Pluto in Aquarius- A Dystopian Nigredo.

*Per leggere questo articolo in Italiano clicca qui.*

In recent weeks, more than ever, it seems to be on the edge of a precipice: wars waiting to break out, wars that have been tearing apart peoples and countries for decades, wars made of weapons, made of people, of trees silhouetted against a leaden sky, of animals trying to survive among the rubble of destroyed ecosystems and rivers of vinyl chloride.

There is a heaviness in the air that seems to herald the end of the world as we know it, suspended in a liminal shadow that obscures the light of this spring sun like a toxic cloud.

The Spring Equinox has just passed and with it another astrological year has begun, but that's not the only threshold we've crossed. This year we will see another powerful change, astrologically speaking: Pluto has just entered the house of Aquarius, for the first time since 1798, where it will give us a first taste of the new age to come - then re-entering Capricorn in retrograde way on June 2023 (to return to Aquarius definitively in November 2024).

Pluto takes its name from the Roman god of the Underworld and, therefore, governs everything related to Death (both physical and symbolic) and the consequent rebirth: downgraded to a dwarf planet by Science, in Astrology it is the agent of karma for excellence. Aquarius, as we have already seen, is an extremely creative, futuristic, technological and humanitarian sign (it is no coincidence that it is represented as the Water Bearer pouring the waters of knowledge into the cosmos).

So what to expect from this astrological aspect?

With the current picture in front of us, it is difficult not to imagine a dystopian future: we live in a world where likes and followers are sold on the black market like weapons and counterfeit goods, a symptom of an increasingly accentuated virtual escapism in a virtual reality so alluring and sometimes more real than the tangible. The IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change) has just published its latest report, giving an ultimatum to the human race before the consequences of an unceasing, now almost irreversible, climate change become disastrous… Considering the growing tensions between East and West, a war could have devastating consequences not only from an ethical and civil point of view but also from an environmental point of view. Neither economic profit nor military glory nor virtual reality will save us.

Pluto and Aquarius together will bring progress but not without turmoil and destruction: to get to see the rays of a new golden dawn, we must first go through the long, dark night of the soul. What is not needed, must be destroyed in order to be reborn in a new era - at the end of Kali Yuga.

The last time Pluto was found to transit in Aquarius, the United States rebelled against the hegemony of the British Empire and obtained its independence, signing the American constitution in 1789; in Europe the French Revolution broke out which saw the abolition of the absolute monarchy inspiring many other revolutionary movements across the continent and the decline of centuries of monastic regimes; in Haiti instead there was one of the most important revolts in history: in 1791, a group of slaves rebelled against the French colonial government thus abolishing slavery and obtaining independence as the first sovereign state governed entirely by non-white people, creating a rebellion unprecedented that inspired the movement of liberation and revision of the laws concerning slavery in so many European colonies at the time.

Obviously, we cannot predict with certainty what this celestial meeting will bring after two centuries, but we will still see the incessant Aquarian humanitarian work: we will proceed oriented towards the rights of all individuals, hopefully abandoning the current Capricornian capitalist approach.

With the recent entry of Saturn into Pisces, bringing with it the oneiric from the depths onto the physical plane, we can only hope that it can light the fuse for greater spiritual awareness and direct change towards a more equitable society oriented towards the well-being of the humanity in full respect of Nature in all its entirety.

Despite a threatening celestial vault, in this approaching storm, we must remember that power also lies in the choices we make as individuals: let yourself be stripped by Pluto's alchemical nigredo in order to proceed safely towards the East, in view of a new dawn.

♃Ludna

Of Ego and Spirituality

**Clicca qui per leggere questo post in Italiano

It was a sunny day in early February, when the daylight began to increase and the golden rays of the sun to heat a little more tenaciously, that I found myself contemplating writing this post: I watched the world flow outside the window, in an altered state of consciousness and in the company of the person I love. The seagulls flew high in the sky, playing in the wind, while distant clouds created playful patterns on the green hills of Britain... now it seems a distant memory, despite the fact that spring is knocking on the door with a promise of new hope; a vain hope that is difficult to perceive when winds of war blow strong in the East.

But also thanks to this latter, great threat that casts shadow on the Western world, I find myself again thinking the same thing, the same inspiration that prompted me to conceive this article in the first place - albeit in a different interpretation from how originally conceived.

**Click here for helpful self-care tips for practitioners.

These days I have seen a lot of people on social media unleash hatred, frustration and disinformation - perhaps products of a smoke screen of confusion, terror and propaganda, which is frightening and therefore proportional to the fear and feeling helplessness in front of a situation bigger than us. And immediately everyone to share the news that cause more shock, sensationalism, the real pornography of pain; but a doubt arises spontaneously: despite the first, instinctive desire to sincerely help others, how much is an egoic choice to make so much noise? Of explaining why you share useful material and links or, otherwise, the need to justify why you don't? To show that you are on the right side of history, to be able to tell those who watch with a wakeful eye "I have done my part" and avoid the virtual guillotine of cancel culture?

It is in the nature of the human being to seek the approval of others, in any social, economic and political sphere. It is part of our most basic and hidden needs, being social animals that rely on the concept of community for our survival, it has been so for millennia and still is now, although we like to think that we are evolved creatures who will soon be able to conquer the Solar System and beyond.

From when we are born to the day we die, in all aspects of our life, we seek the approval and love of our peers... yes, even in the event of a war: from the head of state who declares it, an emblematic façade of who knows what real interest behind it, to the general of an army, looking for career advancement, to the single citizen of a foreign country who assists helplessly and divulges via social media.

Despite being part of our nature, it is disputable though when "errors" of this type are made by people who define themselves as spiritual and accustomed to occult disciplines. Shouldn't we be the first ones to know the depths of the microcosm, the labyrinths of our psyche, before we can heal the macrocosm and try to influence the Universe in a positive way?

Yet, in this sea of ​​old and new practitioners, holistic operators, healers and holy people, unfortunately the essential work of Shadow Work takes a back seat (we will deepen it soon, don't you worry). 

If we cannot heal ourselves and we do not know the limits of our knowledge, how can we expect to instil it in others?

The Ego is part of us, it is not an aspect of our being that we can eliminate.

It is a natural defence, which allows us to reason and act when the irrational is on the loose... To the detriment of the subconscious though, that part of us that instead allows us to pick up the vibrations in the thin web of the cosmos.

We have already talked about it in another article, which I strongly urge you to read, in the age of social media it is very easy to obtain consensus and popularity in a very short time. And find also quick information, at the mercy of any reader.

**Click here to read how communities are changing.

And in recent years I have (I think I can also speak on behalf of other practitioners) noticed the spasmodic search for the more niche, alternative cult and the need to disclose it in blogs that are sprouting like mushrooms everywhere, in the shadow of such a spiritual current. The desire to share, the enthusiasm and the search for people similar to us is once again a common feature of all human beings. Especially in a country like Italy, which is strongly Catholic and retrograde from this point of view... Am I not here talking about it with you on a blog after all?

But precisely because it is a life that we live in a showcase thanks to social media (the dish we eat at the trendiest restaurant, the unboxing of our latest fast fashion order, the holidays in the Instagrammable Air B&B, etc.), we must honestly and truly ask ourselves if that that we profess is for the sake of our spirituality and not for our personal validation.

In recent months I have seen a rather worrying phenomenon developing in the pagan community, with blows of screenshots, tags and Instagram lives, accusing each other of little moral integrity and/or of worshiping fake gods - like any story of newspaper gossip.

And while the sun caressed my skin, at the gates of Imbolc, I felt this warmth growing in my chest, essential gear of a perfect reality in its imperfection: an agglomeration of star dust, on a tiny blue point in the middle of an infinite space-time ocean. Where everything is love and indifference at the same time, coexisting in an eternal dance of balances.

And as I pondered this divine pattern, I wondered: if there really is an entity out there, call it the Universe, Jehovah, Allah or whatever your spiritual path suits you best, do they really give a shit about our battles in the name of the most integral and historically correct cult? Of our wars, under one banner or another - heralds of absolute truths?

When I approached the world of the Occult, I approached it for the love of knowledge and my planet.

To be able to feel myself in the middle of the axis mundi, to grasp even for a fraction of a second the infinity of the Cosmos.

To be everything and nothing at the same time, suspended on a thread between death and life and understand their mysteries.

And this is what drives me every day to practice, research and study not only on the textbooks of ancient scholars, but also to live them on my skin and understand the complexity of the world around me.

It does not matter if you have heard your call differently, we all got there in different ways and from different worlds but the constant is the same: a gesture of love; every day towards ourselves, our community and the nature that surrounds us - without the need to excel and make a lot of noise about nothing. It is an all-round discipline and the path of a lifetime - followed with humility, not just confined to casting a spell on a full moon nor demonstrating anything to anyone on a virtual stage.

It is part of our nature to simply be "human" and "make mistakes", to the best of our ability; so don’t be too harsh on yourself and others, perfection is only godlike but I would like to invite you all to simply ask yourself questions.

Without arrogance, without pride and without judgment - no one needs gurus who boast of truth and spit dogmas about absolute practices, but only to open your hearts to the spirits with sincerity and begin to listen.

Do little acts of kindness every day, little acts of magic where no one can see you.

Do not lose your compass on what your spiritual calling truly is and yourself if, what you’re just about to do, it is just for a simple desire for recognition in front of your community.

The Ego, although it is an essential part of us, does not carry us that far when we immerse ourselves in narratives as an end in themselves. Just look at the current political situation, a fragile and dangerous example of what our mania for grandeur can do without the humility of listening to our soul and the spirits around us.

Good Listening. 

♃Ludna

The Great Conjunction - The Wind of Change

 The year 2020 can certainly be defined as interesting, to put it mildly: it began with a severe conjunction between Saturn and Pluto, with wildfires fuelled by climate change, and then continued with a global pandemic, social revolts and drastic political changes.

The year ends with with another very important and talked-about astronomical and astrological phenomenon: the conjunction in Aquarius between Jupiter and Saturn.

In fact, the two giants of the Solar System will dance together, as not seen for 800 years, forming a beautiful Christmas Star on our horizon.

In reality, this astrological aspect occurs every 20 years, but it is since the Middle Ages (precisely since1226) that we do not see them as close and as powerful as in these days. What makes this conjunction particularly special are the sign in which it occurs and also the date itself, the 21st December - the Solstice; adding an extra boost to this planetary alignment.

Let's see them together.

As we have already seen, Saturn is the strict master of the zodiac: he governs discipline, responsibility and karmic laws. He is the one who is responsible for the structures that govern our society.

On the other hand, Jupiter regulates everything related to philosophy, spiritual research and the thirst for knowledge; he pushes us to affirm our ethical and moral values. He too is a master, like Saturn, in reality he is a much more benevolent figure than the latter - in fact Jupiter is also associated with destiny and luck, as the growth dictated by this planet is a prosperous and generous development. 

The two Time Lords unite under the same astrological element about every 200 years, in fact since 1802 we have seen all conjunctions under Earth signs - up to the last one in Taurus in 2000, at the gates of the new millennium.

The focus of these two planets, so different and so co-dependent on each other, has been directed towards earthly aspects, bringing with them undoubted economic prosperity, accumulation of goods and wealth but also the exploitation of natural resources, colonial expansions and materialism.

Not surprisingly, in the nineteenth century we were at the heart of the Industrial Revolution, a great change that would then change the way of life on the planet - both for humans and not. It began the spasmodic search for new colonial territories, the era of coal followed by the ubiquitous oil, the birth of Capitalism and its consequent unbridled consumerism until we find ourselves having to deal with an imminent climate crisis with catastrophic potential.

But now the register changes, bringing a burst of fresh air (literally) in a year that perhaps can be considered the worthy conclusion of an era: until 2159, in fact, these two planets will dance in the element in the Air. A planetary encounter that could lead us to the discovery of new inventions (landing on Mars, anyone?), changes in our way of communicating and thinking.

While with the previous Pluto-Saturn conjunction, we exposed our weaknesses in order to test the backbones of our structure, now is the time to sow the seeds for a new society. Jupiter prompts us to open our minds, letting Saturn make our thoughts tangible for a lasting plan.

We now enter the house of Aquarius, one of Saturn's natural domiciles.

Futuristic, revolutionary and linked to the community, it is time to ask ourselves: what do we want to leave behind, to enter the future with open arms?

The signs are already there, for those who can read the laws of the cosmos.

Until we return to see the sacredness of the universe that surrounds us, we will be stuck in a karmic loop: racism, homophobia, misogyny, ableism, capitalism, deforestation, animal exploitation… Consequences such as climate change and the pandemic are only the tip of the iceberg.

More and more people are returning to their origins, abandoning patriarchal religions and embracing an inclusive spirituality. The sprout of change is growing healthy and strong: the number of individuals who are taking an interest in the environment is growing, adopting a sustainable lifestyle, zero waste and a vegetable diet, embracing important causes such as battles for LGBT + people, POC and people with disabilities, others are renouncing the colonization imposed by the West to return to walk the path of their ancestors, repudiating a system imposed with blood… This return to contact with the Earth, to empathy, to respect it is the hope in healing deep generational wounds, which damage humanity and the planet.

And on this day, where the Sun shines again after the long darkness, this change is even more symbolic and important - yet another powerful esoteric message on the threshold of a new era.

The Age of Aquarius is coming, whether you are ready or not.

♃Ludna

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Zeitgeist - Remember your Power

Zeitgeist ‹tsaɪt.ɡaɪst›, noun [ S ] German [Comp. of Zeit "time" and Geist "spirit"]. - Expression coined in the context of German romantic-idealistic philosophy between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and translated into English "spirit of the age", which is used to indicate the ideal, cultural, spiritual climate that is considered characteristic of an era.

This post will not be poetic and embellished with refined words, it will be naked and raw.

This tumultuous period we are experiencing and this recent lunar eclipse in Sagittarius, coinciding with a sun in Gemini, are throwing petrol on my feisty Aquarian nature.

The stars had already predicted it, this will not be a simple year.

And they will not be the only astrological aspects to consider: we have just passed the full moon, the Solstice is approaching and also June will be dotted with six retrograde planets.

We are already seeing the fruits of Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto, which are uncovering Pandora's box: we are questioning our personal values, our way of communicating, the society in which we live and its laws. The well-loved Mercury in Cancer (bringing hidden wounds to the surface) and Neptune in Pisces will also join the party (showing us the naked and raw reality, stripping it of the veil of illusion). Sound familiar?

I'm not going to look into it more in depth, because there would be a lot to discuss and there are already numerous articles about it - written by people who are much more competent in this regard. I conclude by saying that the sky is favourable to us, in a historical moment like this.

Those who practice esotericism and walk its path know that nothing is random: everything happens for a specific reason, in the great divine plan. But I also firmly believe in free will and that we can be the architects of our fate: the astrological picture is propitious, but revolutions cannot happen without the spark that makes them explode in wildfires.

And this is where I appeal to you, because believe it or not witchcraft is also political.

But it is not a question of choosing between right or left, it is a question of following the centuries-old path of the oppressed and persecuted and defending their rights.

Some of you have said that we are not our ancestors, if we live in a racist world it is not our fault. When we decide to call ourselves witches, we take responsibility for accepting the weight of our ancestors, for better or for worse. It is up to us to remedy the mistakes of our people.

Because we may not be racist ourselves, personally, but the society in which we live is: a system based on the blood of oppressed peoples and stolen lands. And if we do nothing to change it, we are accomplices of those who commit injustices every day - because silence is as serious as violence. Remember there is a substantial difference between not being racist and being anti-racist.

Nobody is born a racist, we become racist thanks to an obsolete Eurocentric vision.

It all goes back to the disconnection we have with our planet, there is no respect for life - this disconnection is the same that pushed us to oppress other peoples, destroy entire ecosystems and put life itself in chains.

So what can we do?

If you can go out into the streets to demonstrate, perfect: do it, physically support the cause. If you can also help on the subtle plane, even better.

Activism has many forms, including magic, since the dawn of time: from court wizards to the witches of the New Forest, who made a banishing spell on the Nazis during the Second World War. Certainly other factors have played their part including the extraordinary stubbornness of the English people and the determination of the Royal Air Force, see it as you wish but Hitler never set foot in the United Kingdom.

We are going through an asphyxiating period, and it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the heaviness of the energies in circulation: too much suffering, anger and death (I also remind you of the recent pandemic, still ongoing). For those who are particularly empathetic, it can be very difficult to fight physically or on the esoteric plane.

But don't worry, there are many other things that can be done to contribute: spread information, donate your time or your money if you can and especially we can use this time to educate others and ourselves.

They are all useful and necessary aspects, rivers that flow into the same sea; one does not exclude the other and are equally important.

We leave here underneath one of the many links where you can find out how to help:

https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/

Do not underestimate your power: secular empires have fallen because someone has had enough of them one day. The colossus of the Third Reich did not expect to have to fight a fierce resistance from people who were fed up, in addition to the enemy army.

Humanity is capable of terrible things, we know it well, but also of extraordinary achievements.

But Rome did not fall in one day, for this reason I want this awareness to go far beyond the hashtag on Instagram. Don't forget this fight, once the waters calm down; unfortunately we tend to have short memories: we were all feminists at the time of the #metoo, we all demonstrated during the pride month, we all became environmentalists when we talked about climate change, we all praised the beauty of nature and human solidarity during the covid . Now who's talking about these? Have we forgotten already? Yet everything is still there, nothing has disappeared.

The key word is resilience.

We must insist until a society is created that guarantees full rights to all its citizens, regardless of gender, religion, ethnicity and physical characteristics, where NO ONE is disadvantaged and where diversity is celebrated as enrichment, not seen as a reason for shame.

It is up to us to change these world views as witches and humans.

♃Ludna

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Saturn in Aquarius - A Wake Up Call

Have you ever tasted fear? The kind that leaves a metallic taste and dries your mouth? It is not something we are often used to in our small Eurocentric world.

Our generation, born in luxury, has never had to worry about wars, famines, plagues; at best we are concerned about cyberbullying.

As we already anticipated in January, 2020 will be a tough year, which will test our society: the Saturn / Pluto conjunction in Capricorn will denude us, highlighting our fragility, both personally and institutionally . We are already seeing its effects: entire nations under martial law, against an invisible threat.

We are barricaded in our homes, slaves of a chaotic enemy, with the fear that something may happen to us or, especially, to our loved ones. This virus is making us aware that we are not exempt from death and suffering, even in this part of the world. We are part of a larger reality, where other human beings and other creatures suffer every day.

Technology helps us, but it does not make us exempt from the laws of Nature. A Nature that we fail to respect, that we try to subjugate for our vile personal gain. And now, after ignoring the signs of a suffering planet, we face the consequences. Because Nature is a strict and impartial mother, and there is no more democratic judge than an illness - which indiscriminately affects different ethnic groups, the poor, the rich, the young, the old. And we are not untouchable gods, as we often think we are.

This is the lesson that Saturn and Pluto want to teach us: coronavirus, like global warming, are caused by our greed and our materialism. These are consequences of a selfish and unethical lifestyle that has created an imbalance in the universe.

But don't worry, nothing is eternal. Not even the pandemic.

We can have a little taste in these months: Saturn enters the house of the Aquarius until July 2020, and then re-enters Capricorn retrograde until the end of the year.

What can we expect from the meeting of these two aspects?

Saturn, as we have already seen, regulates our perception of society while Aquarius, a sign governed by this celestial body, regulates the sense of community and sense of innovation. Already at this moment, in fact, the futuristic Water Bearer is defining our social interactions: in the quarantine, we find ourselves talking with the people we love only through technology; an exceptional event given the social nature of the human being. A necessary measure, which will probably last weeks if not months, when we can finally go out to breathe the fresh air and hug our loved ones.

We will experience then a small preview of 2021, when Saturn will officially enter the eleventh house, one of its beloved domiciles, to stay there for the next three years - defined by social justice, progress and innovations.

It is impossible to predict with certainty that repercussions will occur in the coming years, but we can take a look at the previous transits in Aquarius:

• 1962-1964: In this three-year period, humanity saw for the first time a worldwide broadcast on TV (the invention that defined the post-war generation, until the next great invention) and the birth of the first industrial robot, these years were also decisive for the civil rights movement, culminating in the fateful words "I Have a Dream" by Martin Luther King.

• 1991-1994: We see another great invention born, which defined the next generation: we are talking about the World Wide Web or the internet, born in 1991. In the same year there was the fall of the last provinces of the Soviet Union; with the collapse of communism in Europe the free market was born in 1993 thanks to the Maastricht Treaty, defining the EU as we know it today.

So what can we hope for during this new, illuminating transit? The landing on Mars? A cure for cancer?

We hope for a fairer society, where the materialists finally realise that they are living in a community; a community that extends to all creatures on the planet, not just those of the same species. We dream of a conscious humanity, respectful of the planet and in contact with themselves and their own spirituality. We want equal rights for all and harmony.

Maybe it's just a utopia but, if we look carefully in this climate of uncertainty, the first signs have been seen already: the Italian people have joined together to sing from the balconies during the quarantine, the Chinese citizens for the first time have been able to hear the melodious song of birds without noise pollution whilst people across Europe applaud the health workers every evening as gesture of gratitude. The waters of Venice have returned crystal clear, as are the ports in the Mediterranean - which have seen some playful dolphins appearing there; Nature is taking back its spaces, reminding us we are only guests on this Earth,  just as we remembered the importance of our loved ones by our side, often taken for granted.

The future is not only written in the stars but it is also in our power.

If we want a better future, we need to embrace this change and sow the seed to grow a better, more humane society.

♃Ludna

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The Year of the Witch.

January 2020: Australia is on fire fuelled by the denial of climate change, such as Russia and the Amazon forest, while the situation is becoming increasingly tense between the West and the Middle East once again; the dawn of a new decade, a new era in this newborn millennium. On the 12th January, moreover, the cosmic meetup between Saturn and Pluto under the sign of Capricorn enters the picture, giving a further shock to this global precarious situation.

What should we expect from this astrological picture?

The conjunction of these two planets occurs roughly once every 30 years, normally bringing drastic changes: in 1914 we saw the outbreak of the WWI, in 1947 we were under the Iron Curtain of the Cold War, while in 1982 we witnessed a global economic crisis , the war between Iran and Iraq and the invasion of the Soviet Union into Afghanistan.

From an astrological point of view, Saturn regulates everything that is connected to time and reality as we perceive it in the material world, reflection and learning but also the law of cause and effect. Pluto, on the other hand, is the lord of the underworld and agent of karma par excellence: it regulates our deepest desires, death (physical or symbolic), our personal power and the lessons that we must face in this earthly life on the occasion of our rebirth.

The meeting between these two forces, our Saturnian foundations and the incessant Plutonian destruction, will test the very structure of our existence.
As we can deduce from the examples mentioned above, we must prepare for turmoil, thorny political situations, general pessimism and anxiety: we could witness the inexorable expansion of the crack in the wall, up to a possible collapse of the building.

From a personal point of view, we will fear of not having control over our life, making us anxious and insecure. We will need to focus on our inner strength and determination, but learning to accept our limits too.

However not all evil comes to harm: if the foundations are solid, the structure will endure. In fact, this is the key to reading the Saturn-Pluto conjunction: the elimination of the superfluous, what doesn’t last through the passage of time; stripping the pillars naked and crushing them under the karmic press to test their resistance.

And it is precisely in this stormy sea that we have to drop anchor, explore our abysses and re-emerge from the innermost depths of our ego. Be the storm that shakes the oceans of time, be the maelstrom that overthrows the status quo. This is our time to act, 2020 is the year of the Witch.

We are not simply and helplessly witnessing the destruction of the raging elements. We are the axis mundi, we are those who whisper to the forces of Nature, the same mother who calls us in her presence to defend her from denial, indifference and the cruelty of her ungrateful children.
Let us take advantage of the wind of change to act as agents of chaos: in this land that is on fire, we rise like phoenixes from the ashes of the past.
Because it is not only a matter of the deconstruction of the international political situation, and our mundane life; it is a real call to arms even on the subtle plane.
Connect with Nature, connect with yourself, join forces with others who, like you, are rising, send positive energies to heal the planet and fight tooth and nail for it.

But do not think of Mother Earth as a defenseless and dying creature: life always finds its way. This planet has lived and survived for millennia - with or without us. The global emergency we are experiencing is nothing but the bill to pay for our greed and ineptitude. What we can do is recognising our role in this play, join Gaia to stop this abomination and create a new era of awareness.

The Age of Aquarius is bringing a new spiritual awakening: more and more people are abandoning imposed religions to walk the path of their ancestors, breaking the chains of a toxic patriarchy and claiming the sacredness of their land. Let us take advantage of this ominous sky to embrace this destructive force and use it to found a better and respectful society.


If you wish to continue this reading, we invite you to check also the following:


- Environmentalism
- Magical Ethics 

♃Ludna

Clicca qui per leggere questo post in Italiano

The Earthkeepers - Our War is Your War

As we have seen, recently there is a growing claim to the dark role of the Witch. The Witch is not made of glitter, sparkling crystals and fantasy cosplay; as a reaction to the prevailing new age conception of the 90s, which completely rejected the dark part of the practice in the name of peace and love, the "wiccaphobia" became widespread.

As a consequence, now, we glorify those who work only with their own shadow - forgetting that healing and luminous part of their being.

Witchcraft is cruel, it is a sharp blade in the palm of its owner, certainly not a hippy, tree hugging practice.


No, it's not just that; but if I told you that it is ALSO that?

Often we tend to consider our spirituality as a secondary life, completely divided from our daily one. Other times, people think that the blog pages treating esotericism should deal ONLY with esotericism, because it is what the reader wants to see.

There is no temporal split between mundanity and esotericism, they intertwine with one another. We cannot live our practice by referring to ancient manuscripts, ignoring the destruction that our planet is undergoing.

As practitioners, we worship nature. And as such, we must protect it. 
Earth is our home, the home we have sworn to respect. 

Whether you are Greta Thunberg or you collect waste from the beaches in your free time, we are all responsible in the same way and it is up to us to change our way of life, so as to help Mother Earth - in everyday life as in spiritual life .

Let us not fall into the trap of thinking "What difference can I make, if no one else changes their way of acting?" 

There is no need to make sensational gestures; set sail for the Arctic Circle to save the whales, go into politics, be a famous influencer or take refuge on the top of a mountain. It is not the heroism of the single that saves the planet, but the small daily gestures of many.

Let us help Gaia, energetically and concretely. Modernity has made it very easy to lose contact with the world around us; in relationships with other human beings but also with nature itself, thus leading us to live our spirituality online and less and less in the temple par excellence: the forests, the beaches, the mountains, the meadows covered with wildflowers...

Spirituality is not only a factor of #aesthetic, it is a factor of synchrony with what surrounds us. Being part of One.

**Click here to read how to synchronise with Nature**

According to recent studies, the end of humanity as we know it could happen by 2050. The planet changes inexorably, as an ecosystem it reinvents itself and changes shape. It is not the first time that this celestial body has found itself adapting to changes of this magnitude; life always finds its way. The uniqueness of this scenario is that it is the first time ever that a sentient being drags himself and others into a mad mass suicide.

Find out about what you can do in everyday life, with your energy to heal the Universe and even defend it.

**Click here and here to read some eco-friendly tips**

It is not a climate change, it is a global emergency.

Let us hug these trees around us, let us feel their suffering and invoke the dark witch that dwells in each of us. Their struggle for survival is our war.

A war for our homes, for our lives and for our Goddess.

♃Ludna

Clicca qui per leggere questo post in Italiano.

How the Neo-pagan Community is Changing

 

I often think about my relationship with the pagan community online and I found myself reflecting on the evolution that it has undergone over the years; comparing the old generation of neo-pagans with the new one I can say that the change in here has been huge.

It is literally another world, the media are different, people's attitudes are different, and I unfortunately admit that not everything has improved.

Like many of you, my spiritual journey started studying the Wicca tradition, when I was very young.

Internet was not for everyone, it was slow and the contents were very few. If you wanted to go deeper into a topic you needed to study on books and encyclopedias, venturing into the small esoteric section of bookstores and libraries, under the inquisitorial gaze of the clerks.

In a super catholic country as Italy, who had the desire to enter the world of witchcraft had no easy life. The chances of getting books in english were few (no, neither Amazon nor Paypal existed) and the only way to have them was to go physically abroad and get them. And in fact so I did, I procured a supply of books in England, where witchcraft was no longer a taboo and was very well known thanks to Wicca.

There is little to say, despite all the criticisms that are made against it, Wicca is the neo-pagan religion that has helped spreading witchcraft in countries with a Christian majority.

Perhaps for a time it also became a sort of fashion, but thanks to this spread of new ideas and the increase of the interest of young people in a spirituality that was different from the only religion that was proposed, Catholicism, the quantity of books regarding neo-paganism, magic and esotericism increased dramatically. All this, in turn, allowed a greater diffusion and knowledge of themes of which the existence was not even suspected. Consequently, even to those who couldn’t fit Wicca as a religion, they finally had the opportunity to access to something else.

Websites dedicated to the topic were soon all over the net, as well as forums where you could interact with other people who shared your same point of view. People with my same passion for magic were very few, so being able to talk with them was incredible to me. The relationship with the other people in the group was absolutely not one of rivalry, but of sharing and inspiration; we could interact without prejudice and we used to help each other to ensure that everyone had access to the various contents.

Over the years, neo-paganism finally became a topic for everyone, even on television. In the online communities the first subdivisions began to appear for those who followed a certain tradition or another.

Many of us, however, including myself, felt that they could not take part of any specific tradition and, therefore, built an individual path, taking from the various traditions and subjects of study that most suited their vision, calling themselves "eclectic witches".

In my thirties I still haven't found a path that fully reflects my spiritual vision, besides the fact that I don't like putting limits and labels on my passions, so I still consider myself an eclectic witch.

All this seems to have gone out of fashion in the modern neo-pagan community, suddenly 

the most important thing has become the spasmodic search for a defined and stereotyped path (you don’t want to be mainstream, don’t you?), giving itself names and labels, rigid rules that you can't break.

To call oneself eclectic has become synonymous of lack of seriousness (despite one could have many years of experience but, hey.). 

But didn’t we literally escape from a religion like Catholicism even for these reasons?

If there is one thing I learned from studying Sorcery is that religion itself will not guide you in spirituality, but your soul will do it, making you realize what you believe through the raw experience with the divine or with the energies. Is it therefore so necessary to find a label to define something as intimate and personal as one's spiritual path?

For those who start today as a witch or a neo-pagan, information is luckily within everyone's reach, anyone can learn quickly, not to mention that there are so many books on the subject, so a neophyte will learn many more things and much faster than years ago.

Unfortunately, this freedom of information immediately took a negative turn. Anyone can publish their own content on the web, even the least informed ones, often this results in a dissemination of incorrect information, which favors misinformation on the subject. It is necessary to learn to distinguish those who provide valid information and those who are not, and many times it’s not so easy, especially if the writer defines himself as an authoritative source (they are the first to be wary of).

All this speed in acquiring data, moreover, has led to another problem: the neophytes find themselves full of notions and informations but they can't assimilate them.

I often come across discussions between people, who have been studying esotericism just for a few months, and already call themselves "experts" of some topic or tradition. Can we really define ourselves experts about a topic that represents the study of a whole life?

When information was poor, more time was spent on reflection on the same subject, trying to understand thoroughly what was studied, assimilating it. Today, however, we lose a lot of time focusing on the details, while we have lost sight of what is the real practice, the one that you cannot find in textbooks and that no "expert" can teach you, that will of experiment by following our instinct, without worrying about the position of the candles or having used the right incense or the right Latin word, but descending more and more into the abyss of our unconscious and following what the Universe suggests to us. The most powerful sorcerers in history are not those who can recite all the scriptures by heart, but those who know the depths of their soul.

As much as I appreciate this future that allows us to communicate to the maximum of our potential, among the modern neo-pagans,  addicted to a virtual society, I have experienced the real monsters of today's age: a constant air of superiority based solely on belonging to a certain cult or another, real episodes of racism and elitism, bullying against those who are less prepared or those who belong to a tradition that the "pack" does not like, to take an interest in a certain type of tradition or the choice to work with certain energies (shadow work, for example) automatically becomes a discriminating factor. Suddenly everyone feels compelled to explain to you how to live your spirituality, what you should and what you should not do, and often are the most immature practitioners to do this.

And in fact it is the younger practitioners who arm themselves with arrogance, as if screaming louder will automatically put you on the side of reason. We have forgotten that on the other side of the screen there is a human being and that your experience in Witchcraft is not directly proportional to your number of followers on Instagram. This attitude is inevitably reflected in the online pagan community; how can we think of overturning the system if we are the first ones to not even know how to sustain a normal discussion without quarreling or trying to prevaricate over others?

Don't let others decide what your magic path should be, don't let them tell you what's right and what's wrong with your practice: if you feel something is done in a certain way, it means it's right for you to do so.

Don't let the writings and opinions of someone else, perhaps someone who lived hundreds of years before you, influence your experiences.

Witchcraft is an individual journey, you can share it with other people, but every experience is strictly linked to the person who lived it and only this person can understand it.

♄Unornya

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