[NT] Ask an NT witch anything.

[greenfairy]

Lolz you guys.

 

[greenfairy]

Aww shit. It's gonna be a Witch Off.

Nooo, that's not my intention! I didn't see any other threads, and I can't really get the searching thing right, but I'd love to read other people's witchy threads.

*group hug*

 

[redacted]

Here is the place where you can ask anything you want to know about mysticism, spirituality, developing your feeling side and Ni, fairies, polytheism+atheism, talking to trees, psychic ability, etc.; and how it is possible to reconcile all this with being NT.

Serious question: how is it that you're able to let go and actually believe in anything besides reductionist monism? I can't take anything mystical sounding seriously enough to even know how I feel about it.

Hypothetically, how could I become open enough to see the value in it?

 

[greenfairy]

^Ill do a follow up on that: what is your individual definition of a witch and, if you are comfortable enough to share here, what is your specific 'label' (ya know, eclectic, solitary, hereditary, trad, stuff like that) as well as what kind of practices you well...practise

A quote from my document "Witches' Principles of Belief and Way of Life":
"A witch is defined as a wise person; one who seeks wisdom beyond the ordinary, to understand the mysteries of the world for the purpose of enhancing life for one’s self and those around her or him; and is able to do so by using all available power."
If you read the whole document you will get a comprehensive definition from my perspective. Using all available power is kind of the key- you have to consciously utilize all the planes of existence at once in creating your reality.

*planes of existence- physical/material, astral, ethereal/emotional, mental, spiritual. Roughly corresponding to the elements of earth, water, air, and fire.

I am eclectic, and I've been studying in a coven for 3 years. Our teacher is very thorough; most of what one learns in second degree we learn in first. I am technically Wiccan, but for me it's more of an external thing. For myself, inside, I'm just pagan. I identify myself with indigenous spirituality, as well as Hinduism and Taoism.

Edit: Oh yeah, practices. I take spiritual practices from native cultures, especially Native American and pre-Christian European. As far as Wicca goes, I do the whole ritual thing: casting a circle, cleansing, calling the quarters, inviting the Lord and lady, etc. I used to go to gatherings with big rituals, but I stopped for now because I'm sick of the politics. I observe the sabbats and esbats, but I don't feel obligated to do it the Wiccan way. I do divination. My grove/coven does full moon and sabbat rituals. That kind of thing.

 

[greenfairy]

Serious question: how is it that you're able to let go and actually believe in anything besides reductionist monism? I can't take anything mystical sounding seriously enough to even know how I feel about it.

Hypothetically, how could I become open enough to see the value in it?

Good question. I had to look up reductionist monanism, and I haven't taken enough philosophy courses yet to fully understand it; but I'll do my best.

I believe the answer is that I don't. I have to have a rational explanation for everything.

I have a basic Taoist + chemistry kind of framework for understanding the universe, but I don't want to post it all on here, because I'm paranoid and don't want someone to steal it. So I'll briefly summarize. First is Ultimate Reality. This is the foundation of everything. It has objective and subjective components. We can't see all of objective reality for the simple reason that we are limited by our physical existence. It's like being on one side of a door and trying to see what's on the other side. But if someone else is on the other side, and tells you, you can get a sense of the bigger picture. That's why Ultimate Reality is made up of all realities combined. It takes each individual perspective to see the whole picture.

The universe goes in cycles of chaos-order, balance-imbalance. Balance is particularly necessary for sustaining life, and so for living things we can further divide into harmony-disharmony. These concepts simply tell to what degree you are in balance, with the dimension of your personal well being.

Balance underlies everything. I believe in polarity rather than dualism. Opposites are 2 sides of the same whole, and together they make one additional entity; so 1+1=2+1 (the whole)=3.
Reality is composed of yin and yang.

Our psyches are divided into conscious mind (yang) and unconscious mind (yin). Objective analysis and logic is yang (conscious mind); and subjectivity, intuition, and emotions are more the unconscious (yin). Together they make up truth. You can't have a complete picture of reality without using both.

Mysticism is yin, and empiricism or whatever is yang. Feeling and intuition are the yin to an NT's Ti and Te. Fi and Ni will have to be developed, as they are yin functions and help access the unconscious mind. As for myself, it is kind of hard to let my mind go. I used to hate meditating. I still prefer the kind where I just sit in silence or "get into the zone" to the guided kind. I notice what my Ni and Fi is telling me, and then I filter it through my Ti for analysis and send it to Te for verification. Also, I've just known things all my life, and I have "faith" in humanity's limited ability to understand everything. Magic is science we don't understand yet. Like typing on this computer would seem like magic to someone 300 years ago. I'm sure eventually science will verify things like psychic ability. Actually, there is a lot of scientific data on plants being conscious; it's just not published here in the US. Check out The Secret Life of Plants.

 

[WALMART]

What makes you believe in psychic ability?

How conscious are trees?

 

[greenfairy]

Do you believe in multiple Gods? What's the purpose of multiple Gods? Isn't one enough?

I do yet don't. I don't technically believe in any gods; I think they exist as thought forms, concentrations of energy, which people have created. I don't believe they exist independently of our perception of them. But, since they exist in in the sense that we can perceive them, and as collection of energy, we can choose to interact with them. My theism is not something I want to try to logically prove; I can only do so well at it. I just know it helps me subjectively to connect to these archetypes. (Particularly polytheistic) deities represent different areas of life, and different human qualities. If we personify it and collect it all together into an archetype, we can conceptualize it better, and connect to it better with our emotions. Like if I choose to "believe in" Artemis the huntress, I can more easily connect to the associated qualities and incorporate them into myself. Many polytheists actually believe in one ultimate source for all, or that all goddesses are aspects of one goddess and all gods are aspects of one god, and together they make one Source or Great Goddess or Great Mystery or something like that, so the only real difference between polytheism and monotheism is that monotheists reject the validity of all other gods than theirs. (And I don't choose to personify Ultimate Reality.)

 

[greenfairy]

some of us simply exchange chi with trees. That may or may not be the same as what your describing.

How conscious are trees?

I couldn't say how conscious trees are, I just believe that they are. I guess you'd have to ask a tree.

It is a somewhat different sort of consciousness, given the nature of their existence.

Since objective reality you know by observation, and subjective reality you know by interaction, you would have to both observe the tree for signs of consciousness (such as wiring it to a machine to detect electrical activity with various stimuli) and interact with it in order to get a complete picture of the truth.

 

[Trunks]

tell me the magic words

 

[greenfairy]

What makes you believe in psychic ability?

This is kind of a complicated question, but I will get to it.

 

[greenfairy]

tell me the magic words

"Please" and "thank you", of course!

 

[Trunks]

Thank you for enlighten me with those magic words

 

[RaptorWizard]

http://www.typologycentral.com/foru...tions-yahweh-vs-lucifer-existential-game.html

Above I have a thread sort of similar to this one where I talk about some of the magical forces controlling the universe among other related topics.

And no I don't care if people steal my ideas because knowledge is free. Anyway I like your theories greenfariy on the mystical side of the existence.

 

[Scott N Denver]

I couldn't say how conscious trees are, I just believe that they are. I guess you'd have to ask a tree.

It is a somewhat different sort of consciousness, given the nature of their existence.

Since objective reality you know by observation, and subjective reality you know by interaction, you would have to both observe the tree for signs of consciousness (such as wiring it to a machine to detect electrical activity with various stimuli) and interact with it in order to get a complete picture of the truth.

my tree comment was in reference to someone else posting here, not towards you. Taoism in particular talks about chi exchange with trees, I've read it many times [pine trees are the best!]. I've done it far many more.

How about my earlier questions?

I have a lot of background in Taoism, Buddhism, and certain Hindu things. It would not be incorrect to describe me as Tantric Hindu, though many other labels would not be incorrect either. A smidgeon of me is shamanic, I like Native American stuff but don't really identify with it. I do identify with various Celtic stuff however.

Personally, how much my Taoism and Hinduism semi-feel pagan/shamanic/nature-like seems to go in wild swings between "rather similar" and "not at all similar." At the level of energy practices [in the taoist sense of the term energy] it can feel very similar, at the level of mind practices usually there is almost no similarity. I don't mean this in an offensive way but often when I see psychic people my reaction is "Oh look they are psychic, but otherwise more or less like anybody else. They are not 'person-plus'". I think eastern stuff reaches much more transformative levels. Potentially other things could do, but I've never seen it and almost never heard of it.

Nothing in my eastern training has ever focused on spirit guides. While there existence is not denied per se, questions about such topics have always been returned by answers like "If your goal is freedom why are you looking for advise from other beings still snared in the wheel of death and rebirth?" Auras are really hit or miss. We often can do things that basically are reading auras, but we dont think or talk about it in that way. Or else we basically say "how does empower and superenergize all levels of your being." Psychic is a word that is used infrequently and often shunned, yet things we train go for far beyond what would qualify in most people's minds as psychic. Past lives are touched upon infrequently, usually in a "everything that has happened before has brought you to this point here and now, why are you interested in hearing about your past lives?"
I'm not sure I've ever heard the terms "Akashic records" used in any Eastern anything. Nor "metaplanar journeys." We don't cast spells or "do" magic. Desiring things, altering things, and desiring to alter things on a certain level are all rather dangerous/distracting/grasping intents and generally to be avoided. I've almost never heard of anyone "summoning" a spirit.

Anywho, just some of my thoughts on eastern/western differences. Feel free to chime, add in, or ignore as you see fit.

 

[greenfairy]

my tree comment was in reference to someone else posting here, not towards you. Taoism in particular talks about chi exchange with trees, I've read it many times [pine trees are the best!]. I've done it far many more.

How about my earlier questions?

I have a lot of background in Taoism, Buddhism, and certain Hindu things. It would not be incorrect to describe me as Tantric Hindu, though many other labels would not be incorrect either. A smidgeon of me is shamanic, I like Native American stuff but don't really identify with it. I do identify with various Celtic stuff however.

Personally, how much my Taoism and Hinduism semi-feel pagan/shamanic/nature-like seems to go in wild swings between "rather similar" and "not at all similar." At the level of energy practices [in the taoist sense of the term energy] it can feel very similar, at the level of mind practices usually there is almost no similarity. I don't mean this in an offensive way but often when I see psychic people my reaction is "Oh look they are psychic, but otherwise more or less like anybody else. They are not 'person-plus'". I think eastern stuff reaches much more transformative levels. Potentially other things could do, but I've never seen it and almost never heard of it.

Nothing in my eastern training has ever focused on spirit guides. While there existence is not denied per se, questions about such topics have always been returned by answers like "If your goal is freedom why are you looking for advise from other beings still snared in the wheel of death and rebirth?" Auras are really hit or miss. We often can do things that basically are reading auras, but we dont think or talk about it in that way. Or else we basically say "how does empower and superenergize all levels of your being." Psychic is a word that is used infrequently and often shunned, yet things we train go for far beyond what would qualify in most people's minds as psychic. Past lives are touched upon infrequently, usually in a "everything that has happened before has brought you to this point here and now, why are you interested in hearing about your past lives?"
I'm not sure I've ever heard the terms "Akashic records" used in any Eastern anything. Nor "metaplanar journeys." We don't cast spells or "do" magic. Desiring things, altering things, and desiring to alter things on a certain level are all rather dangerous/distracting/grasping intents and generally to be avoided. I've almost never heard of anyone "summoning" a spirit.

Anywho, just some of my thoughts on eastern/western differences. Feel free to chime, add in, or ignore as you see fit.

I agree with most of this. Interesting. Like I say, two sides of the same thing; either cultural hemisphere can give insight into the same things but in different ways. A lot of things are basically interchangeable. I don't have an "alignment." I am a mixture of the two. And I was kind of answering the questions backwards combined with what I felt like at the time; so I will get to them.

 

[greenfairy]

http://www.typologycentral.com/foru...tions-yahweh-vs-lucifer-existential-game.html

Above I have a thread sort of similar to this one where I talk about some of the magical forces controlling the universe among other related topics.

And no I don't care if people steal my ideas because knowledge is free. Anyway I like your theories greenfariy on the mystical side of the existence.

Thanks. I'll check yours out.

Why does it not surprise me that 2 mystical people are behind tritype theory?

 

[greenfairy]

Re: trees:
Theoretically all interaction is energy exchange, just what we call energy exchange is a conscious awareness of it and an attempt to intensify and consciously manipulate the energy. I've exchanged energy with trees, but probably not the way you are talking about. When I'm in the forest, I feel my energy and my chakras to be perfectly balanced. My energy becomes in tune with the trees and the life around me, and the Earth. When I hug a tree, I can connect to its personal spirit, and it can help me balance my energy or I can help heal its energy by giving it love (works the same way as tantra or reiki, and is kind of the same thing really).

 

[Sniffles]

So what got you interested in witchcraft and such?

 

[Ginkgo]

Yeah do you know any good Dungeon Masters? Mine is an asshole.

 

[Coriolis]

If I ever want to know how to talk to a tree, Amargith can tell me.
(On second thought... I hope she's not that far gone.)

There was a venerable old oak tree where I used to live, who seemed quite the arboreal conversationalist, at least until he was threatened with destruction to make way for a drive-through pharmacy. His name was Nicodemus.

Do you believe in multiple Gods? What's the purpose of multiple Gods? Isn't one enough?

As Greenfairy described, many of us see the many deities of the various pantheons as simply different facets or aspects of a single divine entity. This balances male and female, and other polar opposites in a way that leads to creativity/creation. But not all pagans share this view. Paganism is a religion of common practice more than common faith, meaning that in our groups we share common ritual which makes a communal spiritual experience possible, but each might interpret it differently, in accordance with his/her individual beliefs.

^Ill do a follow up on that: what is your individual definition of a witch and, if you are comfortable enough to share here, what is your specific 'label' (ya know, eclectic, solitary, hereditary, trad, stuff like that) as well as what kind of practices you well...practise

In my tradition, we use the word "witch" to refer to the spiritual side of things (for both men and women), and the word "wizard" to refer to the more skills-based side, e.g. manipulating energy, understanding herbs, plants, crystals, etc. One must develop both sides to be balanced and effective. A witch is someone who has learned enough to attend to his/her own spiritual needs, to be an effective priest to him/herself, but this definition is rather specific to the tradition in which I was initiated.