Im so done with priests retelling stories of exorcisms and stuff cause it’s always huge demons like Leviathan or Azazel, whatever. Like do they really think that the princes of hell are gonna take their sweet time to possess a random person? My theory is that by saying “Leviathan I expell you from this body in the name of the father the son and the Holy ghost” the demon is 117% more scared of Leviathan popping up and punishing them for using His name, than it is scared of the Bible.
Oh I completely agree with this. I mean, look at their titles for gods’ sakes. Duke, king, governor, prince. Shit they have demon taxes to collect, souls to ravage, their own fricking people to control, do you think they have time to unwind in the frankly awful mortal body of a human? Hell. No.
When I first started researching the goetia, I found it really odd that in the Conjuring 2, Lorraine was being haunted by Volac.
Volac was the first demon I tried contacting, and I asked him for a job. He was so GRUMPY and especially hated being bothered by an inexperienced Satanist.
Why would he take the time to follow some medium clear across the Atlantic Ocean?
off the back of a discussion that happened on facebook I wanted to compile some examples of different Jewish perspectives I knew on how they relate to ‘zionism’. Mainly to highlight that 1. this is a Jewish word the precludes any aspect of the modern state of Israel. 2. Jews are not monolith, and thus just because you know one accepted way a Jew relates to it, doesn’t mean you have the whole picture. & 3. (probably the most important one) that there is a systematic cross purposes happening when you have groups of activists who have only come across the word ‘zionism’ or ‘zionist’ inside the strict paradigm of acceptable I/P conflict discourse. (By which I mean, where pro-Palestine western discourse has dominated the definition of this word by unilaterally equating it with complicity, support & tolerance of violence against Palestinians).
“I’m a Zionist..” what it could mean when a Jewish person says this:
1. I’m saying this because I support the state of Israel, including its policy and sanctions against the Palestinians, and believe that the modern state of Israel should expand and control all territories.
2. I’m saying this because even though I do not support the modern state of Israel, and I abhor what is happening to the Palestinians, I believe that the Jews who currently live there should not be forced to leave.
3. I believe in the Jewish right for self determination, that is my end goal but I truly wish it could be established in a way that brings solace to both the Palestinians and the Jews who currently live there. I am open to a one state or two state solution as long as the end goal is a homeland for the Jewish people and the end of mistreatment against Palestinians.
4. I’m saying this because my family were forced out of Egypt/Yemen/another mena country, and to suggest that we have to go back to the people who mistreated us is violent, and thus the treatment of Palestinians can only get better when mena countries end their own antisemitism.
5. I don’t support the modern state of Israel, or the politics, however I’m a religious Jew who believes in the commandment of not ‘insulting’ Israel, and using the term zionism best encapsulates that for me.
6. This word represents revolutionary unity between Jews in the face of antisemitism as codified by Herzl (& others), even though I reject most ways in which it is used now by the modern state of Israel, it is an important and historic word to my people in a political manner and I refuse to give it up.
7. I am very critical of the Israeli government, and I wish (although I don’t always know how) for peace and better living standards for Palestinians, simultaneously however Israel is the epicentre of the Jewish world (even if I’ve never been there) and I don’t think modern politics can detract from that.
8. I never use to use the word zionist but ever since the UN ruled antisemitic and ahistorical statements denying the Jewish history in Israel I realised that anti-zionism is in fact often antisemitic, for me it is only by working with other zionists that we can change the future of Israel to a more peaceful one.
9. I plan to make aliyah one day, this doesn’t mean I agree with everything the government is doing or that it is fair that the Palestinians have had to suffer. I still plan to join the Jewish nation and be able to live religiously near our ancient sites.
10. There are pogroms/riots against Jews/”anti-Israel” demonstrations that chant things like “gas the Jews” where I live right now. I never planned to go to Israel but I am now. It is sad that me & my community are giving up our diaspora community, I am glad Israel exist for us to flee to.
11. Since the diaspora community in [x] (for example, Yemen) has been completely obliterated in the face of violence and forced conversion to Islam, even though I don’t live in Israel I believe it’d be wrong to not support it as that is the only place where my family’s culture still exists through no fault of their own. To me the Jews didn’t create Israel, they were forced there & thus it’s insulting that we are treated as the ‘one true oppressors’ in this discourse.
12. I have family in Israel, to not be a zionist would be saying I want them to be harmed/that if they were murdered that would be just.
13. Because so many Jews were forced to flee their countries into Israel, to not be a zionist would be saying I think they deserve to be made into refugees/sent back to countries that seek to enact violence on them. That doesn’t mean I support the government of Israel however.
14. I am a convert and part of my conversion meant joining a community that sees Israel as their ancestral homeland. Calling myself a zionist helps me feel close to me (new) identity and is my personal tie to this history.
15. I am Israeli, no matter what I believe politically this inherently makes me a zionist because I live here & do not wish to be murdered here.
“I’m Not a Zionist…” this could mean any of the following:
1. I do not support the state of Israel, although I of course don’t want the Jews living there to be ethnically cleansed, the most important thing is to focus on the plight of Palestinians right now.
2. I love Israel, and I fully support the state of Israel including its sanctions against the Palestinians because I believe that’s the only way to keep hamas at bay – who themselves enact violence against Palestinians – I’m not a zionist though as I never plan to make aliyah.
3. I have visited Israel/plan to visit Israel & I see it as a Jewish historical place, I don’t feel like I know enough about politics to have an informed opinion on it though, and I am sympathetic to the Palestinian cause. For this reason I just tend to say I’m not a zionist.
4. I used to call myself an anti-zionist but have since realised that anti-zionism is a movement entrenched in antisemitism and after being systematically abused and belittled for merely being a Jew – even when I openly said I’m anti-zionist – I have given up the title & now say non-zionist.
5. I believe in the Jewish homeland, and that it should be Israel. One part because it is our ancestral home, another part because that’s where Jews live now. I don’t support the actions of the government however, so I choose not to call myself a zionist in light of that.
6. I am really tired of being dragged into the I/P debate just because I’m a Jew, so I say this to try and get goyim to leave me alone.
7. I think the time of the usefulness of the word ‘zionism’ is over, and instead we should be looking at the viability of a bi-national state.
8. I support the right for Jewish self determination, and that Israel is our ancestral homeland, furthermore I think that modern pro-Palestinian activism is often antisemitic and ignores the fact that destabilising Israel will lead to a genocide of the Jewish people who live there. However, many people who use the term zionist are racist/believe things I don’t believe in, so I don’t associate with that word.
9. I’m frum* and to me zionism is a secular word and movement that I don’t associate with, this doesn’t really tell you anything about my politics however. (**note to goyim: frum means ‘religious’ in yiddish, but is better translated as part of a community that strictly observes religious law.)
10. I am Israeli, I don’t need to be zionist as I just have political opinions about my country. Zionism is more for people in diaspora.
“I’m anti-Zionist…” this could mean:
1. I do not support the modern state of Israel, I don’t support people who do, I actively fight the political movement of zionism & would be happy to see “Israel” dismantled and Palestine returned.
2. I believe in the Jewish history and ties to Israel, and I also understand why it was created, but for me Zionism stands for enacting violence on Palestinians and thus I will actively fight against it.
3. Although I am not wholly comfortable with the term, I use anti-Zionist as goyishe activists would probably throw me out of left wing movements if I don’t constantly prove that I’m not a zionist.
4. I am Israeli, thus when I say I’m anti-Zionist I obviously am not saying I want Israel to be dismantled, or for Israelis to be harmed, I am instead saying something about the political rights of Palestinians.
5. I think Zionism has come to dominate too much of the Jewish identity, for that sake I distance myself from it. This doesn’t say very much about my political opinions.
6. I don’t want Israel to be destroyed, and I fear for the lives of Jews who live in diaspora and may not be able to flee there if Israel were to change, I am also fearful for the lives of Israelis as Israel’s neighbours have often promised death upon them and hamas’ charter has been one of wishing genocide upon Jews. However, I don’t ever want to go to Israel myself, I don’t agree with the government, and in any way I can I support the pro-Palestinian activism.
7. Everything about Israel makes me really embarrassed and angry, I wish Israel would stop its violent actions as in the long run it is Jews like me in diaspora that face the brunt of it.
8. It makes me really angry that right wing politicians and bigots can be antisemitic and even enact/incite violence against Jews, but just because they ‘support Israel’ Jewish safety is ignored by the left, and many Jewish institutions will ignore them in hopes of not rocking the boat.
9. To me it is a simple binary: do you accept what the modern state of Israel is doing now? If yes: you’re a zionist. If no, you’re an anti-zionist. I fall on the latter, but that doesn’t actually tell you about the other layers of opinion I may have.
To write this I genuinely just ran through all my Jewish friends and tried to summarise their position and sort it into the three headings. As you can see, from just one British Jew in London, I rub shoulders with a multitude of opinions, feelings & perspectives on Israel. And none of these are even supposed to adequately sum up even one Jew’s feelings on the place Israel or the word zionism.
Hopefully those reading will see why I get so frustrated when they assume that Jews are either sharing the same opinion on the word zionism, or that they are talking about the same thing Jews are when we use it.
Finally I will say: zionism is a Jewish word, for my own sake I have a complicated and not particularly happy relationship with it. However, I don’t believe any non-Jew have the right to take away the Jewish control over its definitions. This is especially the case as ‘zionist’ is more easily used as a placeholder for Jew, to the extent that the stormfront created ‘zio’ was in fact common place in ‘anti-zionist’ spaces for a long time & used even by ‘woke’ leftists. Asking goyim to stop using zionism as a catch all term to rile against in regards to Israel doesn’t detract anything from pro-Palestinian activism, the activism itself is still there unless your support for Palestinians was just preformative, to show off your ‘wokeness’ or worse: because you’re explicitly or latently antisemitic and don’t want to give up the ‘acceptable’ means of manifesting that.
Another photo of the Navajos banning the swastika.
The document they are signing starts off: “Because the above ornament, which has been a sign of friendship among our forefathers for many centuries has been desecrated recently by another nation of peoples.”
[second paragraph] “Therefore it is resolved that henceforth from this date on and forever more our tribes renounce the use of the emblem commonly known today as the swastika or fylfot on our blankets, baskets, art objects, sandpaintings and clothing.”
“But I’m using it in it’s ORIGINAL meaning!”
Nope.
My respect and my heart goes out to the Navajo nation for the willing amputation of a symbol that belonged to them. I had no idea.
~B.D: Every witch should learn how to shield. It offers great protection against every day negative energies, and more. It is especially great for empaths.
–There are many different ways to shield, and what works for one may not for another. The way you put up a shield is extremely personal and it will only work if you do it in a way that makes sense to YOU. It will only work if it is built in a way that it can stay present in your mind. You must will it to be there, in the same way that you walked around with a word in your head while you were preparing the evening supper. It should feel the same way.
–What makes shielding personal, is that you have to design the way it will look and feel. That is the only way that you will be able to keep it in your mind without effort. Here is an example: If I tell you to imagine yourself surrounded by a medieval armor, you may need to keep your attention very focused in the details of what such armor looks like. If it is not a familiar shield, your mind will want to keep going back to adjust this or that detail that is slipping your mind, like the way the face looks or how the hands are placed. It might even feel stiff and you movements will feel awkward. Anything that doesn’t feel right will break your concentration and decrease the effectiveness of your shield. –Also, the kind of shield you choose will highly depend on the situation you are facing. If you are going into a battlefield, you want battle gear. If you just want to walk around the office and want to be impervious to negative energy, a nice bubble might do the trick. But no matter what, everyone needs to know how to shield.
–Take a moment to assess the situation. What kind of shield do you need and want? Right now, you are just practicing, so you can try out different shields. But in general, what will you need this shield for? Imagine the kind of protection you want. It should feel comfortable, easy to focus on, strong and it should make you feel safe. It can really be anything. It can be an extra layer of light, guardians that surround you, a tornado, a brick wall, a bubble, a Viking’s shield, a blanket… It all depends on you and on the situation. Imagine a few possibilities that you may want to keep in your ‘shield closet’. It will be easier to conjure them quickly if you have imagined them already. For the sake of this exercise, let’s try something light with some basic energy and shielding exercises.
–First Center and ground. Grounding is especially important. That is your best line of defense, even without a shield. Now that you are grounded and centered, we will try some simple energy exercise, as they themselves are the simplest form of shielding and are something you should learn to do properly in order to shield efficiently.
1. Put yourself into your comfortable position. Begin by RELEASING; close your eyes and imagine all of the worries and anxieties of your day just pouring out of you like water, down and out through the palms of your hands and the soles of your feet. Leaving your body, and entering down into the earth.
–Now place the palms of your hands together. Imagine a ball of white light between the two palms, radiating out from where they touch. Imagine it very strongly, see it clearly. Now pull your hands slowly apart. Imagine that ball of light stretching out between your hands as you separate them, becoming a beam of light between your palms. Hold this for a few seconds or longer if you can. Then slowly bring your hands together, shrinking the beam of light between them until they close together and it is gone.
–Clear and release all excess energy …Imagine a stream of white light or water flowing through you from the top of your head and carrying all excess energy away through the soles of your feet. Practice this until you get good at it and then you will be ready to expand it.
2. This exercise begins with the ball of light in your hands do it just the same way until you come to the point where you have created the beam of energy between your two hands. Then, instead of stopping, imagine that beam growing and expanding to form a ball of white light between your hands. Hold that image as long as you can. Then slowly bring your hands back together, seeing the ball shrink between them, growing smaller and smaller until by the time your hands close, the ball is gone. Clear and release when you’re done.
3. Now you have those energy exercises mastered, we can begin to shield. First test your energy field. Where does it reach? Do a quick scan of its margin. At the boundary of your energy field, imagine your shield being formed.
–Visualize a layer coming in and surrounding your energy field. Draw up energy from your roots and direct it to the outermost layer of your energy field. See this energy transform itself to offer you protection. It may seem to harden, like the bark of a tree, or glow more brightly like a flame. Command this energy to do your bidding and protect your personal space. You should ultimately get a feeling of: ‘This is in here and that is out there.’ That which is outside should not come within.
–Once you’ve visualized your shield, draw back into yourself, but without letting your shield collapse. Your focus is no longer on upholding the shield. It should uphold itself, the same way the word lingered in your mind during the visualization exercise. Will it to be there, and that’s it! The minute you question whether it is holding, you are casting doubt into it and weakening its presence. Conjure it, know it’s there, and go on your business. This is not easy and it takes a lot of practice. Be forgiving of yourself and have fun with this.
–Once you’ve practiced this, you can go on to trying different types of shields. Your creativity is the only limit. The more complex your shield is, the more mental focus and attention will be needed. Try the basic shield above first so you have an easy option for ‘everyday wear’.
*References; adelinastclair.wordpress.com/ Witch School First Degree: Lessons in the Correllian Tradition by Donald Lewis-Highcorrell.
~B.D: Usually my shield is just a protective bubble that nothing can break through. If for some reason while I’m in the bubble I have a negative thought, I imagine the thought leaving my head as a black smoke cloud, and being sucked out of the shield, and being pushed somewhere else by the walls of the shield. I usually make the bubble if I’m somewhere where I feel loads of negative energy and I don’t want it to touch me.
-Sometimes if I’m actually scared of something (like a spirit or really negative energy) I will imagine an aura of white or gold light around me. It feels warm and welcoming. Nothing negative can touch me while this aura is glowing. If I become more scared or have a negative thought, I make it glow brighter and warmer. It pushes the negative thoughts/feelings away, and I’m safe again. I even make this aura when I’m doing a cleansing bath. I make it so that the negativity that leaves my body can’t touch me again, even though I’m in the bath water with it. Then the negativity gets flushed down the drain with the water and I let my shield down (see my cleansing bath ritual post). I also have protective jewelry I wear (see my post on amulets, charms, and talismans).
Church of the Morningstar 