Log Date: 2026-01-02

[wastelandimperiatrix]

So I'm trying to figure my shit out within regards to spirituality/religion/witchcraft, and like. it's confusing because they are so interlinked with each other. But it basically boils down into interests that overlap with each other really well.

Comparative Mythology -> seeing which stories are a constant in different world mythos and construction of my own beliefs around it. I believe that there are stories that are passed down and told and retold for a reason, and those reasons are varied. They are still important though. 

Belief in Spirits and the Underworld -> This stems from Animism 100% - I fully believe that the world is inhabited by entities known as spirits, they have a hierarchy. Belief in what remains after Death. I think we all just end up wandering in a different mode of existence and become what is known as Faery. (This is from the Irish belief in Faeries being the spirits of the Dead)

Belief in Cultural Traditions and Rituals -> This is very important to me because it ties into community which we all need to cultivate more of. Rituals include things like superstitions common within folklore -> This is also complicated because of what defines a ritual can depend heavily. Watching Doctor Who every Saturday is a ritual many people engage in, therefore it is a cultural ritual that should be preserved and cherished. Holidays are integral to the human spirit, and are required for community nourishment.

Do I believe in Deities? yes, and no? It's complicated. I do believe in elevated spirits that have helped and hindered humanity throughout our history. Are they all powerful, all seeing, and immutable? Nope. They are just spirits that have been elevated through constant belief and working with them. I also believe that they embody some form of archetype that relates to human history and the roles we play in society.

Practicing Witchcraft -> It is an act in itself which does not require the belief of religion. It can be worked like a science, but still heavily relies on the game of chance: you are influencing the universe to a specific goal, not changing it fundamentally. It is a practice and requires skill. -> this also ties into belief and usage of Divination. I believe that divination isn't meant to tell a hard and concrete future, but to give us the tools needed to navigate toward the future we desire. It's meant to tell a story with you at the centre with possible outcomes and crossroads outlined.

Do I believe in Religion? -> complicated. On one hand, it is essential for people to have a sense of community and the relation to other people, but I don't think you need religion specifically for that. You can base holidays around the changing seasons, or just based on vibes alone. However, having people who believe in a similar cosmology to you can be helpful in finding a space for yourself. Organized Religion as it stands is a colonial mess that needs to be abandoned and reclaimed by the people. -> that being said, you can just. make a religion for yourself and practice it. My religion is the way colours swirl together in paint, or how words paint a picture using common glyphs. Find belief in the little pleasures in life.

Science and Spirituality Are Not Opposites -> I believe that spirituality can spur on scientific advancement. My main belief in this is through Robin Wall-Kimmerer's book Braiding Sweetgrass. I think the blending of traditional knowledge and science can help decolonize the field (STEM has a lot of issues, but my main belief is that everyone in a STEM field should take a humanities course at some point). There is poetry to be found in calculations, and there is magic to be found in chemistry. This ties into my interest with Ethnobotany -> the traditional knowledge and study of plant based medicine in indigenous cultures. We need to cultivate a mutual respect with people of differing cosmological beliefs so as to broaden our own understanding of the universe.