About The Bonecharms Occult Page
As mentioned on my webmaster page, I am a novice witch, tarot reader, and astrologer. They are things that I am invested in aside from programming and visual art. However, I seldom ever talk about it openly, even on my own site, because I've noticed that people tend to have one of two reactions when they find out that I am a witch, practice divination, and "believe" in astrology.
The first reaction is hostility. This can range from passive aggressive remarks about why my beliefs or views are stupid, invalid, or fake, to the hostile person trying to provoke me into a "debate" which usually means having to put up with their verbal abuse and insults as to why I am the one that's stupid and ignorant. These people are normally self-righteous and self-absorbed while also being some of the most miserable and one-dimentional people I've ever had the displeasure of meeting in this life time. They've likely never looked outside of the comfort of their own bubble; likely never read about or analyzed what they're criticizing any deeper than a Cosmopolitan article; likely don't have friends or even know anyone that doesn't look or think like them — while ironically believing they have "everything figured out" in terms of what is "real" and what is "fake", what is "truth" and what is "false", who is "right" and who is "wrong", and what is "good" and what is "evil".
In short, these people are a waste of time to reason with.
The second reaction is passive interest. This is a little more common compared to the first reaction. I think most people are kind and good people, and most seem at least a little bit receptive to new information or a new perspective they've never been introduced to or considered before. However, their interest is usually fleeting. They don't actually care about the history or nuance of magic or the occult — where these beliefs came from, how they've evolved, and how they're still practiced today. Granted, most people don't have the time, energy, and frankly the privilage to research these things, however I've seen this reaction from people regardless of their situation.
Even those with an interest in learning a little bit more seem to approach it with the mindset of, "How can I learn about this as fast as possible?" They're more likely to be receptive to surface-level, watered-down information that they've found with a single Google search, either unaware of misinformation or sometimes deliberately ignoring the warning signs altogether that what they're consuming is not accurate or all that there is to know.
I personally try to avoid these people and conversations, though most of the time I can't. This is because I don't mind trying to answer questions I know the answer to as best as I can, but also because these kinds of people are generally in my life, like friends or family, and are usully coming to me for quick spiritual help, guidance, or small talk. A quick spell or a small reading. Even if I've already told them we can always go deeper than this. The door's already open.
I know I must sound extremely judgemental and self-righeous myself, but can I assure you it's not my intention. My intention is to be the opposite of the people I illustrated above. My intention is to be open-minded and to be as well-informed on these topics as I possibly can, because these things matter not only to me, but to other pracitioners, to the people and to the cultures in which these practices and beliefs came from. I believe that it's vital for everyone, especially those starting out on their spiritual journey, to search for the most accurate information and to respect the people and cultures you're learning from, regardless if it's what you do or don't end up believing in. I can go on and on and on, but for the sake of brevity, research is not only fun, but it's important. And if you're a witch or occultist — or something akin to it — being well-informed and well-researched boosts your credibility, opens more doors of discovery about your craft, and most importantly, could save your own ass one day. Or someone you love.
What To Expect On The Occult Page
This page is generally a work in progress, since I wanted a place to put my findings once I've finished organizing them from my notebooks. I also wanted a place to possibly, maybe, refer to people, like my friends, if and when they come asking me to answer the same questions, like how to dress a candle, or how to make a sigil, or what offerings should they give a deity. The latter is less likley though.
I am no authority on anything, as I do consider myself a novice. Thus, I'll only put infomation up on this page if I am either confident that the information I have gathered is accurate, or if I am possibly looking for help on whatever I am researching at the time being. Like I said, this page is a work in progress, so I have no doubt that this will change and that I will possibly fuck up somewhere in the future. I am only human afterall, but I will try my best to mitigate any wrong-doings and to not display inaccurate or harmful information.
What Do I Believe In?
This is a vague question I've never been sure how to answer. I grew up secular despite my other family members having their own religious beliefs. It was never a thing that was forced upon me, nor a thing that was kept away from me — it just wasn't a factor in my life. For the most part I'm grateful for that. I think growing up secular allowed my curiosity to flourish in a way that was without the added layers guilt or fear of committing sin or blasphemy. I was never denied from reading books I wanted to read, watching what I wanted to watch, and voicing my opinion. There were some exceptions, of course, but for the most part, there was never a limit or a boundary set up for me when it came to being curious.
My mom helped foster this the most. She grew up Christian and is now converted to Islam, but I could tell from the books she's collected over the years, the conversations we've had, and her willingness to let me intellectually explore as much as did, that she was having a similar journey to me in terms of trying to answer the big existential question, "Why are we here?" And, even more significantly, "Why am I here?"
Trying to find an answer to this question is where we diverge. She has found her answer for the most part within Islam, while I'm still struggling to find the answer for myself. I think this where I sometimes, once in a blue moon, am envious of religious people and wish I can be as happy and content as they are within the framework and community they were either born into or found for themselves. I mean, statistically, they are are happier. The religious have a community of people that think the way they do, they all have a similar enough perspective and world-view, they live longer on average. I wish, sometimes, I could have that — that firm safety net and security. The knowledge that, no matter what, not only was a god on my side, there was a whole community of people I can turn to in a time of need, for a friend, for guidance, for reassurance. I wonder sometimes who I could've been if i've grown up religious.
I've even seen athiests who grew up religious say that despite their trauma, and despite the reasons as to why they left the church and began to deconstruct, they're grateful for growing up religious because the stories they were taught and how they interpreted it provided a foundation to lean back on, and a way to analyze the world that still helps even after they've left.
I've never had that. I don't know what it's like to think about people and the world like that, in a almost strict and formulaic way, differenciating between who and what is good or bad, and ways to live more honourably or closer to good. I think this is what I'm envious of the most. The religious have been given a script and told that following it is a guarentee to living a "good" and honourable life with a sense of meaning and purpose, that their efforts mean something in the end and it's not done in vain. I wish their idea meaning and purpose was enough for me.
And it doesn't go without trying. I have my own Holy Bible, both physically and on my phone. I've gone to the mosque with my mom, which is my favourite memory hands-down, because of how beautiful the experience was, and how beautiful and kind the people I met there were. In my early teens, I was researching atheistic satanism on-and-off, only to conclude it wasn't for me. None of it, so far, seems like it's for me. At least, not in this moment in time, this version of me. I think it's why when I was 16-17, putting aside the cringey angst, philosophy appealed to me more. I think on a subconcious level it reminded me that since basicaly the beginning of time and human conciousness, people have been worried sick trying to find the answers to their questions, too. The questions I've been asking myself, whether knowingly or unknowingly. And, that there seem to be no clear cut, objective answers (at least, not any humans have access to or can comprehend.) There's a weird dual comfort and dread in this realization that even after all this time, we still haven't found an answer. Only puzzle pieces.
I think that's part of what keeps me going, is believing there are answers out there to my big existential questions as to why we're here. There's always something new to learn, and I find an immense amount of pleasure in researching and delving a little deeper each day. I think I believe ultimately, meaning and purpose is up for us to decide and create, not something inate or built into us. I think researching as much as I do is part of that creation for me. Finding out what matters to me, what works for me, and building my own meaning and purpose for my existence for the short time I'm here. If that makes sense. I'm still open to chaging my mind in the end, if and when new information or realizations arise. I'm content with being mutable.
TL;DR
In short, I don't know yet.
Right now, though, I am very interested in ancient Greco-Roman magic and have begun to dip my toes in working with the Greek pantheon. I have only worked with the deity Hermes, as I felt called to him the most given my interests and certain astrological placements I won't get into. I hope to learn more about ancient Greco-Egyptian magic, as well as to hopefully one day recconect with my indigenous Puerto Rican roots and begin studying the Taíno culture and religion. One step at a time.