Invoking, Shape-shifting, and Alchemy OH My! Why Cosplay Is One Of The Most Powerful Tools Of Pop Culture Magic.

What is cosplay? It is the act of dressing up and acting like a character other than your everyday self. Often, the character is a popular character from mass media such as Deadpool, Pikachu, or the Easter Bunny. This also includes creative spins on said pop culture icons such as character mash ups such as Disney princess versions of the Sailor Scouts, gender bending such as a masculine Princess Peach / feminine Maro, and such, but cosplay can also be an original character that the cosplayer made up, such as a rennessance fair persona, D&D character, or custom fur suits. Cosplay is largely done at big sci-fi based gatherings such as conventions, themed festivals, costume parties, photo shoots, and for the production oYouTube. media content such as tiktok and youtube. So what does this culture phenomenon have to do with magic and spiritual practice?

I am going to start with the concept of invocation, which is a magic technique in which a person calls in a spirit/entity to aid them in their endeavors. The most famous example of which in modern paganism being the Drawing down the Moon ritual, in which a person calls on the Goddess into themselves. The person that invoked the Goddess then goes on to dispense her wisdom, perform divinations, blessings, and other such magical works while aspecting as said goddess. What are the benefits to this technique? Well, asking a spirit, whether it be a goddess or a comicbook character to come with in you, adds a good deal of extra energy / power to the ritual and spell work.

Shape-shifting is very old magic practiced since humans started developing a spirtal life. It is the act of gaining wisdom and power of spirit by mimicking it / shifting into it. You may be familiar with the idea of working with animal spirits to gain their traits such as speed, strength, or cunning. Well, cosplay is no different, you can dress as / shift into the character and use it to gain the associated qualities. Instead of shape shifting into a bear for strength, why not Superman? Or why not Captain Picarrd instead of an owl for wisdom? The only limitation is your imagination.

Alchemy, the heart of this form of magic, is the transformation process. Most people assume it’s about turning lead into gold, and it’s not. It’s about transforming yourself from person driven by base wants into more enlightened mindset. Cosplay and Alchemy are intertwined in the creation process. It’s journey from picking / designing a character to the physical creation of the costume to working on the performance you’ll put on. You really learn a lot about yourself in the process. Glue gun burns, the fustrations of trying to put in a zipper for the first time, the quest to find the perfect shade fabric. It really is a journey that will test your patience, skill, determination, and resourcefulness, and there is growth in the process.

And if you are still not convinced that it is a powerful tool consider this, it is common practice for modern pagans to have a special ritual attire, whether it be skyclade, a special t-shirt, or fancy robes. The whole reason for doing so is because it helps them step out of their mundane lives into a spiritual mindset, thus transforming into their magical personas / characters. Cosplay can and does the exact same thing.

Ultimately, that’s what magic is all about. It is changing how you interact with the world in a way that benefits you and those around you.

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2022 A Year In Review

This truly has been a crazy year for me with a lot of big life changes.

First, my beloved cat Mina died. Her lost set the wheels in motion. It broke the spell of complacency over me and gave me the courage to leave a toxic situation.

I broke up with my boyfriend of 9 years and moved into my own apartment. In the process, I lost most of my property and had to part ways with my cats Doom and Linda because he wouldn’t let me take them with me.

This led me to reevaluate my spiritual practice, and I got to rebuild my altar and work on establishing a daily practice.

I got the kittens Pop Tart and Toaster Strudel because a home is not a home without a cat or two. Their chaotic energy and sweet personalities are helping me heal.

I may have mentioned before that I was Bisexual, well given my new found freedom, I decided it was time I explored that part of my identity some more and as a result, I ended up briefly in a polyamourous relationship. This experience ended up being some powerful shadow working lessons that helped me work through the trauma past partners inflicted on me. I came out of it with a better understanding of who I am and what I want out of a relationship. Overall the experience was very healing, and I am grateful to the couple I was involved with for allowing me to have it.

Then the unexpected happened, I met the love of my life, a wonderful person I will refer to on here as my Viking. Our relationship is proof that dating apps can work.

The whole craziness of my lovelife this year has definitely affected my relationship with the Goddess Venus / Aphrodite as she has slapped me in the face and told me just how powerful she really is.

I got transferred to a new account at work where I am much happier.

My Grandma died, and if you read my previous post this year, you got a clue of how deeply that affected me.

Took a road trip to Alabama to see family.

In October, another family emergency ooccurred, the nature of which I will probably put in a separate post when I am ready to talk about it.

Went to Galaxy Con, which was their first year here in Ohio. This little adventure reawoke my desire to work pop culture magic and blog about it.

And now I sit here trying to process this emotionally roller-coaster. Hopefully, next year goes a lot smoother. I would love to be able to have the spoons to blog on a more regular schedule.

Road Trip: Witchcraft Supplies In Unexpected Places.

I know there are a lot of posts out there about dollar store witchcraft, and I thought I would add to the conversation. I stopped in to a store called 5 Below yesterday so my son could get some cheap holiday gifts for his classmates. This place had a surprising amount of cool, witchy stuff. Several beginner books, intro to tarot and astrology kits, and staples like incense and candles. They also got a lot of craft supplies like markers and paint for good prices, too.

I picked up 2 neat items I wanted to share. The first is deck of playing cards that also teach plants and fungi. The second is a cookbook focused around the tarot deck.

Yule 2022 Building New Tradions.

This is my first Yule in this home. I haven’t even made it to the one year mark yet. This year, we were faced with a few challenges. The first is that when I had to move in a hurry, I ended up losing all of the ornaments my kid and I had made together for the past 11 years. A second issue was whether we should put up a tree as we have two rambunctious 7 month old kittens. We opted for a small ceramic tree for the kittens’ safety and our sanity. We will try a regular Yule tree next year. As for the ornaments, thanks to insperation from a meme, we decided to start a new tradition of trying to find the most ridiculous ornaments we can find.

Our plans for actual Yule is to watch holiday movies, including our favorite Christmas movie, Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever, and eat cookies. My significant other is coming over for a ham dinner and a small gift exchange. After having to deal with the choas of having to go from one house to another to fulfill family and social obligations for years, this is my son and I’s first year of freedom from that stress and we wanted to keep it simple.

I know for some readers this may not be the great source of Yule insperation you were looking for, but maybe it is a good reminder that it is ok to start over, scale back, and just relax and enjoy the holiday without putting a lot of pressure on yourself. Live in the moment, be happy and content with what you have, because life is too short to be miserable.

Crocheting With The Ancestors

My Grandmother past in August and as we did not have the best of relationships towards the end her death and it left me dealing with a lot of mixed emotions. I found healing in an unexpected place, yarn. She taught me how to crochet when I was a kid and it’s been one of my many crafting hobbies ever since. I never really developed my skill beyond a few basic stitches.

A month ago, a friend asked me to teach her kids how to crochet. I had not touched a hook in years and here I was sitting on a sofa teaching an 8 & 13 year old how to make a chain stitch. In that moment, I found a little bit of peace. I was passing on something my grandma taught me, and I think her spirit approved. As I was sliding the yarn through my fingers it dawn on me that it was a great way to try and connect with other ancestors too as yarn craft has been a domestic skill practiced since the dawn of civilization and countless ancestors have sat and spent hours upon hours creating clothing for thier families, and teaching thier kids how to do the same. I was keeping the tradition alive, teaching another generation how to work with yarn.

Chunky scarf I made.

Ode to the Sci Fi Convention

Trying to finish making a costume the night before a convention has got to be part of some sacred geek ritual, a right of passage in to the cosplay world. A vigil for the modern Bacchus festivals that are sci-fi cons, where we worship the new gods and heros of the theater. Hail to the characters and stories that inspire us, comfort us and give us hope. May our festival of pop culture help us grow and evolve our selves.

A Death in the Family

So my grandma died at the beginning of August. I’m going to be honest the griving process has been kind of weird for me because it started two years prior when she had to put her in a nursing home because she could no longer safly live on her own. So we had to deal with the disassembly of her estate whe she was still alive and could give some guidance as to who got what.

So I live in a different town than the rest of my family and going to see them is challenging enough, but then covid hit and the nursing home was not allowing visitors at all. I got to see her twice in the past two year. We talked on the phone periodically but it is not the same especially when she had hearing problems and we struggled to communicate.

The last time I saw her she called me fat 6 times and I left angry. She has been calling fat ever since I hit puberty. She had also on several occasions told me to my face that my mother should of had an abortion. And yet I loved her, she was family and we did have some good memories together. But after my grandpa died in 2000 she truly turned into a bitter hateful women who felt like life delt her a bad hand so she made everyone else around her miserable. So my relationship with her fell apart, because it is hard to spend time with someone who just oozes negative energy.

We were all relieved when she finally passed. She was 96 and in a lot of physical pain from her medical conditions, and spiritual pain from her own decisions. She is free now and I wish her soul the best in where ever it reincarnate.

It took me a full month after she passed to really cry and it was more so for the relationship we could of had versus the one we did. I have vowed to never be like her. I will live my life to the fullest always choosing love and laughter over bitterness and anger.

Between the Sabbats

The Fall Equinox has passed and Samhain is not yet here. It is that glorious time of year where everything is apple and pumpkin flavored. The leaves haven’t started changing yet here in Ohio but the temperatures have finally dropped in to the mid 60s and I can happily pull out my sweaters. Looking foward to the walks in the park where I can crunch leaves under my feet and watch the squirrels frantically running around with last minute preparations for the approaching winter.

It is also the start of Spooky season where it is socially acceptable to bring out the goth gear, watch horror movies, go to haunted house and tell ghost stories. There is truly comforting in the macabre tradition of surrounding ourselves with death as both a way to connect to our ancestors but to embrace the enviable, for we all got to cross over in to the unknown at some point.

I tend to get super nostalgic right around now. Thinking of Holloweens past, my love ones that have died, and such. I have changed my altar cloth to a pretty fall leaf patern and swapped the spring flowers out for a more fall colored arrangement. Unfortunately over the summer I have had to switch to fake flowers on my altar because the real ones were attracting to many bugs and I was tired of battling the damn fruit flies. Lol just another one of those witch problems all those pagan books don’t warn you about. I have also stocked up on fall scented candles. Now I just need to replenish my tea and honey supply, because hot tea is my staple drink in the winter months. But that is kind of what this point on the wheel is for anyways, squirrling things away for the coming dark months. Enjoy the season while you can my friends for winter is coming.