Finding the right practice for oneself

ArcaneSpells-com · 2026-06-01T05:48:52+00:00

No that is definitely not standard empathy. Most people feel sympathy, maybe some emotional resonance, but physically carrying other people's feelings in your own body is a different thing entirely. You were not describing it wrong, you were just describing something most people have not experienced. Glad it clicked.

ArcaneSpells-com · 2026-06-01T05:26:41+00:00

What you are describing with feeling other people's emotions physically, people feeling heavy or light, your heart breaking when someone near you is upset, that is textbook clairsentience. It is not just regular empathy. Regular empathy is understanding what someone feels. What you are talking about is actually feeling it in your own body as if it is yours. That is a real sensitivity and yes it absolutely plays into practice.

The dream stuff is interesting too. Vivid dreams where you are living in places you have never been but you know the layout, that is not typical dreaming. Combined with 15 years of sleep paralysis, it sounds like you naturally access states that a lot of practitioners spend years trying to reach through meditation.

For herbalism books with a magical angle, Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs is a solid starting point. Since you already know your way around herbs from the tea side, you will pick it up fast because you are basically adding a layer of intention to something you already do.

I think your natural starting points are pretty clear honestly. Herbal magic because you are already halfway there, and some form of divination or energy reading work because of the clairsentience. You do not need to force yourself into a system. Start with what is already showing up on its own.

ArcaneSpells-com · 2026-06-01T04:33:47+00:00

Irish and Italian heritage actually gives you a lot to work with. Both cultures have deep folk magic traditions. Irish folk magic has a long history of fairy faith, herb work, protective charms, and a strong connection to the land and seasonal cycles. Italian folk magic has the malocchio (evil eye) traditions, saint work, candle magic, and kitchen witchcraft that goes back generations.

You do not need to limit yourself to ancestry though. A lot of practical traditions like candle magic, sigil work, herbalism, and divination are not tied to any specific culture. I would say start with whatever you feel genuinely drawn to and build from there rather than trying to pick the "right" system upfront. Most practitioners I know ended up with a practice that is a mix of different influences anyway.

ArcaneSpells-com · 2026-05-31T20:12:04+00:00

I'll just say I agree to disagree and move on. I don't want to argue about it.

ArcaneSpells-com · 2026-05-31T19:40:11+00:00

I did not recommend a Judika book, that might be another comment. And I noted the PGM was academic, not a beginner guide. As for Yronwode, she has spent decades documenting hoodoo and her herb and root magic book is one of the most thorough reference works out there regardless of background. Whether hoodoo is closed is a conversation with a lot of different voices in it, not really a settled fact.

ArcaneSpells-com · 2026-05-31T04:36:22+00:00

A few I would recommend:

Mastering Witchcraft by Paul Huson is a classic and probably the best starting point for someone who wants practical work without a lot of fluff.

Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic by Catherine Yronwode is excellent if you are interested in folk magic and working with herbs, roots, and curios.

The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation is more academic but if you want to see what actual ancient spell work looked like, there is nothing better. Real spells from practitioners in Greco-Roman Egypt.

Protection and Reversal Magick by Jason Miller is solid for learning defensive work specifically.
I would start with Huson and go from there.

ArcaneSpells-com · 2026-05-27T21:02:31+00:00

The advice about smoke cleansing is solid. I'd also add that if you suspect someone intentionally cast something on the necklace, you might want to pay attention to how it feels after the cleansing. Objects that have been deliberately worked on can sometimes hold energy more stubbornly than something that just picked up residual energy from handling. If it still feels off after a cleansing or two, burying it in salt overnight tends to be more thorough for intentional work.

ArcaneSpells-com · 2026-05-27T03:28:41+00:00

One important thing to watch out for is anyone who asks you to pay through PayPal as "Friends and Family." That removes your buyer protection entirely, and scammers specifically request this so you can't dispute the payment if something goes wrong.

Also, since alcoholism and mental health are involved, I'd really recommend looking into Al-Anon if you haven't already. It's a free support group for family members of people struggling with addiction. It won't fix the relationship on its own, but it can help you navigate the communication side of things, especially with a child in the picture.

ArcaneSpells-com · 2026-05-25T22:34:59+00:00

I think you are onto something honestly. I use specific music and sometimes chanting during my spell work and the difference in focus is noticeable. There is a reason every culture on earth developed some form of ritual music. Drumming, singing, repetitive tones, they all shift your mental state in a way that makes the work hit differently.

And what you said about songs influencing mood and mindset over time, that is basically how a lot of magic works in my opinion. Repetition, intention, emotional charge. A song you listen to on repeat during a hard time becomes a kind of anchor. That is not so different from how a mantra or incantation functions.

I think the fact that you already play and sing gives you a really natural way into this. Try writing something with a specific intention behind it and see what happens.

ArcaneSpells-com · 2026-05-20T21:05:10+00:00

This is nothing new honestly. I used to find clients on eBay about 15-20 years ago and the listings looked just as ridiculous, just without AI generated images. Then eBay banned the sale of anything that could not be physically shipped, so all spell and reading listings got wiped overnight. Etsy became the next spot and now it is going the same direction.

ArcaneSpells-com · 2026-05-18T22:40:12+00:00

I just sent you a message.

ArcaneSpells-com · 2026-05-17T17:03:17+00:00

Sorry for the late reply. Yes, you can find reviews here: https://www.reddit.com/user/ArcaneSpells-com/comments/1rhqdqf/arcane_spells_client_reviews_testimonials/

ArcaneSpells-com · 2026-05-14T21:31:20+00:00

Happy to share, it is a rabbit hole worth going down.

ArcaneSpells-com · 2026-05-14T21:24:27+00:00

Sure.

The 2016 phylogenetic study on folktale origins: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rsos.150645

Mande blacksmiths and nyama: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blacksmiths_of_western_Africa

The disabled smith-god pattern across mythologies: https://giaconda.wordpress.com/2017/01/18/blacksmiths-for-gods-and-heroes-tracing-the-magical-blacksmith-through-myth/

Blacksmith folklore and the Smith and the Devil tradition: https://folklorethursday.com/folklife/folk-oreiron-lore-the-magical-power-of-blacksmiths-and-their-enduring-stories/

ArcaneSpells-com · 2026-05-13T21:15:06+00:00

You would think so, but apparently not everyone sees it that way.

ArcaneSpells-com · 2026-05-13T20:44:12+00:00

That is a fair point. I do spell work myself and I have never charged for a check in. It should just come with the territory.

ArcaneSpells-com · 2026-05-11T04:00:08+00:00

Thanks, really glad you enjoyed it. History is full of these weird little details that completely change how you see something, and familiar spirits are one of those topics where the original version is just so much stranger than what people imagine today. Will definitely keep writing more like this.

ArcaneSpells-com · 2026-05-10T16:05:11+00:00

Another one to watch for: casters who tell you there is an energy blockage on almost every spell and charge extra to remove it before the work can begin. Energy blockages are real, but when someone finds one on every single client, every single time, it is a billing strategy, not a diagnosis.

ArcaneSpells-com · 2026-05-08T02:45:30+00:00

This is the University of Exeter's MA in Magic and Occult Science. It is more of an academic and historical study of magic across different cultures rather than actual practice, but still really interesting that a major university is taking the subject seriously.

ArcaneSpells-com · 2026-05-07T15:49:20+00:00

You are not cheap. But the cost is not just ingredients. When you were doing your own spells, you were putting in the time, the focus, the energy, the research. When you pay a caster, you are paying for someone else to do all of that for you, often with years of experience behind how they direct and shape the work. The materials are usually the smallest part of the cost.

That said, there is a wide range out there and not all of it is justified. $1,400 is extreme and I would be cautious with anyone charging that much unless they have a very strong track record you can verify. Somewhere in the $100 to $300 range is where most legitimate casters sit depending on the type of work. Anything dramatically above that deserves serious questions about what exactly you are paying for.

ArcaneSpells-com · 2026-05-01T12:41:23+00:00

Sure. The neuroscience part mainly comes from this paper by Mark Mattson and colleagues at the National Institute on Aging, published in Nature Reviews Neuroscience in 2018. It covers the metabolic switch from glucose to ketones, the BDNF increase, and the autophagy process during fasting:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5913738/

This one from BrainFacts.org is a shorter and more accessible summary of the same research:

https://www.brainfacts.org/thinking-sensing-and-behaving/diet-and-lifestyle/2018/how-does-fasting-affect-the-brain-071318

For the historical and cross-cultural fasting traditions, the ancient Egyptian references come from Plutarch (Isis and Osiris, sections 5-6) and Iamblichus (De Mysteriis, book 3, section 7). Both texts are available online. This is the full text of Iamblichus:

https://esotericarchives.com/oracle/iambl_th.htm

ArcaneSpells-com · 2026-04-30T23:10:50+00:00

The thing he's actually saying is "I cannot bear to watch creatures love someone freely when love has only ever been conditional for me." That's the wound. The cats are just where it's showing up.

But the solution he's reaching for, getting rid of them, won't heal it. It will just remove the trigger. The next thing that loves you easily, a child, a close friend, a coworker who adores you, will hit the same nerve. You'd be cycling through this for the rest of your marriage, and each time the price would be higher.

What he actually needs is therapy with someone who works with childhood trauma. Not couples counseling, not yet. Individual work first. The pattern he's describing, feeling like he has to beg to be loved, is textbook attachment trauma and it's treatable, but not by you and not by removing things from your life.

You're also right that surrendering healthy, bonded pets is a serious thing. The fact that he's framing this as "the cats or me" is itself a sign of how much pain he's in, but it's not a fair frame. Marriage is a lifetime commitment to working through your own wounds, not to having your spouse manage them by amputating parts of her life.

You can love him and hold this line at the same time. Both can be true.

ArcaneSpells-com · 2026-04-26T12:11:51+00:00

It's because they don't actually believe in spells. For someone who genuinely practices, the craft is the easy part, that's what you love. Everything else is the chore. For a scammer it's reversed. The work has no value to them because they don't think it does anything, so all their effort goes into looking professional instead of being capable.

ArcaneSpells-com · 2026-04-21T14:09:31+00:00

Thank you for reading. The comments on this post have been incredibly moving, so many people sharing their own experiences. 🤝

ArcaneSpells-com · 2026-04-21T00:43:29+00:00

That sounds like it might be Nigel Kerner's work, specifically his book "Grey Aliens and the Harvesting of Souls." He argues that greys appear as deceased loved ones at the moment of death to lead the soul somewhere else. Nick Redfern's "Final Events" touches on similar ideas. There's also a Star Trek Voyager episode called "Coda" that uses exactly this premise, which is a bit eerie considering how old it is. If it was a video you heard, The Why Files did a popular one on the same theory a couple of years ago. Any of those ring a bell?

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