My least favorite things about occult AND crafting communities is the "you aren't a real one if you don't do XYZ thing exactly as I do or by the book" or subscribe to the Magical Tradition Supremacy mentality - sorry, not sorry, no one tradition is superior to another. They all are valid as are how anyone of us practices magick based upon our abilities and yes disabled practitioners are no less valid or powerful as able-bodied ones, please consider that before making ableist proclamations.
I'm disabled. I do what works for me and that does not make my handmade crafts nor witchcraft practices any less real, authentic or what not. We do the best with what we have on hand. Saying otherwise is insulting and cunty and perhaps minding your own business is a lesson some really need to learn.
You do you boo. And I am cool with that! Just don't come over here shitting in my soup because I do things differently and you are a pick me who need their participation trophy to feel better. I do not play that game. It says more about that person than it does me. I am self confident and secure in my practices that I do not need to neg others to make myself feel more superior.
Its doubly icky when it comes from businesses as part of their "we are better than you marketing" There is a popular herbalist whose entire marketing strategy seemed to be slagging ALL other herbalists and schools for not being as real as theirs. I have never unfollowed and blocked someone harder on every platform. It gave serious cringey ick vibes and numerous others had bad encounters with them. Though to be fair I’m not an overly competitive person so I don’t get that about other people and being competitive is not part of my brand. I support other creators even if they make similar products.
The point here is that some criticisms are valid as in the example above and I just walked away with "not for me" as I am not going to subject myself to someone who exhibits the red flags of an abusive personality as a teacher and there are so many occult and craft teachers who are abusive towards their students calling them stupid or worse in some cases. I am a firm believer of "when someone shows you who they are - BELIEVE THEM." This person may have extensive herbal knowledge and a decent teacher, but their social media and marketing tell a different story. Notice how I am not naming them, I am just using them as an example and one of many that I have encountered over the years of navigating the occult spectrum.
- I don't know if I have any applicable advice other than:
Recognize that everyone comes to their practices at different times in their life or for different reason. If you are 18 great and if you are 81 great! - Not everyone has the privilege of unbroken lineages and traditions. Many of us come from various diasporas that were overwritten by Christianity. In my case, that is Slavic Paganism and Byzantine/Ukrainian Catholicism - both are part of my ancestral practices old and new.
- This is a lifelong process and no one knows everything.
- Mind your own business about what others do in their practices. It's great that you can wild forage in your region - again I am disabled with a maximum walking range of four city blocks.
- Leave the purity culture with the church and deconstruct your demands for perfection.
- Deconstruct your 'Magical Tradition Supremacy' as you are not better nor worse or more valid than the rest of us. All traditions are valid and up to the individual to facilitate their ongoing practices and movement towards the Great Work. I get this a lot from "by the book" ceremonial magicians who cannot accept any other way of working with spirits and doing magick. If it works for you great! Perhaps, not demeaning the rest of us as fake invalidating our practices.
There are obvious many other things I could add to the list, but those are the big ones. None of us are perfect so perhaps lets stop expecting perfection from an imperfect world.
- BellaJennyfur