A little bit of Synchronicity

Posted on by hyruleoctoling

So ever since I decided to pursue learning about Shinto and figuring out how I want to expand my craft, I feel like I’ve been seeing some of the same things over and over. Ya’ll know how it is, and I’m keeping my discernment high. But I keep seeing things about new ventures, figuring out what you really want, feeling loved and pursuing what makes you happy. And it’s just kind of weird that it’s coming from different sources and is all the same message over and over.

I generally maintain a high level of skepticism but for whatever reason this is actually freaking me out a little bit. Like I really don’t get caught up in the “oh my gosh is this a message? Is it a sign?!” thinking, but for whatever reason I’m….there. I admit I’ve been getting some feels since starting my Shinto research but like this is weird for me lol. I feel like my emotional reserve is being poked and prodded. I don’t know if I’m ready to be deeply emotionally invested in a “proper” faith yet. It’s scary. But I feel like I’m on the path there.

I don’t like this feeling!

New ventures?

Posted on by hyruleoctoling

So recently I’ve started researching Shintoism. It wasn’t really a spur of the moment decision, I’ve been interested in it since I was maybe 10 years old. But I purposely avoided it because I didn’t want to be appropriative, or like a creepy weeb, because my initial interest in it came from anime. Even now I’m anxious about it, even though my motivations are not driven by anime but a genuine desire to participate in it and do it right and as respectfully as possible.

But I think another reason I’m anxious is because I’m gun shy about how much commitment it takes. I did not have a great experience growing up in the christian church that I did, because no matter what I did my level of commitment was never enough for the leadership. I was constantly gaslighted about why the youth leaders refused to baptize me despite me doing everything that was asked of me. It was never enough and yet it was somehow always my fault that the other kids who were already “in” refused to engage with me and their parents refused to engage with my parents. According to them, I was never enough for them and would never be enough to make a good disciple.

So even though this is a completely different religion, with completely different people, I’m still lowkey afraid that I’ll be told I’m not enough.

I’m going to try anyway.

Random thoughts

Posted on by hyruleoctoling

I feel like such a lousy witch. I mean, I have limited time to myself, even more limited space, limited funds and ingredients. I know I don’t need any of that to do magic, but sometimes it helps being able to put my hands on something physical when doing spell work.

Thre other thing is that I just have a hard time putting my thoughts about things down in writing. And like I know, I know, all writers have that problem sometimes! But I do wonder sometimes if it’s not a broader language issue because of my seizures. I’ve always had some visual processing weirdness since I was a kid because of the seizures and medication side effects. I never really thought about long term affects (I was a kid, why would I?). So even when I knooooow what I wanna say, there’s a disconnect between my brain and the words and the screen.

Which really sucks when running a blog! I mean, I created this blog to back up my tumblr blog in case I decided to leave tumblr, but I do actually want to use it. That was one of my new year’s resolutions! But like I’m not sure how to go about doing better.

Posted on by hyruleoctoling

So I got an ask over on tumblr the other day about pop culture witchcraft and how I handle people saying my craft is “fake”.

hi im looking into hyrulian paganism because zelda has been overwhelmingly important to me for as long as i can remember. so my question is: how do you cope with worshipping entities everyone else says are fake? i have problems with believing that ancient gods are real and valid. how would i get started communicating with entities that are supposedly only fictional? (also i had a dream with you in it a while back. you taught me how to read bones)

I’ll just post my response to them below:

“Okay first, I would LOVE to read bones. No idea how. But I would totally do it lol.

As for how to really get around the idea that my entities are supposedly only fictional, I have a two pronged approach: the first is to remember that at one point all of the ancient, established deities were once contemporary stories and ideas, with people who interpreted them differently and argued over them and called one version Fiction and another reasonable and that it really isn’t that different than now. That established canon and headcanons will always collide and that, even if they aren’t viewing it through a religious lens, people are always going to be heavily attached to, and invested in, the stories they consume and have been since humans existed. We know the kind of impact stories have on people and how they feel about themselves and how the world works and how they fit into it, and it provides a retreat from some of the grosser parts of humanity. And guess what? Religious beliefs provide the same kind of refuge. Knowing somebody cares and having a reference to know that they’ve always cared and how they usually show their caring is huge, and is part of the draw to religion in the first place. Characters in stories, especially longstanding characters and their stories are like, one step under because they’re still contemporary, still current. And the Legend of Zelda series was specifically written with a mix of religious themes in it.

Second, sheer stubbornness and disregard. You’d be surprised how much spite works to help ignore others opinions. On my original blog, when I was first jumping into pop culture paganism, I got an anon essentially calling me stupid and a fake witch and it pissed me off because I knew my magic worked and how dare they, fuck you I do what I want. And that motivated me to really try and make it work because who are they to tell me my craft isn’t real? They’re not me, not doing my spells and they aren’t an authority for jack shit.

Now, a bit of skepticism and discernment is good to have! If you just believe everything, some spirit with bad intent will take you for a ride and that will not be pretty. And personally, I don’t think a rock solid belief in a deity or spirit is necessary to work with them. I think a lot of them would understand a new witch being god-tapped for the first time to be wary and standoffish. How do you know they’re who they say they are? Why you, why them, and why now? Should you lay some ground rules, and what kind? What do they expect from you and what do you gain from it? Are they going to keep their word? These are good and legitimate questions! So like, getting started slowly is your best bet, and don’t be afraid to ask for a sign that they’re there, or that they’re the ones who just made that extremely timely coincidence happen. I think deities should build trust with those they want to be their devotees because I know several people who have been screwed over by particular gods (me included) and that burns people out real quick. So like, be respectful but do make sure that it’s going to be an actual healthy relationship like with anything else.

And finally, if you’re looking for specific stuff yo do to contact one of Hyrule’s deities, we can talk about that some more! My mudora 101 posts have a lot of good info there too.”

New Year! Slightly different me?

Posted on by hyruleoctoling

It’s January 1, which makes this post officially the first post of 2019! I’ve never really been the kind of person to set new year’s resolutions, I decided this time to set a few practical ones, especially since my craft had really fallen off during 2018. Having a surprise second kid, the older one starting 1st grade and adjusting everyone around the daily school routine, and my health doing flip flops I had a lot on my plate! But things are finally starting to settle into a rhythm and that means I can start looking into fitting witchcraft back into my life more consistently.

That includes trying to use this blog more, which means more content for you! I’ve also started a tarot challenge on Instagram to get back into divination. I’m going slow and simple so I don’t overwhelm myself. What resolutions do you guys have planned? I hope they’re all successful!

Splatoon 2 abilities and enchantments

Posted on by hyruleoctoling

So in the Splatoon series, having fresh gear loaded with abilities is an important gameplay mechanic and may even be the difference between splatting an enemy or being splatted. Such abilities are attached to specific gear, such as some being exclusive to headgear or shoes. Gear exclusive abilities are known as Primary abilities, and non-exclusive abilities are Secondary abilities. Gear can have up to three Secondary abilities in addition to its Primary ability for a total of four abilities per piece and twelve for a whole outfit (Headgear, Shirt and Shoes).

Below are all the abilities and their descriptions and then under it I’ve written potential applications for enchantments based on them!

Primary Abilities:

Ability Doubler [Splatfest Tee Only] – Doubles the effect of other abilities attached to that gear piece. Enchantment: amplification. Makes any magic you cast twice as effective, including other ability enchantments. Apply to jewelry instead of clothing. Excessive use may cause burnout.

Comeback [Headgear] – Improves ink management, mobility and special charge stats for 20 seconds after respawning. Enchantment: morning booster. Cast on a hat or hair accessory in the morning to provide a boost of luck, energy, and efficiency.

Drop Roller [Shoes] – Tilting during a Super Jump allows the player to perform a directional roll upon landing. Enchantment: provides a boost of luck when the caster needs to run, making it more likely that you’ll catch whatever you’re chasing. Apply to running shoes.

Haunt [Clothing] – Tracks the enemy that splats the user with thermal ink. Enchantment: tracks the energy of another person who touches you or casts a spell on you. Cast on a shirt or jacket. This is a bit more advanced than some might be used to, so try practicing with a witchy friend first. Passive enchantment unlike the Thermal Ink enchantment.

Last-Ditch Effort [Headgear] – Improves ink usage and recovery as well as respawn time towards the end of a battle. Enchantment: restores energy during a rest. Cast on night time headwear.

Ninja Squid [Clothing] – The user is less visible while swimming, but has reduced swim speed. Enchantment: glamour to keep from being noticed. Uses your own energy so may cause a feeling of sluggishness. Cast on a shirt or jacket.

Object Shredder [Shoes] – Increases damage dealt to non-player targets. Enchantment: allows for the casting of bad luck on an object making it more likely to break, malfunction, or cause mischief with an energy marker. Super effective when used on shoes. More effective if applied with an angry kick.

Opening Gambit [Headgear] – Increases ink resistance, swim and run speed for the first 30 seconds of a battle. Enchantment: morning boost. Cast on hats or hair accessories. Increase effectiveness of shields and wards when cast in the morning.

Respawn Punisher [Clothing] – Increases respawn time and special gauge spawn penalty for the player and any enemy they splat. Enchantment: Boosts the power and effectiveness of baneful magic, but takes a bigger hit on your energy. Cast on shirts for easy removal. Cleanse well afterwards.

Stealth Jump [Shoes] – Hides the Super Jump landing marker. Enchantment: glamour to keep one from being noticed in a small area. Lasts for a limited time, so don’t activate until you get to your destination where you don’t want to be noticed. Can be cast multiple times after a recharge period. Cast on your favorite pair of shoes or boots.

Tenacity [Headgear] – Slowly fills the user’s special gauge when their team has fewer players than the opposing team. Enchantment: boosts group magic, more effective the less participants there are. Cast on hair accessories or ritual headwear.

Thermal Ink [Clothing] – Allows the player to track distant players hit with shots from the main weapon. Enchantment: creates a unique energy signature to attach to an aura, spell or spirit to track them. Must be activated to use the signature to reduce energy waste. Cast on jewelry instead of clothing.

Secondary Abilities:

Bomb Defense Up DX [Any Gear] – Reduces damage taken by blasts from sub weapons or special weapons and shortens the duration of position trackers. Enchantment: Boosts the power of shields and wards and hides the energy signatures of those protected by the wards.

Ink Recovery Up [Any Gear] – Increases ink tank refill rate while in squid or kid form. Enchantment: boosts recharge of energy during rest, meditation, or engagement in hobbies. Cast on shirts for easiest use.

Ink Resistance Up [Any Gear] – Decreases damage, speed, and jump penalties when standing in enemy ink. Enchantment: deflects bindings and other low level baneful magic.

Ink Saver (Main) [Any Gear] – Decreases main weapon ink usage. Enchantment: reduces the strain of energy work and spirit work.

Ink Saver (Sub) [Any Gear] – Decreases sub weapon ink usage. Enchantment: reduces the energy needed to cast a spell, makes the energy used work more efficiently.

Main Power Up [Any Gear] – Raises performance of main weapons. Enchantment: boosts the power of offensive magic and energy work.

Quick Respawn [Any Gear] – Decreases respawn delay if splatted repeatedly without splatting an opponent. Enchantment: speeds up psychic/spiritual healing after an attack.

Quick Super Jump [Any Gear] – Increases Super Jump speed. Enchantment: increases movement in the astral and during lucid dreaming.

Run Speed Up [Any Gear] – Increases movement speed in humanoid form. Enchantment: boosts the speed in raising energy for magical workings, casting on shoes recommended for the connection between feet and earth.

Special Charge Up [Any Gear] – Increases the rate at which the special gauge fills. Enchantment: boosts the raising of energy and stores it for use during rituals and complex magic

Special Power Up [Any Gear] – Raises performance of special weapons. Enchantment: boosts the effectiveness of ritual workings or complex magic and their effects

Special Saver [Any Gear] – Decreases special gauge loss after being splatted. Enchantment: reduces the strain of energy when performing rituals or complex magic.

Sub Power Up [Any Gear] – Increases performance of sub weapons. Enchantment: increases power of a spell when activated.

Swim Speed Up [Any Gear] – Increases movement speed while swimming in squid form. Enchantment: shortens the time between casting a spell and seeing results

I’m open to different ideas than what I’ve presented here, so please feel free to share them with me in the comments!

Curse Breaker bath

Posted on by hyruleoctoling

This one actually came to me in a dream last night. It’s pretty short and simple though.

  • Rosemary (cleansing)
  • Sage (cleansing, banishing)
  • Coconut Milk (protection, cleansing)
  • Sea Salt (cleansing, banishing)

Draw a bath and add your ingredients, letting the herbs steep for a few minutes before adding the milk last. Let yourself soak in the bath, visualizing the negative curse energy being sucked into the water like ink running off a page, the milky white color filling your aura. Let the water drain, taking the curse with it, and shower regularly after. You can enchant your shower soap for extra cleansing power too.

You found a rupee! A zelda spell to bring money

Posted on by hyruleoctoling

This is a super simple spell for when you need to bring some money into your life. It will require a little prep ahead so that all you have to do is cast the spell when you need it. Some of the values of rupees change between games, so we’re going to use the values from Breath of the Wild for ease and consistency.

Green Rupee – “A single rupee. Its soft green glow puts a smile on your face.”

Blue Rupee – “Five rupees. Its shiny blue facets make you weak in the knees.”

Red Rupee – “20 rupees. Its red luster tickles your heartstrings.”

Purple Rupee – “50 rupees. Its violet glow fills your heart with generosity.”

Silver Rupee – “100 rupees. Its dazzling silver light reflects your beaming smile.”

Gold Rupee – “300 rupees! Its radiant golden shine illuminates your soul.”

What you’ll need:

  • A pen, preferably green, gold or silver
  • Several strips of paper
  • Crayons or markers
  • A jar, box, bag, can or envelope to store the papers in

First, we’re going to prep the little papers to make it super easy to just pull one out when you need it. Draw a rupee in each corner and one large one on the back of the papers (or cut the paper into the shape of a rupee!).

Next, write “you found a [color] rupee! It’s worth [amount]! How lucky!” After that, fold all the papers up so the words are hidden, and color the backs of the papers the colors you wrote on them, visualizing them shining like rupees.

To activate the spell, just rip up or burn the paper while visualizing that you get the amount of money that corresponds to the rupee paper!

Raising Triforce energy

Posted on by hyruleoctoling

So the Triforce is of course a strong magical energy, and it’s three parts feel a bit different when separated than they do when in harmony.

The Triforce of Power feels like being close to a crackling fire, warm and flickering, with a slight sting, like when you get too close to the flame.

The Triforce of Wisdom feels like water, cool and fluid, with a slight bite, like winter cold.

The Triforce of Courage feels like damp earth, soft and thick. With a crackle like electricity.

Just for reference these are how the energies feel to me, and below is my method for drawing the energy.

  • Sit comfortably in a dimly lit room. I don’t feel like the lighting matters over much but it helps me concentrate when it’s not bright.
  • Cup your hands or form a triangle shape with them. Focus on which part of the Triforce you’re trying to use.
  • Try and visualize the golden light of the Triforce pooling in your hands. Let the energy build a bit, enough to get a feel for it.
  • Try and get a feel for the energy of the piece you’re working with. Does it feel awkward? Does it flow freely to you? One usually vibes better than the others.
  • If the triforce piece you’re working with feels unwieldy it may indicate that’s the one you need more work in.
  • The piece that feels easy to work with is probably the one you would get if the Triforce split and will likely be the easiest to use for magic.

Practice drawing the different energies and learning how they feel before you start manipulating them and using it for spells and such.

Welcome!

Posted on by hyruleoctoling

Hello to my new followers! Welcome to my blog!

If you found me through tumblr, thanks for joining me here. Hopefully I can use this platform well enough, in the meantime, you can check out some of my older posts!

Now for introductions:

I go by Roxie, and I’m a 27 year old witch. I have two kids, but I don’t post about them much online to preserve their privacy.

I’ve been doing magic in some capacity since I was a kid, and have called myself a witch for the last 4 or 5 years. I tend to incorporate elements of video games into my practice, particularly from the Legend of Zelda franchise. Other elements of witchcraft I use are music, energy work, weather magic, kitchen magic and divination. I also have clairsentience and synesthesia, and grew up around spirits and have experience with astral travel. I’m also currently looking into working with the Fae.

Please excuse any long gaps between posts, as I am a stay-at-home mom of two young kids and so it can be a bit difficult to make time for writing and for my craft. I will always do my best though, and love questions! Thank you for following me and visiting my blog!