I’ve Been Thinking A Lot Of The Notion Of The Christian Scapegoat. I Was Always Taught That Jesus Was

Reciprocity

There are a lot of things pagans value. Most of them are the same universal values everyone appreciates, like kindness, personal responsibility, and community. One that seems to be unique to paganism, at least among Western religions, is reciprocity.

Reciprocity means a mutual positive exchange. It means rewarding kindness and respect with more of the same. It means that all parties involved in a relationship benefit from the relationship in some way.

This is similar to, but not quite the same as, fairness. When you strive for fairness, or justice, or any other similar concept, everyone gets what they deserve based on their actions. If you act like a jerk, you lose favor or get excluded from the group.

Reciprocity is a similar concept, but it has the added connotation of working toward positive relationships. When the word “reciprocity” is used in social psychology or in politics, it almost always refers to an exchange that benefits both parties. This desire for mutual benefit is a big part of pagan philosophy, especially in how pagans interact with their gods.

Pagans don’t worship their gods just because the gods exist, or because they feel a moral obligation to. Pagan worship is a relationship — and like any relationship, it is based on reciprocity.

You probably already practice reciprocity in your interpersonal relationships without even realizing it. If you want someone to be your friend you treat them well, pay attention to their needs, and respect their autonomy. In exchange, you get quality time with a person you like, a fulfilling emotional connection, and help when you need it.

Building relationships with pagan gods works much the same way. The focus is on the connection, rather than on what the gods can do for you or vice versa.

That’s not to say that pagans are casual about their worship of the gods. The gods are ancient, wise, and incredibly powerful, and all of that deserves respect. Pagans approach their gods with a sense of awe and humility, just like practitioners of any other religion. The difference lies in the belief among pagans that the gods also benefit from relationships with humans. We need the gods but, likewise, the gods need worshipers.

This is part of the reason offerings form the backbone of most pagan worship. Offerings “feed” the gods, giving them a metaphyiscal boost. (I’ve heard some pagans call them “energy snacks.”) These small gifts are a great, friendly way to get a god’s attention. After all, who doesn’t like presents?

It’s important to remember that offerings aren’t just payment for divine favors. Many pagans (myself included) have fallen into the trap of only making offerings or saying prayers when they need something from the gods. That’s no way to maintain a healthy relationship! We all have friends who only contact us when they need a favor — and most of us are annoyed and fed up with these people. Why would we assume that the gods are any different?

Reciprocity doesn’t just mean making an offering before you ask for something. It’s an ongoing commitment to a healthy, mutually beneficial relationship. Regular offerings and prayers are a great way to outwardly demonstrate this commitment.

How often “regular” offerings are depends on the pagan. Some pagans offer to their gods every day. Others only make offerings on major holidays or festivals. Once you begin working with deities, you’ll get a feel for how often you need to offer to your gods.

In general, it’s polite to make an offering when you first introduce yourself to a god or goddess. Don’t ask for anything at this point — think of the offering as a “getting to know you” gift. From there, continue making regular offerings for as long as you work closely with that god. You should also make an offering any time you ask for a big blessing or favor. (More on offerings in a future post.)

Offerings are an important part of practicing reciprocity, but they aren’t the only part. Reciprocity also requires you to uphold shared values.

For example, if you have a friend who can’t stand liars, and they find out you’ve been lying to them, you probably won’t stay friends for long. Likewise, if you want to keep a good relationship with a god, you need to value the things they value and live in a way they can approve of.

If you abhor violence and confrontation, it may be difficult for you to maintain reciprocal relationships with warlike deities like Ishtar or the Morrigan. On the other hand, if you are the kind of person who thrives on confrontation, a relationship with these deities may be natural for you. This is why I cannot stress enough how important it is to choose gods who share your core values. Like any relationship, you need some common ground to build a strong foundation.

(When we talk about specific pagan paths in future posts, we’ll talk more about their gods and what those gods ask of their followers. We’ll also talk about the difference between a religion that challenges your assumptions and a religion that violates your core values.)

This may seem complicated, but here’s the basics: reciprocity means that both parties benefit from a relationship. If you take one thing from this post, let it be this: pagan worship is a mutually beneficial partnership, not one-sided servitude.

Resources:

Wicca for Beginners by Thea Sabin

The Way of Fire and Ice by Ryan Smith

Where the Hawthorn Grows by Morgan Daimler

Temple of the Cosmos by Jeremy Naydler

A Practical Guide to Irish Spirituality by Lora O’Brien

Water, the flow, the womb, the origin of life, the element that is in constant movement and transformation. Water flows through our bodies and across the earth; we depend on it for life. As far back as we can remember, humans have been intimately connected with water, both physically and spiritually. According to the theory of evolution we emerged from aquatic sources and ancient creation stories from around the globe told us life on earth originated from waters. Ancient Civilizations around the globe built the first cities near water sources. Water is deep, receptive, and purifying, and represent both the life giver and the death bringer.

 Some of the most common water spiritual correspondences are:

Orientation: West

Qualities: Emotion, Intuition, Flexibility, Receptivity

Magical Weapon: Cup, Cauldron, Mirror, Comb

Rituals: Divination, Purification, Healing, Blessings, Transformation

Places: lakes, springs, streams, rivers, beaches, oceans, seas, wells, fountains, waterfalls

Natural elements: rain, thunderstorms, snow, ice, fog, seashells, starfish, pearls, dolphins, seahorses, frogs, toads, fish, turtles.

Tarot: Cups

Rune: Laguz

Zodiac Signs: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces

Spirits: Naiades, Nereids, Mermaids, Oceanines, Nymphs, Kelphis, Each uisge, Gwragedd Annwn, Morgens, Nixie, Jenny Greenteeth, Peg Powler, Crinaeae, Limnades, Pegaeae, Sirens, Camenae, Asrai, Karkinos, Charybdis, Cetus, Grindylow, Kraken, Pistrice, Selkies.

Deities: Aphrodite, Venus, Mefitis, Diana, Thetis, Leukothea, Ino, Amphitrite, Hapi, Sobek, Neptune, Poseidon, Oceanus, Sabrina, Melusine, Acionna, Boann, Bormana, Dylan Ail Don, Llyr, Sinann, Sequana, Nefti, Khnum, Tefnut, Anuket, Abzu, Enbilulu, Achelous, Anapos, Nereus, Pontus, Scylla, Proteus, Thalassa, Coventina, Fontus, Juturna, Danu, Proteus, Tiamat, Triton.

@/ccultus - another fascist in the occult community

they even have a fascist shop

In this post they are promoting a book they are selling. Order of the Nine Angles is a nazi cult linked to acts of terror.

On their shop website, they're also selling things from Tempel ov Blood, another fascist group.

The last addition from that person's posts:

Working with deities

I get dozens of asks on how to find the right deity, or how to find “your” deity. I’ll just cover the basics here (mainly so my lazy ass can link to it later instead of typing this over and over). Quick note: Some of this may be UPG or my personal opinions. I welcome you to share your own, but don’t be rude about it. 

Quick Vocab:

Worship vs. Working With. I use these interchangeably. I consider both of them to be talking about the relationship and connection you kindle with a deity. “Working with” does not mean “utilizing in spells as ingredients”. 

Patron ____. Wicca has different views as to what a patron or matron is compared to most of the witchcraft world. One view is: when you pick a patron deity it means a bond that will last a lifetime. Another view is that patron deities are not ones that you personally identify with, but rather are ones that relate to your lifestyle/profession/occupation. 

Devotee. Being a devotee is a way to work more closely with one, or a few, deities without committing to it for a lifetime (some do make that commitment). It simply means that you focus more of your worship and time on them, but you can still worship other deities too.

Pantheon. A group of deities, usually based on the culture they come from. The names can sometimes vary (Greek = Hellenic, Egyptian = Kemetic, etc.)

Some misconceptions and false expectations:

Everybody needs a deity. You don’t need to work with deities to be a witch. Witchcraft does not equal religion. Religion *can* be tied into witchcraft if you want though! Don’t force yourself to work with deities just because you see other people doing it!

Deities will talk to you. Sometimes, but not usually, or not in the way you expect. You aren’t likely to hear a voice in response, or to confirm that they want to work with you. You’re more likely to get: A sign of some sort, a certain feeling (warm and tingly or emotional, for example) or possibly your inner voice seems a bit different and you think it may be influenced.

You’ll know when your deities like offerings, or hear your prayers. Again, sometimes, but not usually. Not getting a response doesn’t mean you’re getting the cold shoulder. Prayers, offerings and other things don’t always garner a response, or an immediate response.

You have to pick one pantheon. Not at all, however you do have to be respectful of the pantheons each deity comes from. You can’t pick and choose which aspects of the deity you want. I personally stick to one pantheon because it’s simple and fits for me.

Deities from closed cultures are “calling to you”. Listen, I highly doubt that a deity from a culture that is closed, usually due to outsiders being oppressive and awful to them, would want to work with you. Check yourself and make sure it’s not just the aesthetic value or mysteriousness that’s drawing you to them. ALSO! You may be drawn to characteristics that they have, and there is most likely a similar deity in an open culture. Here’s a link to the google question “what cultures are closed?”

On finding a deity to work with:

I often get asked “how to I figure out which deity is a good fit for me?” The easy answer: I have no clue. Only you know what works best for you, and what’s a good fit. However, here’s some good methods:

Research the pantheons. The Greek, Egyptian and Norse are the ones that often have the most information (and are all open practices). See if one in particular calls to you. Then spend time reading about each deity.

Look at what traits you are called to. Self love? Fierceness? Feelings of home? You can literally just google “gods/deities of ____”. You can even add a specific pantheon to the end if you’ve narrowed it down.

Reaching out to that deity:

The “proper” way to do this varies per pantheon, so do your research! Google and books are your friend. And there’s usually a lot of resources for beginners on tumblr as well. The typical ways include:

An offering. Usually there’s some sort of information on traditional offerings, which you can never go wrong with. Sometimes certain offerings are offensive/not given to certain types of deities.

A prayer. It’s totally okay to look up “____ (deity’s name) prayer” for a format if you’re daunted by writing your own. It can also just be more of an explanation on why you want to worship them.

Ask for a sign. I don’t do this and hesitate to even recommend it because it can be SO hard to figure out what’s actually a sign. I’d suggest knowing the basics of the deities sacred animals, plants and colors so you have an idea of what to look for.

Just start worshiping. You don’t have to have a formal relationship with every deity to worship them. I do recommend forming a relationship with them before becoming their devotee.

My go-to resource for the Hellenic Pantheon is this site, I’m unsure for the other ones as I don’t work with the deities within them!

Eve Lockscreens

Okay so what's so bad about scarletarosa? I've had interactions with her before and seen none of what anon is describing

Have you even seen her blog? She's definitely up to some bullshit over there.

Rebel Angel

Lawless One

Lead me to greater freedom

And grant me the wisdom

To know how to use it

Le génie du mal by Raquel Flores

Hey I've been really drawn to working with Satan for a very long time. I just never knew how to go about it. But then I found out about Demonolatry while I was doing some research. And I've been going on instinct to try and work with him. I've gotten some inspiration from some articles I've read online, but I don't trust everything I read there lol. Could you direct me to any books or places where I could find information good information on working with him? Or just Demonolatry in general?

Hello!

We have a whole page filled with links on general demon work.

If you haven’t already found it, there is an actual site dedicated to demonolatry. This is, of course, providing you intend to study demonolatry as the generally accepted practice under that name, for which S. Connolly is the big name source.

Aforementioned site has a page of free downloads. If you have money to spare, perhaps start with The Complete Book of Demonolatry.

If you prefer general demon work over Connolly’s demonolatry, perhaps start with the Lesser Key of Solomon and The Book of Solomon’s Magic by Poke Runyon for Solomonic/goetic grimoire tradition.

A different and equally valid tradition can be found in the Grimorium Verum/True Grimoire, for which .pdfs can be found readily online, but there is also the reworked Scarlet Imprint edition, which, given that you have the money, is very nice. (I am, however, the only mod on LDW who knows Verum very well, so you won’t find much if anything on Verum in our demon page.)

And you are, of course, allowed to construct your own practice around research, which we have helpfully jumpstarted in, again, our demon page.

As for specifically Satan-oriented worship and work,

Visit whoreofabaddon who as far as I know is essentially the top resource on any related subject whatsoever on tumblr.

Look up Satanism. There are many varieties of Satanism, but what you’d want would probably be theistic Satanism, which is to say the literal worship of Satan. There are different sects of theistic devil worship; I’m not sure if Luciferians qualify as Satanists, though I think not; general Devil worship does exist but, again, the fine lines between practices are difficult to pin down, especially if you’re not a Satanist (which we are not).

That basically sums it up, but seriously, visit our demon page. We get tons of asks similar to this and so we have an assortment of knowledge and answered asks there. (Everyone else, take this as your collective reminder as well.)

Best of luck!

Mod L

Spirit work tip

I had this idea, that may or may not have been suggested before. I don't remember a suggestion this specific but there is a possibility.

If you use tarot cards or other divination methods, you can ask the deity or spirit what they suggest you journal about for that entry in your devotional journal.

Depending on your style of divination and/or your interpretations this could be a specific topic or a more general area of life or self.

Example:

I asked Aphrodite for a card to represent a journal prompt, something I should or need to explore.

I pulled the 10 of swords which in the Spirit Halloween tarot deck has an image of a Gryphon.

Upright: Back-stabbed, defeat, crisis, betrayal, endings, loss

The gryphon gives me the vibe of relating to the public face of a being.

Overall this suggests I should write about how a painful or stressful change in my public image affects me and what I think that means.

Which is a rather hardcore topic to start with 😅