A lil ditty for time

The end of the His Dark Materials episode I just watched reminded me that sometimes, and most often, when you’re given pieces of information that lead toward prophesying, it’s common to try to apply that information to the here and soon-to-be-now. Let’s use tarot as an example. You get a tarot reading. The reader tells you that you’ll be going back to school only to find this amazing work companion whomst writes a grand thesis with you. And you’re like, “oh shit. I’m totally going back to school in the fall!” You go, graduate, have a blast, get the job of your dreams, BUT no great partner. 30-40 years goes by and you go back again for your masters. BLAMMO. Partner. Thesis. Whole. New. Life. Path. 

So like, that was sort of an extreme case, but I think it brought us on the same level if we weren’t already. Time is a different experience for us than it is for rocks or rivers or the Sun. Shit, the Sun IS time. We often feel like a year is a long time (our use of time, our year). It really isn’t, even for humans. For a fly, it’s impossible! Do you think, fly’s can dodge a hand slap so well because it takes our hand a year to hit them (their time)? 

Let’s go back to that tarot reading. Why the hell are these cards looking that far into the future? 

Here’s my theory. 

They’re not. They’re feeling your touch, your energy, you’re goal. And they say it. Some people get a bunch of goals. They start finding them early. Some people get a bunch of goals that don’t even feel like goals bc of the way our society views success etc. perspective. Perspective. Look, I’ve lost my train of thought. Perspective. Perspective. You know, the tarot just picks up on your destinies. The written half of your life. You don’t have to believe it, like I said, it’s just my theory. Yes, I believe we have free will. I don’t think there’s a set timeline to hit all of your little destinies, but I also think that some of those little destinies can be linked together aka can’t have one without the other. You can push them off course with actions you chose via your free will, but your destinies always come back to you bc they’re written. You’ll check them off.  Loosing yourself is pretty much the worst thing you can do bc that’s when shit gets helter skelter. Charles Manson would be bucking in his chair. You loose your way by putting yourself in neatly packed boxes or to a partner or a number of other things that can happen within a human experience, but you loose yourself and you’ve got to find yourself again. You’ve got to discipline yourself enough to go all in and be exactly who it feels best to be. 

Walk hand in hand with time. Touch base with Saturn, high five the Sun. You know, that kind of thing. Less worry about things that were “supposed” to happen bc they’re gonna. Chillax 

Share your magick

Don’t you think we’re in shift in time/space/energy so big that it’s on a galactic level? Don’t you feel this incredible build up that started last December? It feels like it grows in inches, but that’s because we’re humans with short lives. 

The build up has begun to change. It’s less that it feels like it’s growing and more that it feels like it’s morphing. People are changing and growing. The way we interact is coming full circle. The way we were once mesmerized by technology is slowing down. We’re coming back to our roots. We’re wanting human interaction and face to face conversations. 

As I walked into the cemetery this morning I was thinking about the time a dude wanted me to write the cards for his “female empowerment tarot deck.” As if that’s a man’s to give. Obviously my eyes rolled back into another dimension before I replied to him, but as I continued to think of this story my mind was stopped by something pulling me into the cemetery. It pulled so hard and so fast I was tripping over my legs. I visit this cemetery 2-3 times a week on average, but I had taken a long break. I think it had been a month since my last visit. 

Once inside I noticed all of these piles of leaves and sticks on the walkway. I thought they were raked up and had potentially been the work of someone cleanting up the area, until I noticed all of the sticks were full of bite marks. A little strange but still probably the work of someone cleaning up. 

I didn’t have a lot of time today, so I high-fived my tree friends, gave my offerings through the portal, and kept the conversations short. A whole new area of the cemetery was calling to me today, but I didn’t have time to give it the attention it wanted. I’m only one person, but there’s so many places that need love and affection. 

Take this as a call to arms, witches. Get out there and love your patches of grass, trees, birds, bugs, and everything sharing the land with you. Nature is thirsty for love and affection and it needs you. I am of firm belief that the pollution we place upon this planet, the trash we create every gd day pollutes other realms as well. We’re having a bigger effect then we even think. I implore you to discipline yourself into buying less, using less plastic, and making conscious decisions every day to add more love into the world. 

Octagon Hall pt 2–Katie’s Story

——it’s important you remember that I’m writing this from my perspective/reality—-

Pulling into the Octagon Hall driveway felt like time travel. And it’s not because you’re looking at a preserved piece of history, but because the air felt old. I stayed in the car while everyone went inside for a run-down on the location. I like to enter a place with as little knowledge of the property as possible, that way, when I make wild claims, it’s with less bias. I had a lot of mixed feelings upon arrival, so I did a little meditation before I went inside. 

I got out of the car and touched the yard, met the trees, and walked the property line. The owners of the building took off, so I did my own little walk-through of the house before it got dark. 

I didn’t get too many feelings on the first floor. It was all about the meeting room and the kitchen in the basement for me. 

It was all about the yard and the barn for me, too. 

Earlier that day, Rachel and I had prepared the ritual we were going to do that night. She had mentioned she wanted to summon the “up”, so we prepared our elements. The first time I concocted this ritual, it was on a massive scale. The entire alter was the roof of Fort Knox (it’s a Haunt ME episode if you haven’t seen it). Here, at Octagon Hall, there’s a circular opening in the trees that I knew was our location. The scale was much smaller, but this was my 4th time with the ritual now, so I felt confident in the practice. 

In they came. And quick. Before we could make a plan, the yard and driveway were teaming with creatures. It was just like the M. Night Shamalan movie “Signs”, like no-joke tho. I would hear branches moving and you’d see an arm or leg and then it would blend into the surroundings. I was hearing noises everywhere. I was feeling like they were trying to talk to me, but the way they manipulate sound is hard to understand. It’s like they have 4 vocal chords that vibrate on different levels and they try to manipulate multiple sounds we hear into one word. It’s hard to describe, but lol, also hard to listen. (This ‘manipulation of sound’ was a first time occurrence for me. The other times I practiced the ritual, I heard voices in our language).  I see a giant white creature on all fours, with like, a big ol round butt like a polar bear, run away from me toward the barn. The door slams shut and we all move closer. As we get closer and closer to the barn, the intensity dissipates. I turned to the house and saw someone on the roof. It dawned on me that the barn was a distraction while whoever all went inside the house. I was nervous, but I knew we all needed to go inside as well. 

Inside the house we heard voices and footsteps, but no contact with the creatures whatsoever. Earlier in the night, during my lil walk-thru, I had an experience in the meeting room in the basement, so I figured that would be a good place to start an Estes Method session. My experience was a vision. I was standing behind a circular table, looking out of the window and I felt like I was one of the men that used to conspire in that room. I *knew* that I was staring at a woman that I, meaning whatever man was showing me the vision, would later sexually assault. She was crying. It was devastatingly intense. I got the feeling a lot of sinister plans were made in that room, alas, the session yielded no evidence of my claims. 

Next up, an Estes Method session outside on the porch. Now THIS was wild to me. I’m not totally sure how “wild” it was to the other ladies, but this was a session like I had never experienced before. Instead of hearing the voices under the radio waves, it seemed like whoever was talking to me, they called themselves “Star people” (which made me cringe cuz it seems corny lol), they took the radio frequencies and changed them into words. It’s so hard to describe, and it was so hard to decipher what they were saying. Ok, I’m gonna try to describe this better. You know how, when you’re using a spirit box, you hear blips of the radio stations? Well, it took those radio sounds and strung them together like beads on a necklace. The radio sounds warped into words and they spoke over many frequencies. It was like 1 word took at least 6 or 7 stations to come through. Remember how I said it seemed like they had 4 vocal chords? That was coming through via the spirit box. You’ll have to read Rachel’s write up for exactly what I said because I don’t even remember. I just remember concentrating soooo hard to try to hear what they were saying. I know I missed most of it. This was unlike any Estes/spirit box session I’ve ever encountered. I’ve never heard anything manipulate the box like that, and I haven’t since. Rachel got into the session, but she couldn’t figure out what they were saying either. But like, I’m not surprised. What surprises me the most is how often we get answers in the English language lol. But maybe that’s just because telepathic communication ultimately ends up through our lens. Anyway, that’s basically it. To me, whatever creatures I experienced outside communicated in the same way as what spoke to me in the spirit box, but I didn’t get the feeling they were around us anymore when we were doing the session. Who knows tho, maybe that’s just because I was focused on the session, or maybe they changed their vibration and I couldn’t tune into it anymore. I have no clue. All I know is that I felt on high alert right after we finished the ritual and all of that went away when we went inside. I don’t think it went away BECAUSE we went inside, I just think the intensity stopped at that moment. What a fun investigation tho. 10/10 recommend. 

Octagon Hall pt 1; Rachel’s story

Octagon Hall has always been one of my favorite purported Haunted locations to visit. I made it a point to try to visit the Hall at least once a year to hang out with the “occupants” and see what knowledge we could glean about the past lives of those wandering spirits. On this most recent trip I was accompanied by a few friends who tend to investigate in a more “non traditional” manor, and I was very excited to see how the Hall responded to these techniques. Upon arriving on location and getting a feel for the place, we decided that our intention that night would be to not just attempt to communicate with those passed on to the “other side”, but to also attempt to communicate with what Katie Webb referred to as the “Up”, or in other terms, extra terrestrials. We decided that we would create a ritual space, with each elemental point of the pentagram containing a physical representation of the element of that point and an offering of some sort. These items included herb infused water, fresh fruits, tobacco, bread with honey butter, and a few other items that we thought would serve our intentions well. At each point we gave thanks, made offerings, and shared in a communal space with the energies we were attempting to contact. Once the ritual was completed we began our investigation for the evening.

There are very few places that I have investigated that I will for sure say have unexplainable paranormal phenomena ...this place is at the top of that list. While I had no doubts we would encounter a spirit presence or two throughout the evening, I wasn't quite prepared for the “other” contact we received. Albeit there wasn't a grand entrance by a flying saucer dipping down into the center of the yard to say hello, we did, however, experience some rather odd lights in the sky that seemed to respond to flashing of our lights into return. The other ladies in the group also reported an uptick in the presence of Black Hawks (military personnel) in the skies overhead. I myself can not confirm that, as I did not see any helicopters or anything of the sort that evening. At one point in time while investigating the outside areas of the property Katie spotted some type of creature entering a barn at the far edge of the yard. She described it as almost a white ape type figure that ran towards the barn. I can only confirm that I heard the sound of the barn door slamming as if something or someone had run inside in a hurry. We decided to check it out, but the closer I got to the barn the more I got the sense that it was a set-up. We were being lured to that barn, and my instincts told me to keep my distance. So we did.

Once we returned to inside the house we found the activity to be picking up. We sat around the downstairs table, lit some candles and turned off all the lights and set up a space for Katie to pull cards in relation to the house and its occupants. We began to hear footsteps all around, and even disembodied voices coming from upstairs. Whenever we decided to move to follow the sounds of the activity, it all seemed to stop. Other than a few bumps and knocks the house became eerily quiet. An Estes session yielded very little insight, and it seemed we had hit a wall in our attempts to communicate with whatever was in the house.

So we returned outside to do an Estes session on the porch with the intention to specifically contact the “Up.” Katie settled in, and very quickly addressed the group with a “Hello, How are you?” Throughout the conversation we were told we were speaking to the Star people, specifically a being that referred to itself as Un’dred (pronounced like OON Dred) that



 stated it would appreciate some more bread and butter, and would enjoy another smoke with us. The conversation was short, but enlightening. I couldn't believe that somehow we had managed to potentially contact beings from the “stars” that had not only appreciated the ritual and offerings we had given but also acknowledged enjoying them! The conversation was brief, but it was evident that the ritual we performed had not gone unnoticed and we may have begun the early stages of connecting with the “star people.” It was an amazing learning experience for sure! After that Estes session I gave the seat a shot, but wasn't able to really understand anything coming through so Katie sat down and pulled more cards for the evening and we began to wrap up the investigation.
This was the first time I had been apart of an investigation that truly incorporated different styles and aspects of the occult and paranormal studies, and it was amazing. I will definitely be adding these touches to investigations in the future. And until next time Octagon Hall, tell your star people I got one rolled up just for them!!

Written by Rachel L. Decker

CUFF OFF

I have often thought of myself as an agent of change. I believe it, and so, in my reality, that’s what I am.
Believe.
If we believe it to be true, it is.
This can get pretty delusional, pretty damn quick, lol. But ride the wave for a second. Keep a good middle ground in your head, stay away from extremes, and believe something to be true about yourself.
Now, let’s push this to the extreme a little bit.
Let’s say, what we’ve believed to be true becomes something we absolutely need, because we believe we need it.
So, this new truth becomes a need, a must have. Maybe even a beyond-truth. Maybe that’s unimportant.

I wanna drop into feelings now, but I’ll come back to needs, and whether they’re believed by us to be true or “real” we’ll discard because they mean the same thing.

So, what got me thinking about love, like THINKing about it instead of *feeling* it, was a conversation I had with a stranger today. We were talking about cat litter, lol, and I brought up my cats’ needs for litter (they’ve got the sensitive skin). This stranger says, “sounds like the cats have the upper hand in your relationship.”

How absurd.

My cats have the basic needs of super clean litter boxes because their bodies are sensitive to sharing the space with each other. Isn’t a relationship with any animal (we’re including humans under the
animal umbrella) about meeting the basic needs of each other? So, now, I love my cats. So, then, wouldn’t I want to do everything in my power to make their lives as special and wonderful as I can? How is that my cats having the upper hand? Let’s remember, I love them. I understand that they are cats, and I understood what they have to offer before I decided to bring them home. Can you feel me getting mad rn? I’m mad at this dude all over again, lol.

Ok, so let’s jump to romantic love. Our basic needs must be met. What are those for you? And I’m not talking about making some arbitrary checklist for the “perfect soul mate”. I’m not talking about what you need from someone else. What the fuck do YOU need? I need an hour before I leave the house to get my brain ready for people, lol. I need entire days alone. If my stomach is upset, I need to watch crappy movies. Those are the facts. If you become hardcore about fulfilling your own needs, you’ll eventually get that dream relationship you *thought* you could contain within a list. Cuz let’s be real, it’s not about having shit in common. It’s about finding the same type of creature.

But

Let’s say, hey, it’s cuffing season and your heart is particularly tender. You go on a date. This person is pretty cool. You start spending time together. You sacrifice a need here and there.

Back to belief!

Sacrificing your needs can unlatch these beliefs you had in yourself. (I will clarify, also, that I’m talking about soul-level beliefs. I’m not talking about ego beliefs like you have to have your coffee a certain way every day or life is over. Like, get a grip, lol. I mean, obvi if you have allergies, ok bad example. Hopefully you get where I’m going bc I have no more examples, lol). By not taking care of your basic needs, you diminish the belief you have in yourself. That’s why self-care has become a booming new business. It’s not because bath bombs open up a gateway to your soul, although it feels like it is, lol. It’s because you needed that time for yourself. You needed to feel good!

So

I think love is meeting needs, for whoever. People might jump and say, going above and beyond needs! But like, don’t wear yourself out lol. Meeting needs is great because you’re just being your best version of self, so, how can you even DO more?

So, I guess I wrote this to be like, “don’t let cuffing season let you diminish the belief you have in yourself.”

Maine is Magick

A quick google search on Mackworth Island will turn up a bunch of different articles. This is one of Maine’s most famous islands, steeped in lore and complete with a traumatic and, quite frankly, disturbing history. It’s the stuff a paranormal show on the travel channel would dream of visiting. Most people won’t be doing any ghost-hunting on the location though. This island has hours and it closes at dusk. So, why am I even writing about it if it’s been written to death? It’s simple, there’s a lot more to this island than trauma, there’s a bigger picture to be discussed. 

Maine island lore is full of fairies and gnomes, and Mackworth Island isn’t any different. An entire section of the island is dedicated to fairies, and it’s full of houses and offerings. When you visit this island, you’re to bring an offering to the ghost horse if you happen by the pet cemetery. Some people believe that the horse is the gatekeeper to the island’s many spirits. 

A handful of people will tell you their ghost stories from Mackworth, but most people, the workers on the island specifically, don’t have any tales of their own. That’s where the horse comes in. If you bring the horse a carrot or an apple, it is said that you’re showing that you’re someone the spirits can trust. 

All of my experience with this island comes from performing magic rituals on its shores. The shores are loaded with quartz, garnet, mica, and one of the most powerful protectors, sand. I’ve found that I can speak anything into existence on the shores of this island. You can’t just roll up there and chant anything into existence though. The island will make sure of it. 

Side bar—there’s ideas that the great pyramid was once a battery. BECAUSE, it was encased in limestone, had a granite interior, a water tributary underneath, and the sun launched down onto the point. 

So, what if you have *most* of those components? Maybe you can’t generate your own energy, but what if you can amplify vibrations you’re sending out? There are two other places in Maine with this same mineral content and water running along them that I’ve visited (probably many more than 2 exist) and they all lend themselves well to the idea of a window area. I’ve had great luck performing large rituals for large beings and have had great luck manifesting my needs in these areas. All three areas are known for their hauntings and exciting ghost tales. What if the combination of the right minerals works like a chemistry experiment? 

Aside from Maine being the ultimate vacationland and beautiful, it’s creepy. Anyone that’s grown up here has a ghost story. 8 out of 10 people have lived in a haunted house. Why does this happen here? Well, what if the entire state is a giant magick spell? The ocean runs along its side, the entire coast is quartz, granite, and beach sand (for those unfamiliar, beach sand is often used in place of salt in magick rituals), the state is steeped in pine/oak/maple trees, apples, limestones, granite, tourmaline, and many other minerals. What if Maine is a gigantic magick spell? 

We have lots of islands with no police or external governing of any kind (are you thinking about wicker man? Cuz you should be). We have towns that hide their ghosts from outsiders and worship them like gods. We have towns buried by water for companies like Nestle. We have had wars fought on our coasts. I mean, seriously. There’s so much to explore and investigate here. I’ll have to tell you about the dogs and the mermaids another time. 

Under the Altar Cloth

Like many witches, I have multiple altars. Some I keep for offerings and space for specific beings and some are for spells. I have a main working alter that changes the most. I haven’t changed it in months, which is unlike me. I have been having a lot of anxiety around changing it, which is also unlike me.

I can see this alter perfectly from my bed. Over the past couple of months, I’ve stared at it and gotten stressed out that I hadn’t changed it. The longer I kept going without changing it, the more stress I felt.

Then, the August Full Moon happened.

I began to understand. I needed to shed the past. I couldn’t rework the altar because I had to completely change it. So, today I threw it all away, including my cloth.

Many astrologers talked about how transformative that Moon would be. If you’re feeling let down by what it brought it, it’s important to understand that things as small as being able to throw something away is hugely transformational. Sometimes that’s the blockage that has to move.

Being able to understand how each moment in life adds up to the larger picture is part of magic. Understanding that every vibration is like chemistry helps with how you manifest and conjure. If you can find all of the “small” magical moments in your life, you’ll start to realize how truly destined your path has become.