A note about the audio, it gets better I am sorry :') *ON FOLK MAGIC* I feel the need to clarify: My point I was trying to make is that the folk practice will look different if you are in a different country/region but it is STILL VALID, I apologise if I didn’t explain that properly. So just to clarify again and use myself as an example: When I lived in Latvia, my German Folkmagic practice was valid, yet not the same as it is now that I live in Germany. This is due to bioregional factors, cultural factors, accessibility factors 🙏🏼 I hope this helps!

I would say I definitely disagree with you about working with gods or needing to work with spirits in order to be a witch. I started practicing witchcraft specifically because I did NOT want to work with spirits or worship any gods. To me, witchcraft was about tapping into my own power, realizing I AM divine, and I didn't need any outside intervention or divine creature to help me or make me feel whole. I am a powerful creature all on my own. I use my own power to manipulate the electromagnetic energy in all things to create the changes I want. I don't need to worship anything in order to do that. Anything I need outside of myself (like nature or the Moon energy) are just tools available to me to help achieve my goals faster. But I don't worship the moon, although I do appreciate & acknowledge that life cannot exist without it. In my opinion that doesn't mean it deserves to be worshipped. I personally don't think anything deserves worship. Once we start doing that, it means that the thing is above reproach. And I don't think ANYTHING is above reproach or criticism, including all gods and even the universe itself.

@EllaHarrison

8 ай бұрын

Honestly I really appreciate you voicing your opinion and disagreeing and that you stand by that! I also definitely see your side, and I love that this works for you - thank you for leaving such a kind comment even if it is in disagreement to my side 🙏🏼

@lusciouslipslibra

8 ай бұрын

@@EllaHarrison thanks I still love your channel & I'm still buying your book as a Christmas gift for myself

@EllaHarrison

8 ай бұрын

Thank you! I hope you’ll enjoy my book 🙏🏼🤍

@Lena-if3pg

8 ай бұрын

How do you manipulate electromagnetic energy? How can you manipulate photons? Everything else I can understand and be like yeah except this physics stuff?

@lusciouslipslibra

8 ай бұрын

@@Lena-if3pg I mean you can manipulate it with just your presence & your own energy, but intention is really all you need to manipulate it. (You can also research entanglement theory if you wanna get into the science of how it works.) You can boost it with crystals if you want since they hold energy like batteries, but you really don't need tools to tap into your own power. To this day the most powerful spell I worked was done with 1 white candle, a piece of paper, and my own intention.

I don’t really want to disagree with anything you said, but kind of add onto what you said about lazy witchcraft…..there’s a difference between lazy witchcraft and not doing the bare minimum because you don’t care, and dealing with depression (or other mental illness) or chronic illness and only doing low energy witchcraft because that’s all you can manage. Keeping a clean altar is bare minimum IMO but I just just wanted to clarify for those who might deal with illness who may feel guilt. I know that wasn’t what you were talking about when you said “lazy”, I just wanted too add. You said nothing wrong! This is for the people who are sick and beat themselves up.

@EllaHarrison

7 ай бұрын

Yes absolutely! Thank you for bringing this up - to briefly speak on this (because I’m already planning to talk about this more in depth because its such an important topic) I feel like one should work within the realm of one’s ability, which can mean to downsize one’s practice if it is overwhelming- and this is valid and should be encouraged!! I personally think it is much more meaningful to do one thing well, than to add so many things to your plate that you end up feeling discouraged. Too often we compare ourselves go others we see online and we have unfair expectations that don’t consider our personal situations

I’m torn on your comment about not being able to practice a specific culture’s folk magic if you don’t live there. I understand this on one level because the flora, fauna, weather, topography, etc is different. So whatever you do, you’re adapting and changing. But on the other hand I come back to the fact that I’m first generation American. And my family practices didn’t change as soon as they stepped foot on new soil. They brought those with them. And the difference weren’t that significant to them.

@EllaHarrison

7 ай бұрын

I added a note about this in the pinned comment 🤍

My practice and I have strong ties to the traditions of my ancestors that lived thousands of miles from where I currently practice. While I feel I am in connection with my natural surroundings, I am not drawn to the specific magickal beliefs and practices of the area that I live in. Instead, I find substitutions that feel intuitively appropriate for what I need. How would you categorize this form of magick? I feel like I am practicing folk magick, but by your definition I am not. I am curious to know what thoughts or recommendations you have for practitioners like me who may feel out of place. How have you managed to keep your ancestral connections while practicing far from your roots?

@EllaHarrison

7 ай бұрын

I feel like I need to maybe make a follow-up video to clarify - because to me, this sounds exactly like folk magic! My point was not to tell anyone they aren’t practicing folk magic if they aren’t in the ‘origin’ place, but rather that their practice is going to be different and evolved from the original 🤍

I wouldn't say it's a disagreement but rather a worry on the appropriation part. As someone who's entire family is Christian and my roots stem to a more of a closed practice with paganism, I feel like I have no where else to turn to. Of course, picking and choosing for aesthetic is wrong, but it's hard when you don't have someone to show you. And of the few practices I've been drawn to, there is so little information out there and what is out there has a lot of conflicting literature. :( I just feel lost.

@EllaHarrison

8 ай бұрын

Do you mind me asking what your roots are, perhaps I can give you suggestions on who to follow or where you could find information 🤍

@cristinam748

8 ай бұрын

@@EllaHarrison I was born in the United States but both my parents are from Jalisco Mexico. In Mexico, because it's so HEAVILY roman Catholic, I'm finding very little about paganism. And the little I find is mostly Aztec but many deem it a closed practice.

Ella, thank you for this video. I found myself initially disagreeing with your perspectives until you explained them in detail. I think that in some cases the issue is about differing interpretations. As an example, I think of ‘working with deities’ in the sense of developing and maintaining a personal relationship with them, whereas for me ‘worship’ implies ritualistic and unthinking praise and adoration. I guess a better phrase might be ‘honouring deities’.

I don't have strong opinions one way or another because I am new to these things, but I appreciate that you are trying to clarify the meanings of these terms and practices. Others that I have listened to who speak on these topics are often so wishy washy that what they are saying becomes meaningless. It is great to be inclusive but that does not need to mean that everyone should have their own conflicting definitions of the same things!

@EllaHarrison

7 ай бұрын

Thank you! Yeah I feel like we have shifted to ‘this is the truth and you cannot disagree and if you do we have to hate each other’ which is just not conducive to growth at all. We need to be able to have healthy disagreements and also be able to explain why we believe what we believe, and be able to challenge these ideas too - like I am reading a lot of these comments and my beliefs are challenged as well. Our opinions SHOULD change as we get older and grow and educate ourselves more and more

(my personal opinion) I really agree with everything you say in the video. I am Mexican and I had only seen these "polemic" topics being discussed in the Spanish speaking community and I am really glad to see that they are starting to be discussed in the English community (or at least so far I have noticed). My conclusion of everything you said is that among so many subjectivities in which we have fallen as a society at a global level and in a community not as large as the pagan/witch, we have lost in essence all those things that forged what once was the witchcraft and paganism; the work with the territory, communion with spirits, blasphemy, the flight of the spirit, among many other things. I believe that it is the people who forge the language and give the meanings of the words and that these words evolve along with the people as well, however I also believe that out of respect for all that the past has forged based on trial and error, we must also take into account what led us here, in this case, which is what witchcraft was in its most primitive state and respect it, as practitioners of these topics we owe it to it. On the other hand, regarding what is culturally established, the truth is that I have had mixed feelings, we believe that due to the cultural globalization that we are experiencing especially in Western culture, we can take whatever without any problem and I believe that it should not be So. Something very important in ancient times was the community and the land itself that saw us grow, and based on this union a relationship was established with the spirits of the place and its gods. Today it seems that we have forgotten that and we visualize these entities as something that we can simply choose as if it were a kind of "spiritual supermarket." I think that the cultural context is important but I also believe that what has forged history is the encounter of different cultures and their syncretizations. I also think that falling for something so orthodox and enclosing it in a cardboard box labeled "pure" is wrong. Faith evolves and also spiritual practices, I think the key is to respect the past since its circumstances are the ones who brought us all these beliefs that in the end are what has united us as pagans in these modern times. We created the faith ourselves and our history as neopagans is still very young. (sorry for my bad english, is not my mother language)

@cristinam748

8 ай бұрын

Do you mind taking a look at my comment on this video. I brought up a question and was hoping you could help since you mentioned you are Mexican.

@user-lt8um9mq2i

8 ай бұрын

@@cristinam748 I already response your comment, but please help me by being more explicit with your question, it would help me have a thread to pull from c:

@cristinam748

8 ай бұрын

@@user-lt8um9mq2i Oh, I only saw a reply from Ella and no one else on my comment. But none-the-less, I'm trying to figure out where to turn to in regards to paganism. I was born in the United States and both of my parents are from Jalisco. However, everyone in my family is Catholic so I don't know what path in paganism to follow. I tried to learn more about different European pagan cultures because all I can find online from Mexico is Aztec but from my understanding. Aztec is a closed practice. So my question is, given my background/circumstance, what pagan practices are available to me to avoid appropriating another culture?

@user-lt8um9mq2i

8 ай бұрын

@@cristinam748 mmm well, the aztec practice I don't know if I would call it a closed practice, Ella mentions in the video that it is important to know the cultural context of the practices, and the truth is that the cultural background of mexico in my opinion is not closed at all, I would say that it is the opposite of closed!!! as you must know (or maybe not, and it is valid) the mexican population is very wide and this not only consists of indigenous people, there are people who are the result of miscegenation and others of the migration that occurred in the colonial era. in other words, there are caucasian mexican people as well as brown, black, jewish, etc. this is important because this encounter between the foreign and the native left a mixture of cultures that is the result of what we know today as mexican culture, our country as well as its people is composed of many roots that in the end untangled their branches in what we know today as mexico. The Aztec being something more universal in Mexico, is what many tend to resort to, I have honestly never seen circles of practitioners that are closed, quite the opposite! There is the community called Brujas morenas by Paula Klug on instagram who are responsible for reconstructing Mexican colonial witchcraft practices and there is a lot of Aztec influence there. If you are more interested in witchcraft and sorcery, you could take a look at the practices of Spain, for obvious reasons there are many parallels between Spanish folk sorcery and Mexican practices, there is also folk Catholicism, which is witchcraft but taking the saints as intermediaries. If that interests you, you can take a look at Laura Davila's book "Mexican sorcery" These are some of the conclusions that I have very personally reached in my research and search for a pagan path to walk along. But if I'm honest I'm still searching and I find myself in a similar situation to yours, even living in Mexico, I hope I have helped you and if you need anything else, I'm here :)

i found this very interesting. The 2 points you made that I don't agree with are the one about not working with spirits and working with gods. Personally, with what you said, seemed a little contradictory. I personally don't work with gods or spirits in my witchcraft practice. Even though I have an animistic mindset that all things have a spirit - I have house plants that I talk and connect with - I don't really call on deities or spirits, not specific ones to my knowledge, in my practice, its not really something I do. The closest I am with this is calling on the 'Divine.' But each to their own. They are called 'hot' takes for a reason.

@EllaHarrison

7 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing! Id actually love if you could elaborate on why think it’s contradictory, I didn’t quite understand but find that really interesting!

I disagree with the practice thing. I grew up in North America and I’m connecting and working as a Norse practitioner because my ancestry and heritage are Norse/irish. I would say my practice is much stronger and works well because of me connecting that way. I feel disconnected to the North American culture because this is not where my heritage and ancestry is from. I think if you research really well, respect the culture and practice and you’ve been descended from that then it’s fine. I’m always correcting myself and making sure that I’m reading and learning about my practice and the Norse culture and life, religions and things like that. Now if it’s closed that’s a different story. But I think just because I’m here in the US doesn’t mean I can’t do the practice as well or close to the same as my ancestors. But as you, this is my opinion lol.

@EllaHarrison

8 ай бұрын

Oh but I totally agree with that, Im not sure if that maybe didn’t come across in my video but if you do the work and are respectful then {in my opinion} I see absolutely nothing wrong with that! I too practiced German folkmagic whilst not living in Germany for a few years, of course it will look different but its not any less valid 🙏🏼

i had a similar dream! about the magic of places is specifically in the region.. and so in the dream i was basically told to focus on the specific place in the astrals to project to the place! that would be much more effective.. or get items from the place online if you can! great video!

Do you think physical altars are necessary? I share a space and I have 3 nosey cats. All surfaces in my home are taken up at the moment, although I'm working hard to get rid of as much necessary stuff as possible this year. I don't have a space for "offerings" and I'm trying to get creative about how to do it. I've seen a few creative solutions. For now, I keep an old cigar box filled with Altar "items," including things relating to the deities I venerate. I don't have a space to receive physical offerings. I set up the items I need in the morning and a small altar space on a fancy tray, then dedicate my morning practice to my diety I'm choosing to venerate that morning (I have three primary deities that I work with interchangeably). I dunno, it feels workable for me right now- but I would love to hear your thoughts on my strategy and how you think I can improve things. I just feel so down sometimes that I currently can't offer "more"to the deities I venerate in the way of my altar.

@EllaHarrison

6 ай бұрын

I don’t think you need to have an altar as long as you have a space where you are comfortable and are able to settle down, focus on your magic and feel connected - that can be by your fireplace, by your favourite tree or your most comfortable armchair! As for offerings, you could actually try incense blends (be cautious and look up what is okay with cats) - if you look at historical temples incense was the most common offering. You can use (cat friendly) herbs associated with your spirits and as you burn it it sort of turns from a physical offering into an offering that just ‘vanishes into the air’ which I like to see as crossing over, something that they can actually perceive and receive on the other side 🙏🏼

I dont feel like I have any takes, hot or otherwise, but view these videos from the perspective of understanding other people's beliefs and feelings so that i can develop a kind and validating space for those I encounter.

I love your opinions

so in hearth witchcraft, ive been working with Hestia, Greek goddess, who should her north American substitute be?

@violetariesmoon1028

8 ай бұрын

As a fellow North American, I can understand where you are coming from seeing we all live in a new continent and are descendants of immigrants and no Pantheon of our own for our region, unless you happen to be Indigenous. I believe and my own personal opinion that it's okay to work with those from our ancestry in whatever capacity we can, as long as we do the work and research behind it. If your background is Celtic, Brigid may be a suitable alternative the Hestia. If your ancestry is Roman background, Vesta is one to consider. My family descendants are Scottish, Polish and Japanese. I'm currently learning both Scottish Celtic and West Slavic cultures, history, folklore and deities. I currently do not worship any deity as I do not feel called or connected to any and that very well may have to do with a disconnect with my ancestral homes. One of the reasons's I do not agree with Ella's first hot take about not being a real witch if you don't connect with spirits and/or deities...many of us in the newer continents do not have local/regional deities like the older countries do and it doesn't make us less of a witch or not a witch. I'm currently not feeling quite comfortable or right about following my Japanese ancestry for various reasons but that may change in the future.

@urubutingaz5898

7 ай бұрын

I personally think it's okay for you to keep worshiping Hestia where you live. Some of your ancestors might have been britonic and whorshiped celtic gods alongside roman ones. But even if you don't have any greek ancestry, greco-roman roman religion came to be a very open practice. I think when Ella's talking about adapting your practice to where you live, she's mostly talking about land spirits and natural/cultural resourses.

@thechaoticwitchymama

7 ай бұрын

@urubutingaz5898 thank you

I have watched a few witchy hot take videos, and yours has been my favorite. There were a few times I had to take pause before getting defensive. But as soon as you made your point I found myself agreeing with you. Especially with the "working with gods" I really reevaluated my relationship with this idea.

@EllaHarrison

7 ай бұрын

Thank you! I definitely would not want to be mindlessly rude or just provokative - so I appreciate that you think my explaining was helpful 🤍

some of these are def a yikes imo

@urubutingaz5898

7 ай бұрын

Rly? Like what?

It is interesting. We all seem to agree on what disrespect looks likes, but we trip up still on the approach.

@EllaHarrison

7 ай бұрын

Definitely, and I think it’s fair to say that this is simply human nature and culture depending and will likely forever be the case

😊 I really enjoyed this video, all your points resonate with me and I do agree 👍 ❤

Speaking of making pacts with spirits, rather than taking the more common route of trapping a spirit and forcing it to serve me, like everyone else seems to do, I simply just asked for its help and offered something of value (my loyalty) in return. Long story short, the spirit obliged. Funny how that works, huh?

I am sure all the people new to the craft who have not worked with spirits (yet) are very relieved to learn they aren't a "true" witch. Exactly when in YOUR practice did you start working with spirits? If it wasn't day one, at what point did you become a "true" witch? There are paths that do not work with spirits and to invalidate people for not doing it YOUR WAY is ignorant at best. You left 'gatekeeping' out of your list of "true" witches. And don't assume I'm talking about myself here, either.

@EllaHarrison

4 ай бұрын

Nothing wrong with gatekeeping, also I very clearly said people don’t have to agree with me as they are MY hot takes. I am sure there are opinions you or someone else may have that would theoretically invalidate my practice too but that’s just how the world works - nuance Also yes I have been working with spirits since day one as I am an animist

Zu dem Video, vor allem zu deinem Take mit den Spirits, aber auch den meisten anderen tbh, fällt mir nur ein Spruch ein: "don't tell me how to be a witch. If I wanted rules, I'd go to church." Klar kann man das Todschlagargument bringen, dass es ja bloß deine Meinung ist. Deine Meinung betrifft hier aber auch andere - du entscheidest praktisch für andere Hexen mit, was die angeblich sind oder nicht sind, dürfen oder nicht dürfen. Würde ich so niemals machen, finde ich absolut uncool und enttäuschend. Hätte nicht von dir gedacht, dass du so darüber denkst. "Du bist keine richtige Hexe, wenn..." hat übrigens dieselbe Energie wie "Du bist kein echter Fan, wenn..." Und "du bist keine richtige Frau, wenn..." Schade 😔

@EllaHarrison

7 ай бұрын

Wenn man daran interessiert ist, eine spirituelle Praxis ohne Regeln und Bräuche zu schaffen, dann nennt man das New-Age-Spiritualität und darum geht es in diesem Kanal nicht. Ich konzentriere mich auf traditionelle Witchcraft und Volkshexerei, die in kulturellen Bräuchen und Traditionen verwurzelt sind, die man nicht ändern kann, nur weil man es möchte. Klar kann man seine eigene Praxis erschaffen, ist dann halt aber wieder was ganz anderes. Die meisten Witch Paths haben Struktur und Glaubens Punkte, wie ein Skelett im Körper, sonst würde der Glaube ja nach kurzer Zeit zerfallen. Aber wie ich ja gesagt habe, es muss nicht jedem passen, ich kann es auch nicht jedem recht machen, das sind ja nun mal meine Meinungen und ich bin halt Traditionelle Folkwitch, da sind halt bestimmte Punkte an die ich mich orientiere und dran glaube, aber wenn man die nicht gut findet ist das ja auch okey, dann such man sich halt einen path der besser passt

I disagree with a few things in this video but my main contention is with "You have to work with Spirits, or you are not a witch." The reason I disagree is simple. Witchcraft, inherently, is the direction of energy and intent to manifest a goal. I do not feel any type of practitioner needs to work with Spirits or deities to do this.

@EllaHarrison

28 күн бұрын

What energy are you working with though? Is it just some arbitrary ‘energy’? Or are you working with the energy of plants, of place, of specific tools because I would say you are working with spirit then. Not all spirit is the same, human spirit is different to that of a tree or a mountain Also I suppose this is depending on personal definition, I tend to agree more with the traditional definition of witchcraft which very heavily relies on spirits/spirit work is inherently tied to it. But as I said, I appreciate if people disagree and are able to share why and have these discussions

@MonotheisticPagan

28 күн бұрын

@@EllaHarrison I believe this discussion is a great example of how beliefs can differ so much from person to person, or practitioner to practitioner. In the case of what energy is used and what constitutes a spirit, the moon for example, is a body of matter in space, much like the Earth. There are groups of individuals that viewed these bodies of having spirits or spirit yes. The energy I use in magick tends most often to be my own. Whether or not exactly I view myself as a spirit is my choice based on my own beliefs on spirits. Not everyone shares these beliefs so to say to a large number of practitioners of pagan practices that you have to work with spirits to be a witch is alarming to me mainly because not every witch believes in them, and some after stressful or frightening experiences with some of them, may prefer not.

@EllaHarrison

28 күн бұрын

@MonotheisticPagan Fair. I do give a disclaimer saying these are my own believes and people don’t have to agree with me. I also would ask you to reconsider words such as ‘alarming’, the history of witchcraft has been entirely entwined with spirit work and to call that alarming seems a bit misplaced

@MonotheisticPagan

28 күн бұрын

@@EllaHarrison I used the word alarming more so along the line of possible new comers to the practice of witchcraft possibly learning that to practice witchcraft, traditional or otherwise, that they must work with spirits, or they may not be seen as a witch. My concern is for the individuals especially younger ones that may feel pressured into spirit work, when they may not feel ready. Personally ancestors play an important part of my practice and I have been working with spirits since young and I understand spirits and witchcraft have been intertwined for quite some time. I am not supposing that spirit work itself is alarming, merely the possibility that individuals should feel they have to sets off bells for me.

I do agree with your takes, but I see the comments. I feel like there is a visible difference between NA vs EU practitioners. NA peeps seem to latch into any ancestry they have and take it as their identity. While EU sees it as "you are not xyz, if (at least) you don't live there." And I agree with the latter. Can't practice something fully if you don't have the feel of the land and the roots under your feet. It feels different when you move away from that place also. You can connect to the spirits and gods, sure valid practice, but it's **hugely** different. I moved countries (inside EU) and I do feel how different is the spirit/magickal world here vs. before. Absolutely unalike ambience and energies. Please don't get discouraged about your opinion. Not everything has to cater to NA audience. Someone has to speak to Europeans too. Encouraging finding your own identity and connecting with the land around you are not bad things.

@Snoodle829

5 ай бұрын

"NA peeps seem to latch onto any ancestry" I mean, can you really blame them? White North Americans don't have any culture or tradition or beliefs. If a White North American wanted some form of culture or tradition or belief, they'd have to look outside North America.

You should probably NOT make this a series. 😂 I disagree with almost everything you said. However, that’s not the reason I am writing this. The main point of your online presence is to inform, sell your book(s), and make money. When you start talking opinions like these that are hot topics, you divide your audience and can drive people away. Not that there is anything wrong with an opinion but not if it’s going to be detrimental to your business. I’ll still follow you because I’m not that simple but maybe something to think about coming from somebody that works in marketing.

@EllaHarrison

7 ай бұрын

I see your point 😅 but I think having discourse is healthy and allows us to grow - and sometimes that includes realising the people you follow online are not perfect or know everything or have different views that you wholeheartedly disagree with- but to recognise thats okay too 🤍

First of all I do work with spirits but I didn't think it's something you have to do the be a witch I believe that you are a witch when you feel that you are one and do do magic!!!!!!!

When you say 'you can't come to witchcraft and...' you mean 'you shouldn't'. The fact you are calling out this behaviour means people CAN and do come to witchcraft and do that. 'Can't' means cannot - physically unable. Clearly people can, because they do, which is why you are able to say this should not be a thing.

And I didn't agree that you have to work with the land to do folk magic I think you can do it if it calls too you and you are a decent from the people of the place you are doing the fork magic from!!!!!!!!