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Tag: Ritual Materials
Why We Use Natural Gemstones for Astrological Talismans
At Idola Stellarum, we make every effort to source gemstones that are 100% natural: undyed, unheated, untreated, and not lab-created. We are painfully aware that natural gemstones present their own violence and ethical problems, including but not limited to the opacity of the supply chain, the treatment of workers, disrespect for the land and Indigenous…
Are Astrological Talismans Safe? Part II: Safety & Quality Control
In the first post of our series on safety in astrological talismans, we explored the question whether astrological talismans are safe from a technical astrological perspective and a relational perspective. We established that real and consequential magic is alive and astrological talismans are sentient beings, and therefore, astrological talismans are always to some extent unpredictable…
Are Astrological Talismans Safe? Part I: Technique & Sturdy Relationships
Fear of magic reverberates down through history in the so-called West. From early on, ‘magic’ connoted perceptions of the sinister practices of mysterious foreigners, witch trials and the Inquisition loom large in the cultural imagination, and shows and movies reliably paint magic as chaotic, volatile, and often mixed up in tragedies involving greed and the…
Materials Matter: Why We Consider Our Attention to Ingredients as Prayer
Not too long ago, we were in a retail outlet browsing the kitchen and home aisles, and beside the myriad discount scented candles sat a shelf of amethyst chunks, unnamed geodes the size of your palm, and a bundle of selenite wands. Divorced from all historical context and subjected to the violence of corporate supply…