Luzhiantil

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See, that’s what the app is perfect for.

Sounds perfect Wahhhh, I don’t wanna

This is my main blog page.

I’m a 30 something polytheistic pagan who does minimalistic magic and is slightly lazy (overwhelmed) about celebrating most holidays or holy days.

I currently work with Beelzebub and Ares. I worship Apollo, Hermes, Lilith, Leviathan and a few others as they show up in my life and help out.

I’m currently learning Mandarin. (I may be struggling a bit. Lol 😭) I love learning about the history and the fashions of the Han people. (Hopefully I can eventually learn about the fashion history of other Chinese ethnic groups.)

I love designing outfits but hate sewing. (OK hate is a strong word, it’s frustrating that my sewing skills suck. Lol)

I have a side blog devoted to Lord Beelzebub and my relationship with him here:

@luzhvessa

Thank you for taking the time to read this!

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evermore-grimoire

The Evermore Grimoire: Astrology

Pisces (February 19th to March 20th) is the twelfth astrological sign of the zodiac. In Greek mythology Pisces is associated with Eros and Aphrodite (god & goddess of love), who jumped into a river to escape the monster Typhon and changed into fish, or, alternatively, the two fish that carried them to safety. Traits associated with Pisces include being smart, creative, and deeply intuitive to the point of being psychic. They also feel things deeply, and have incredibly strong gut reactions. A Pisces ‘knows’ things from deep within, and can often judge whether a person or situation is good or bad. That doesn’t mean they ignore the logical part of their brain, though. Deeply intelligent, Pisces have a profound respect for the power of the human mind. Those with this sign may also seem quiet but they are incredibly strong and have a very strong sense of right and wrong. They can sometimes spend too much time in their heads, getting overly wrapped up in a problem and assuming there’s no solution. Pisces are always one of the first signs to lend an ear to others, but when it comes to asking for help (especially emotional help) they can sometimes wall themselves off, assuming that nobody knows what they are feeling and not even giving anyone a chance to try. Regardless though, Pisces has strong convictions about the best way for them to live, they have a ‘live and let live’ approach when it comes to others, and are accepting and nonjudgmental of all.

artwork by Yaroslava Apollonova

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Solar Terms Infographics

Traditional Chinese Solar Terms have always been a niche interest of mine as in my culture too, we celebrate them somewhat similarly. A while ago as I was researching for customs and traditions related to solar terms, I came across these really beautiful infographics routinely posted by a number of Chinese official provincial Twitter accounts and needless to say, I started collecting them like stamps or something, lol.

I thought of compilating them for not only self-indulgence so I can share them with others as well. Enjoy!

(This list will be updated as I go)

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Spring

  1. 立春 lìchūn- Beginning of Spring Gregorian date: Feb 4
  2. 雨水 yǔshuǐ- Rain Water (Feb 19)
  3. 驚蟄 jīngzhé- Awakening of Insects (Mar 6)
  4. 春分 chūnfēn- Spring Equinox (Mar 21)
  5. 清明 qīngmíng- Pure Brightness (Apr 5)
  6. 穀雨 gǔyǔ- Grain Rain (Apr 20)

Summer

  1. 立夏 lìxià- Beginning of Summer (May 6)
  2. 小滿 xiǎomǎn- Grain Buds (May 21)
  3. 芒種 mángzhòng- Grain in Ear (Jun 6)
  4. 夏至 xiàzhì- Summer Solstice (Jun 21)
  5. 小暑 xiǎoshǔ- MInor Heat (Jul 7)
  6. 大暑 dàshǔ- Major heat (Jul 23)

Autumn

  1. 立秋 lìqiū- Beginning of Autumn (Aug 8)
  2. 處暑 chǔshǔ- End of Heat (Aug 23)
  3. 白露 báilù- White Dew (Sep 8)
  4. 秋分 qiūfēn- Autumn Equinox (Sep 23)
  5. 寒露 hánlù- Cold Dew (Oct 8)
  6. 霜降 shuāngjiàng- Frost's Descent (Oct 23)

Winter

  1. 立冬 lìdōng- Beginning of Winter (Nov 7)
  2. 小雪 xiǎoxuě- Minor Snow (Nov 22)
  3. 大雪 dàxuě- Major Snow (Dec 7)
  4. 冬至 dōngzhì- Winter Solstice (Dec 22)
  5. 小寒 xiǎohán- Minor Cold (Jan 6)
  6. 大寒 dàhán- Major Cold (Jan 20)

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More posts by me

aresstan

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Ares for @khairehestia again because he's just the coolest and deserves more art.

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the beloved of The Laughter Loving Goddess

Sing, O Muses, of the god beloved by Fair Aphrodite!
Of the god whose rage and bloodlust was quelled.
Where once an untamed warrior stood, deep in the frenzied grips of war,
Now stands a beloved protector, love and loyalty lighting the fire behind his eyes.


In the breaths between fighting and rage unbound,
The warrior rests alone with thoughts of the laughter-loving goddess.
When son was born motherless, without a thought the manslaughtering god nursed the babe.
Was is the touch of Aphrodite that softened your heart?
Was it the vulnerability of loving someone that strengthened thy will?


For if I have learned anything from you, Lord Ares,
it's that passion and rage and fury do not always need to be tamed.
For what is worth fighting for if not love?
When dearest Alcippe was touched your fury was swift, for you are Ares Thouros and Ares Thoos!


You are beloved by the goddess richly girdled because of your passion,
She did not try to change you (and I simply love you) -
for you were never to be someone to be feared.


this is it for me, y'all. My dear friend Guin has absolutely slain me with this commission. I have such an intensely close relationship with Ares and she has captured everything that I see when I think of the god who has captured my heart. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go back to weeping over the beauty of Ares

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alchemisoul

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Just a few diagrams to express some of the core philosphical principles and components used in Daoism, in Feng Shui and divination among others practices (via Lo Shu Map, Early Heaven Ba Gua, 8 Triagrams of the I Ching / The Book of Changes); and their connection, or perhaps direct influence, on the use of magic squares (Kamea in Hebrew) and magical praxis in general among Freemasons, Kabbalists, Rosicrucians and various other traditions beneath the umbrella of the western hermetic tradition/esotericism.

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Spiritual Cultivation in East Asian Traditions

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Note that I’m speaking as a Chinese layperson from an East Asian (Daoist & Buddhist syncretism) perspective.

I’m not talking about witchcraft daily practice (spells and practical magic) by the way, I’m talking about spirituality. That is, spiritual health, and maintaining relationships with spiritual forces.

I think I know what bothers me about the “you don’t need daily practice” discourse when it comes to spiritual practice. To me that’s the same as saying “you don’t need to eat healthy or get full nights of sleep” or “you don’t need to process negative emotions and learn from them.” True, you could probably get on just fine without it. Many people do. But everyone knows they should, and problems will arise if you do not maintain your health.

From an East Asian perspective, spiritual practice – that is, cultivation – is essential. Because it means having wisdom, knowledge and compassion. It means having good mental and physical health, as well as a healthy and developed energy body and a good capacity of qi 氣 (vital energy). Spiritual practice has a direct impact on your health, relationships, mentality, emotions, and fortune. It’s a way of living in harmony with Earth and Heaven. This is essential to living a good and fulfilling life, as well as having the potential for good future lives. 

In East Asian traditions we have a whole range of practices. Meditation, qigong, diets informed by local herblore or Traditional Chinese Medicine, internal alchemy, martial arts, rituals, seasonal festivals, our own philosophies and forms of astrology and divinatory systems, mantras and incantations to resolve every problem you can think of. These serve to improve physical, mental and spiritual health, improve wisdom and perspective, cleanse negative karma, generate merit for better karma, heal relationships with people, the gods and spirits, serve the community, and develop magical abilities. 

I will not go into detail on each of these, because each one is a complex subject all by itself and I am by no means knowledgeable enough to speak extensively on them.

In the eyes of an Asian magical practitioner or shaman, if you’re serious about your practice and about learning magic, you need to cultivate daily. This is because spiritual cultivation directly impacts the level of magical power you have. To avoid cultivation while trying to practice magic is like wanting to be healthy, but you rely on taking vitamin supplements and medicine instead of maintaining a healthy lifestyle by eating/sleeping/exercising well. You can also compare it to wanting to get really fit and strong, but you exercise without adjusting your diet and have a nutrient deficiency. You’ll manage for a time, then quickly find your practice unsustainable and even unhealthy.

Even for laypeople who are not serious about attaining spiritual power, it is still normal and expected to do frequent, if not daily, practice. Reincarnation is seen as a fact of life, and a person’s fate is dictated both by their own past life karma and the karma they inherit from their ancestors. Everyone is born with certain affinities as well as obstacles from the karma they inherit. And karma can manifest in complex and unpredictable ways, it does not work in the oversimplified way it is depicted in mainstream media. There are certain obstacles that cannot be overcome in life until you cleanse the associated negative karma and ancestral blockages. Spiritual practice, in essence, brings good fortune to oneself and one’s family.

For a magical practitioner, negative karma also presents a huge obstacle in their practice. Ancestral blockages, limited psychic abilities, poor health issues, spirits and gods who you or your ancestors pissed off in a past life (creating karmic debt). These are all issues that need to be overcome. Our gods and spirits are very clear on this and will give us tons of spiritual homework to do, especially if your karma is so bad you’re at risk of experiencing huge amounts of suffering in your future lives. This is one of the main reasons the gods may intervene in your life. Yes, the gods do not call you because you’re special or better than everyone else. It’s because you’re in dire need of good karma.

Being born as a human in this world is considered an important opportunity to generate merit and cleanse negative karma, because the spiritual resources are available out there to do so. One of the most essential things me and my magical peers are told to do is to cleanse ancestral karma; work which never ends. This is doubly important if your family did not recently practice ancestral veneration or maintain relationships with benevolent spirits and deities. If you have persisting health issues or major obstacles, or any attempts to resolve certain issues (through magic or mundane means) consistently fail, this is considered negative karma coming to fruit in your current life.

Essentially, magic is achieved through and bolstered by good spiritual health and relationships. Depending on the Asian tradition, one’s magic will only work by following certain practices, rules and taboos. Most acts of magic via Asian methods are mediated by our gods and spirits, such that you need their approval and/or the appropriate initiations –– and the right level of cultivation –– for those methods to work.

This was a very brief primer into East Asian spiritual cultivation. A follow up post will discuss some ways a Western practitioner can cultivate without appropriating other traditions.

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Spiritual Cultivation for a Western Practitioner

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Some tailored advice for how to cultivate spiritually without appropriation, while applying the same foundational cosmology I described previously. This is not an exhaustive list, of course. You’ll note that a good portion of these are thought exercises, do not underestimate their importance though!

Ancestral Veneration

Your ancestors are almost always a first choice for spiritual allies, because you share an intrinsic bond with them. Stretching all the way back to the first ancestor, they are innumerable. Your DNA is a literal taglock for them, your body would not exist without them. They have a great impact on your current life, for good or ill. Regardless, they can be powerful allies. Many of them will love you and wish you well. For those that were terrible in life, death may have changed their perspective. If not, close the door upon harmful ancestors, and invite the kind ones in.

Make regular offerings for your ancestors. Incense, candlelight and water are good staples. Cooked food, especially traditional foods of your culture, especially foods they liked, especially cooked by you with the intention of caring for them, impart so much nourishment. Feed your dead as often as possible. 

If you are a beginner in ancestor work, it is advised to state your name, date & place of birth, address, and names of your parents and grandparents before giving offerings or speaking with ancestors!

Pray for your ancestors. The notion that the spirits of the dead can continue to suffer after their passing exists in many cultures. It’s especially helpful to pray to a benevolent deity to help them on your behalf, but even if you have not formed a connection with one yet, pray for your ancestors nonetheless. They need you.

Find a visualisation or thought exercise that really connects you to your ancestors. You can imagine your ancestral line as branches of a tree or as rivers and deltas extending from you. You can imagine a place specifically meant for connecting with them. Some of us are born with a weaker connection and need to cultivate this before greater blessings can flow from our ancestry. Pair this with plenty of ancestral and self healing, because very often blockages and negative consequences from your ancestors’ lives can also flow through this connection.

Learn all you can about your ancestors, where they lived, how they lived. Try to incorporate the traditions of their culture into your veneration. Learn their language if you can. This helps improve the connection. 

Worldly Connection

Live in harmony with your spirit neighbours. Pick up litter, get rid of invasives, use and dispose of chemicals responsibly. Spend time visiting landmarks and giving offerings and well-wishes to the spirits there. Educate yourself on ecology and the interdependence of all things. Take care of and tidy your home, tend your garden according to what local pollinators and vulnerable native wildlife need. Clear a space for well-intentioned travelling spirits to rest.

With permission from the land, take a small jar of soil or water from a local landmark. Take it home and place it upon your altar or a clean, well-lit space. As often as you can, use this vessel to invoke your spirit neighbours, speak to them, wish them well. Place offerings next to the vessel. Understand that the land has been hurt and may take time to warm up to you. Perhaps its pain runs so deep that it never will, but kindnesses paid have a chance to be returned. On a regular basis (weekly, monthly, etc) return the soil or water back to where you collected it, give it back to the land and tell the spirits you hope they benefit from the energies you charged the soil/water with, and repeat the whole process.

Decide on a particular object or concept of any kind. Flowers, clouds, tophats, the colour purple, a peeler, mushrooms, rice, the night sky, shoes, raspberries, toilet paper, fishing nets. Anything at all. Now spend time connecting with it. Attune to it. When/where/how is it good or bad? Helpful or unhelpful? Powerful or weak? What can it do, what can it not do? How does it feel? What empowers it? What weakens it? This is how correspondences are born.

Sometimes, when you want to do it least, is when prayer and offerings are the most helpful. The exchange of gifts strengthens both sides, whether you are the giver or the receiver. Go, reach out. Connect.

Sometimes your relationship with something will be greatly improved just by treating it as sacred.

Spiritual Health

A healthy spiritual lifestyle depends on a healthy physical lifestyle. 

A healthy spirit depends on a healthy body and mind.

Spiritual health also depends greatly on your surroundings. Adjust your environment if you can, or work to get somewhere better. Caring for your space, and the people around you, is a way of caring for yourself.

Do practices such as deep breath work and energy feeding to energise your spirit body. Through visualisation/intent, ensure that you circulate fresh energy all around your body. This is the basic principle of developing a healthier energy system.

If you know what your energy system is like in terms of alignment and elemental composition, base your diet on foods associated with what you see in your energy system. For example, if you have a lot of fire in your energy system, mindfully consume warming and spicy foods. If you have a lot of earthen energy, mindfully consume root vegetables. This can strengthen those energy structures in your system. If you have too much of an element, consume its corresponding foods less. If you need more of an element, etc. 

Meditate. If you struggle, my best advice is to find your aesthetic, and dive fully into it. If you enjoy watery aesthetics, contemplate water in all its forms, hold a jar of water, wear watery colours and symbols. If you enjoy the night sky, meditate in darkness, think of the night sky, wear jewellery resembling the moon and stars. Connect completely with it. Find your aesthetic, and let it be your doorway to meditation; that is, peace and stillness through focus. 

If you feel a negative emotion or sensation, find where it is in your body. Ensure it is treated with the right medical approach. Thereafter, imagine its appearance, colour, texture. Endeavour to understand fully where it comes from and why, but if you’re not ready for that psyche-dive, move on to imagining yourself getting rid of it. Pull it out, burn it, grind it to dust, have wolves eat it and ravens peck it, have rivers wash it away. Do this every time you need to.

Visit beautiful places and energetically draw the beauty of their energy inside you.

Cultivating the Self

Wisdom is the ability to achieve the best outcome with the knowledge and choices you have. Compassion is the ability to desire wellness upon another person and help them attain it, no matter who they are.

It is very helpful to cultivate these things, because it is generally true that in this regard, like attracts like. Benevolent gods and spirits are more likely to help and form closer relationships with benevolent humans, while wisdom helps you make the most out of this relationship.

Practice open-mindedness, but with discernment. Understand that every idea and opinion is a work in progress, that even the beliefs which you cling to with absolute faith will have limits and boundaries.

Educate yourself on subjects you actively disagree with. Educate yourself on criticisms of things you do agree with. Educate yourself on things you don’t know, and on things you do know. Challenge your preconceptions. Trace their origin. Understand that the instinct of the mind is to simplify, yet the nature of the world is complex.

You are the person you are not only because of what you have suffered, but also what you have enjoyed. The people in your life, good and bad, have all done their part to inform you of what you now think is right and wrong, desirable and undesirable. Your truth is not the whole truth; the whole truth is not your truth.

Understand that someone in conflict with you or your ideas may simply be lacking patience, compassion, wisdom, or knowledge. You may help them if you are able to, or you may not be the right person to help. It is important to know which is the case.

Understand that you might be the person lacking patience, compassion, wisdom, or knowledge. Know that taking responsibility is not the same as taking guilt and shame.

Understand that certain things may only be true or helpful within a certain context, place or time. This is what allows opposite things to be true. The world is vast and multi-layered and does not always offer its secrets readily. 

Reflect on various aspects of your life, and try to discern exactly what impact it had on you, your mentality, and the choices you’ve made. The fact that you were born human, and not an animal. That you live in a certain country. That you experienced rejection from a person. That this person was a parent/sibling/teacher/lover. That you are able to have hot showers everyday. That you can (or can’t) see the colour red. That you grew up with the food you eat. That you must eat. That you feel anger. That you know you will experience pain again.

Practice humility and patience. Practice showing deference to those who are more experienced and knowledgeable than you. Practice knowing your worth in the presence of what appears to be greater. Practice humility in the presence of what appears to be lesser. Practice gratitude over apology. Practice feeling inspired over feeling threatened. Practice living fully in the present moment.

All emotions are interconnected. Hate is connected to love is connected to anger is connected to jealousy is connected to fear is connected to hope is connected to sadness. A great spiderweb. Pick apart the threads. Transform and alchemise emotions. Practice channeling them in healthy and productive ways.

Find something you disagree with or dislike. Now come up with a context where this thing is agreeable and desirable. Now do the opposite, something you like and agree with, but come up with a context where it is disagreeable and undesirable.