old way due to losing what we seem to lose each day – local customs and truths. We seem to not grasp the longer we become isolated in concrete forests. Many of us wander, aimlessly wandering, what would fulfil us in the days we are going through many of us would cling to comforts and this then leads to the journey of self-discovery? When we are made to do something against our own free will, we will naturally go against this. But do we realise that when we do something more than we should, it becomes indulgence, then it becomes Greed? Where do we learn our limit? When enough is enough? This then leads to Spiritual obesity (ok, I’m not pointing any wands here! All I’m saying is that people who practice must enjoy it and live it, not sit back and do nothing. We need to keep our spirits in shape, not just our body.)
While shopping I would buy all sorts, spending a lot of money in a particular shop, I’d always visit any local new age shop, occult or alternative bookstore (no matter what they sold it was always polite even if I didn’t like the shop I’d still buy incense). But this shop in particular. I fell in love with the atmosphere. It sold everything imaginable, though I have a guilty pleasure, BOOKS! You can never have enough. Those of us in the craft. We all love to read! I would say we are so well versed and well-read it’s underestimated, most folk don’t realise how much we read for a belief which says it’s not a “religion of the book”. I think we’ve become the “keeper of BOOKS” instead. Here the music brought me in (deva primal Moola mantra was playing, the haunting music drew me in), the incense was all appealing. Yet I would begin to buy, and the woman would become interested, but instead of just becoming interested, our bill would grow as well, as she would tour around the shop and say “Ah! Darling seriously you practice this? Have your tried this incense and what about this oil? Would you not like this? Go on I wouldn’t say all shops are like this! Don’t get me wrong, these places cater for us all on all levels, but back then my naivety or maybe my thirst to know more made me buy more, (don’t look at me as if im the only one. I know, while you read this in your hands, the Pagan dawn is either being bought at your local shop and you’re reading this, or cozied up with a nice herbal tea in your little altar space, gradually growing.) So, yes we have all done this, and this isn’t bad. Though, when do we move away from tools and pop culture to explore the depths, and the mystery which lies at the heart of this tradition? “is this a Nature based belief, or Nature based belief”, when I thought this, it occurred to me many times, is it Nature as in fields, trees and the environment around us; or Nature as in our personality and ego. We forget to realise the power of words. I wondered if sometimes we should respect and practice with our spirituality in a way where it shouldn’t be static. We do tend to become bogged down in Theory, and forget to experiment and explore, and not be distracted by the glitz and glam. True, it’s nice to spoil yourself when you want, but my life and world view changed when I began to delve into rootwork and hoodoo, and go back to my ROOTS. I was having intense dreams and was exploring my ancestry and wanted to know more about myself. The theme “know thyself” occurred a lot.
I was now having this urge to go to India! While I arrived, I felt a beauty, as always. I’d been a few times before, but what I felt this time was a sense of depth inside. I was researching “something”. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular but the environment was ALIVE. I was able to look at the poverty in India; how children at the age of 4-5 would beg and ask for one or two rupees, or how people who had nothing still seemed to make the most of themselves. I was changing.
After going back to my roots and learning about myself and my ancestors, a deeper sense came over me. It was like I felt content inside. I no longer felt the need to buy! Or go and get this. It was like I would find things spontaneously and “magickally”. When I came back, I realised we don’t need to go over the top. The Craft was nature based and now I make Incense at home, with dried herbs and oils, candles, and I began to get my own graveyard dirt and use a lot of stuff such as saints and psalms (yes I do use anything which is available and it works well) and I would venture to places which I wouldn’t have before, these days I still attend moots and rituals, but on a personal level, I work on nature and animistic ways, which I learn to do intuitively, I would recommend reading on practical books (Judika Illes – 5,000 spell book and any of her various titles, is the best for anyone, who wants to learn It’s my favourite tombe – don’t be put off by the size you can study it in any way!)
Also when I started practicing hoodoo and folk magick it took me back to realising how the old ways really would have worked, and relived, and why the wise ones were, while going to moots these people become a Community, and each community if explored properly brings something to each of us. If we give, we can take, and I’m blessed being with the people I’m with. When I say this, I don’t mean solitaries don’t have anything to get from this, as you see we always come across many folk who ask for all the tools (as if someone just posted their Hogwarts school list, and due to the closest shop being so far, that it becomes a MUST to have all the tools!) But really, do we need it?
Finally, I think for anyone walking any path, we should explore it, enjoy it, and contemplate as life is one journey we shouldn’t rush or just throw away. And when on a spiritual path, we come face to face with so much that it makes us who we are. This is the reason why I would say, if you do shop again, remember to think of “Do you need it?” And if not what can you use instead, or can you find it somewhere in nature such as a herb or grow it yourself! And if you’re in a shop or occult bookstore, don’t feel like any one of your questions should be useless or stupid – for this is why the shop assistant is there (trust me working in a shop full of crystals, statues of fairies and angels, maybe a dream to some but when it comes to cleaning cabinets and sorting things out it can be boring. Those glass cabinets aren’t self-cleaning or we don’t have self-sweeping brooms like mickey mouse’s sorcerer’s apprentice) we do love to chat and have time go by. If the person doesn’t respond I guess that’s just them or they have more reading to do! You never know where you’ll go if you don’t ask or question you may never know. Explore as much as possible and experiment (safely vesta powder should be used outdoors please, in your room isn’t a good idea). And also when you practice after so many years, you realise why! (I can’t tell you as you know it’s a mystery tradition. My truth is different from yours’, all I’m saying is go out and find it!), once again practice! By loving it; living it and finally being it! This is how magick then becomes a part of you and not something in a jar or obscure.
Blessed Be.
Avi Lago.
Avi Lago 