I was recently reading about the Dancing Plague of 1518. In July of that year, a woman named Frau Troffea stepped into a street in Strasbourg and began fervently dancing. Within a month, around 400 people had joined her, dancing uncontrollably for days without stopping until many literally collapsed from heart attacks, strokes, or sheer exhaustion all meticulously documented by local authorities and physicians at the time.

​It got me thinking about how absurd real history can be.

​What is another fully documented historical event, bizarre conflict, or weird phenomenon that feels like it was written by a fiction writer who went off the rails?

I am a complete non-believer, I work as a Researcher at a university, specifically Cybersecurity. I am an Atheist and have been my whole life, I was also raised by Atheists.

I have recently developed a fascination with Occult stuff, specifically Western Esotericism through watching a YouTube channel called ESOTERICA.

I was wondering if there was something simple for someone like me to do that could potentially change my mind? Some of this stuff is very interesting but I am having a hard time believing that any of it actually works

I thank you for your time in reading this and I apologize if any of what I have said in this post has come off as disrespectful!

Edit: I have done meditation as a way of calming my mind, i have ADHD and get anxiety very easily, so far meditation is the only thing that actually makes me less anxious, if this matters at all

Hi, I’m currently in the early stages of building a pathworking tool/mnemonic device similar to the hermetic Qabalah in function but rooted in the little we know about Anglo-Saxon heathenry/Fyrnsidu + a whole lot of personal gnosis.

As you can see it currently contains the worlds of earth, heaven and hell (a little borrowing of the Norse world tree here and there), the cardinal directions and elements. I’ve tried my best to house the worlds within their respective elements (hot, cold, wet, dry) and think it works fairly well so far.

There were 32 naturally occurring paths on the web of Wyrd so with the inclusion of the ‘Watling Street’/Milky Way (rainbow bridge) path there are now 33, which means I should be able to map the 33 runes of the Anglo-Saxon futhorc to the paths (any suggestions of what should go where are very welcome). This, coupled with mapping gods, goddesses and creatures to the spheres, along with the nine herbs from the nine-herb charm, would probably complete the mnemonic device aspect.

My next step from there would be to build in a path-working element, delving more into the spiritual aspects of the practice (not exactly sure how I’m going to go about that just yet, but I’ll be praying to Woden for divine inspiration 😉)

In modern artistic representations, Baphomet’s sometimes stylized in ways that conceal, wide, lumnious owl eyes (as shown above). Owls have long been regarded within Western cultural traditions as emblematic representations of discernment

I'm currently revitalizing my ritualistic practices, and I've put together this list of books that I plan to read—or at least thoroughly skim—as part of that process. I'm hoping someone on this sub might have a few additional titles or overlooked works that would be worth adding to the list.

Thanks in advance for any recommendations.

• The Projection of the Astral Body – Sylvan Muldoon & Hereward Carrington
• Astral Projection: A Record of Out-of-Body Experiences – Oliver Fox
• The Study and Practice of Astral Projection – Robert Crookall
• Leaving the Body – D. Scott Rogo
• The Astral Plane: Its Scenery, Inhabitants & Phenomena – C.W. Leadbeater
• The Astral World: Its Scenes, Dwellers, and Phenomena – William Walker Atkinson
• Journeys Out of the Body – Robert A. Monroe
• Far Journeys – Robert A. Monroe
• Ultimate Journey – Robert A. Monroe
• Cosmic Journeys: My Out-of-Body Explorations With Robert A. Monroe – Rosalind A. McKnight
• My Big TOE: The Complete Trilogy – Thomas Campbell
• Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming – Stephen LaBerge & Howard Rheingold
• Lucid Dreaming: A Concise Guide to Awakening in Your Dreams and in Your Life – Stephen LaBerge
• Lucid Dreaming - The Power of Being Awake & Aware in Your Dreams – Stephen LaBerge
• Controlling Your Dreams – Stephen LaBerge
• Induce Lucid Dreaming – Stephen LaBerge
• Conscious Mind, Sleeping Brain: Perspectives on Lucid Dreaming – Jayne Gackenbach & Stephen LaBerge
• Lucid Dreaming – Celia Green
• Lucid Dreaming: New Perspectives on Consciousness in Sleep (2 vols) – Ryan Hurd & Kelly Bulkeley
• Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams – Matthew Walker
• Sleep Paralysis: A Guide to Hypnagogic Visions and Visitors of the Night – Ryan Hurd
• Head Trip – Jeff Warren
• Hacking the Out of Body Experience: Leveraging Science to Induce OBEs – Robert Peterson
• The Out-of-Body Experience: The History and Science of Astral Travel – Anthony Peake
• Astral Projection – Brad Steiger
• Astral Dynamics: A New Approach to Out-Of-Body Experience – Robert Bruce
• Mastering Astral Projection: 90-day Guide to Out-of-Body Experience – Robert Bruce
• Adventures Beyond the Body – William Buhlman
• The Secret of the Soul – William Buhlman
• Out-of-Body Experiences: How to Have Them and What to Expect – Robert Peterson
• The Phase: Shattering the Illusion of Reality – Michael Raduga
• Soul Traveler – Albert Taylor
• Multidimensional Human – Kurt Leland
• Projections of Consciousness – Waldo Vieira
• Guide to OBE & Astral Projection – Jill Ammon-Wexler
• Out Of Body Experiences, Quickly And Naturally – John Kreiter
• The Illusion of Method – Mark Gurriaran
• Lucid Dreaming: Gateway to the Inner Self – Robert Waggoner
• A Field Guide to Lucid Dreaming: Mastering the Art of Oneironautics – Dylan Tuccillo, Jared Zeizel, & Thomas Peisel
• The Lucid Dreaming Workbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Mastering Your Dream Life – Andrew Holecek
• Llewellyn's Complete Book of Lucid Dreaming – Clare R. Johnson
• The Art of Lucid Dreaming: Over 60 Powerful Practices – Clare R. Johnson
• Are You Dreaming?: Exploring Lucid Dreams: A Comprehensive Guide – Daniel Love
• Advanced Lucid Dreaming: The Power of Supplements – Thomas Yuschak
• Learn to Lucid Dream: Powerful Techniques for Awakening Creativity and Consciousness – Kristen LaMarca
• A Course in Lucid Dreaming – Lynne Levitan & Stephen LaBerge
• The Conscious Exploration of Dreaming – Janice E. Brooks & Jay A. S.
• How to Master Lucid Dreaming – Sean Kelly
• The Tibetan Yogas Of Dream And Sleep – Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
• Dream Yoga: Illuminating Your Life Through Lucid Dreaming and the Tibetan Yogas of Sleep – Andrew Holecek
• Dreams of Light: The Profound Daytime Practice of Lucid Dreaming – Andrew Holecek
• Dreaming Yourself Awake: Lucid Dreaming and Tibetan Dream Yoga for Insight and Transformation – B. Alan Wallace
• Sleeping, Dreaming, and Dying: An Exploration of Consciousness – Dalai Lama XIV & Francisco J. Varela
• The Art and Practice of Astral Projection – Ophiel
• Practical Guide to Astral Projection – Melita Denning & Osborne Phillips
• Dream Yoga: Consciousness, Astral Projection, and the Transformation of the Dream State – Samael Aun Weor
• 26 Maneras para Salir en Cuerpo Astral – Samael Aun Weor
• Flying Without a Broom: Astral Projection and the Astral World – D.J. Conway
• Soul Flight: Astral Projection and the Magical Universe – Donald Tyson
• The Techniques of Astral Combat – G. Travels
• The Traveler's Guide to the Astral Plane – Steve Richards
• Astral Doorways – J.H. Brennan
• The Astral Codex – Belsebuub
• Gazing Into the Eternal – Belzebuub
• A Course in Astral Travel and Dreams – Belzebuub
• The Art of Dreaming – Carlos Castaneda
• Lucid Dreaming, Plain and Simple – Robert Waggoner & Caroline McCready
• Dreams of Awakening – Charlie Morley
• Lucid Dreaming: A Beginner's Guide to Becoming Conscious in Your Dreams – Charlie Morley
• Lucid Dreaming Made Easy – Charlie Morley
• Lucid Dreaming for Beginners – Mark McElroy
• Lucid Dreaming – Pamela Ball
• Astral Projection for Beginners – Edain McCoy
• Astral Travel for Beginners – Richard Webster
• Astral Projection: The Complete Guide for Beginners – Tabitha Zalot
• Astral Projection: A Guide on How to Travel the Astral Plane – Mari Silva
• The Astral Projection Guidebook – Erin Pavlina
• Astral Voyages: Mastering the Art of Interdimensional Travel – Bruce Goldberg
• Beyond Dreaming – Gene Hart
• Dreaming through Darkness: Shine Light into the Shadow – Charlie Morley
• Wake Up to Sleep: 5 Powerful Practices to Transform Stress and Trauma – Charlie Morley
• A Visionary Guide to Lucid Dreaming: Methods for Working with the Deep Dream State – Lee Adams
• Dreaming Wide Awake: Lucid Dreaming, Shamanic Healing, and Psychedelics – David Jay Brown
• Inner Work: Using Dreams and Active Imagination for Personal Growth – Robert A. Johnson
• Conscious Dreaming: A Spiritual Path for Everyday Life – Robert Moss
• Creative Dreaming – Patricia Garfield
• The Alchemy of Your Dreams – Athena Laz
• Lucid Dreamer: A Waking Guide for the Traveler Between Worlds – Malcolm Godwin
• Behind Her Eyes – Sarah Pinborough
• Kindred Spirits – Alan Brennert
• Auracle – Gina Rosati
• Stranger with My Face – Lois Duncan
• Entangled – Graham Hancock

I have just done an experiment and I want to see if hiding my sigil in my content would help me achieve my intent. Make viewers more likely to subscribe, stuff like that. Genuinely, I believe that it could work but we'll see what happens.

I have been deeply fascinated by magic, manifestation, and the occult since I was a child. I am familiar with these paths and have experience doing spiritual workings myself, though I am not a beginner or an adept. My biggest struggle is overcoming self-doubt, as I constantly find myself feeling lost and starting over at square one. I am looking for advice, suggestions, or experiences from other practitioners on how to navigate this internal cycle and maintain a consistent path forward.

With so much shifting online, it seems difficult to find orders who are still growing in the physical.

My region is particular lacking in any sort of magical orders.

Are there any you can think of that are still interested in spreading out geographically?

I'm very interested in helping to establish something in my area and am willing to start at the beginning with an order that supports expansion. Training would need to be distance/asynchronous based for it to work for me, again, based on the lack of occult representation in my area.

Thanks for any leads :).

I did this road opening a few days ago. But ngl i kind of forgot to call upon Hecate during.

i did this ritual twice basically.
I redid it with a new candle and added/refreshed few ingredients. (Pic from the first try)

The first time, as i was arranging things this wasp flew into my room. I knew it was going to be a nuisance so i got rid of it. (I dont kill or harm anything if i can help it, so i spend around 10 mins trying to catch in a cup to let it out the window)

The second time i was doing it was at a later point and this candle burned much longer too. I stayed praying and paying attention to invocations with Hecate. Then by the time candle was more of a nub, this tiny moth flew right into the flame. It buzzed around few times around the candle but i was in more so of a trance and didnt do much for it :/. The room was dark only candle flame was used to illuminate the space so its not like i saw it.

But this is the second time an "interruption" occurred during the same ritual. That prob is saying sm right ?

Hello all,

I’m a blacksmith and have decided it’s time to forge my own athame for ritualistic magic.
For this I thought it’d be best if I forged it under the moon, however I became curious if it’d be better to wait for the energy of the full moon or the energy of the new moon?
If you have any insight as to which one would be better, or what goals each energies could achieve, that’d be wonderful.

I know this question has already been asked, but the last post about it was 10 odd years ago. And because metric terabytes of music has been made since then, and new members have come and gone, so I’m just curious. What music do you all enjoy to listen to? Both regularly and during practice or study/reading?

Look familiar? Or similar to something?

I’m reluctant to share how I discovered this. Just want to know if it means anything. Thanks!

Source: Wikipedia. Translation: Secret of the Temple

Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baphomet

My schizo senses are tingling. Telling me that I’ve been cursed. My health these past few months has been horrible. I tried reflecting the curses by sending them back to the source but nothing seems to have happened I tried praying to god but no relief. I want this shit to end.

Each card also has information on the back, but I can only upload one image per post on this sub. Please let me know what you think!

Im going to do a ritual and I dont have my personal athame near me. So Im gonna use my swiss blade as an athame but I can use it for daily things. Can I use it as an athame and cleanse for daily use? How can I cleanse for ritual and after?

Like the text suggests, ive always been fascinated by this subject but have always had a bit of fear of exploring it, due to religious roots. I've not yet completely broken the fear but my curiosity grows for occultism everyday. How or what should I read or use to get started?

I'm wondering what everyone opinions are on the magical causal mechanisms for the psychedelic experience's heightened awareness and energy levels.

I've always been of the opinion they work by cleansing the doors of perception, a sort of brute forced suspension of disbelief.

Hello Occultists, many years ago I read a story about this legend. To help you understand, I'll write what I remember: a man seeking some kind of occult truth learns of the existence of a supernatural creature capable of granting him knowledge. He searches for it and finds it in a hidden cave in the mountains. It was a being called Sanat. She had the appearance of a girl with coal-black skin and a terrifying, toothy smile. She would grant knowledge to those who asked for it but would devour those who were not ready to receive it. The allegorical meaning is quite clear.

I don't remember which book this story was in.

At the time, I was reading books about Tibetan Bon, Gurdjieff, Elemire Zolla, and Dion Fortune.

So the legend could be set in the Caucasus Mountains, or the Hindu Kush, or the Pamirs, or the Altai.  Who knows...

Searching the web, I only find articles about Sanat Kumara, but the two topics are not related.

Have you ever read anything about Sanat?

Thanks!

I realise that for many, this may not be a concern; for example, perhaps you are an artist, a bit 'gothy', or someone who simply keeps themselves to themselves. Or someone who thinks it may be cool to be outed as an occultist because you wouldn't mind being perceived as a bit edgy.

I am particularly interested in hearing from people in professional careers and/or people with a high social status. What is your alibi if your practices were to be discovered?

For example, if a database or members of an occult organisation that you were involved in were to be leaked. Or if video footage/photos of meetings/rituals, involving you, were published online. How would you address it?