In recent weeks, I started to notice something interesting in pagan communities: most pagan deity followers tend to fall into a stereotype. If you hang out with a lot of pagans, you might have noticed that worshippers tend to start adopting traits of the gods, entities, and goddesses they work with.

Here are some of the stereotypes I’ve noticed in my circles:

• Bast. Yeah, we’re known for being crazy cat ladies, so to speak. We also tend to be horny, perfume-obsessed people. Many are also deeply pro-Africa.

• Aphrodite. Every single follower of Aphrodite I’ve met has experienced love issues in one way or another. They tend to be very seductive, extremely good-looking, and unlikely to dress like a stereotypical witch.

• Luciferians. They tend to be known for being highly intellectual, often the deepest thinkers in the room. Oh, and they also tend to have a deeply rebellious streak. Oddly enough, most of the Lucifer lovers I know are also big into Dungeons & Dragons. (No, I don’t ask why.)

• Baron Samedi. Every single voudoun practictioner I’ve met who is a fan of the Baron is a good-looking person who loves to party.

• The Goddess. I’ve noticed that a lot of pagans just worship a Goddess along with a central God. These women tend to be older, have been pagans for ages, and really go hard into girl power. They are believers in the Maiden-Mother-Crone life cycles.

• Anubis. These folks are fiercely loyal friends who also tend to be able to calm down almost anyone.

• Odin. Usually male, usually really into strength. Unfortunately, this god has been co-opted by Nazis. A lot of actual worshippers can’t stand this and make a point of being vehemently anti-racist.

• Lilith. Feminism and dark sexuality ooze off these folks. They generally do not identify as men. They are either women, transwomen, or nonbinary people. They rightfully detest gender roles. Do not get a child of Lilith angry.

• Dionysus. Hedonists to the core. They can always drink everyone under the table, but they can get a bit loopy at times. They’re often best friends and lovers of people who follow Lilith, Asmodeus, or Bast.

• Asmodeus. I’ve noticed that almost every person who works with him tends to be highly sexual in nature. They also tend to have experienced love and sex trauma before they got involved with him. He’s a healer who helps us embrace dark sexuality.

Well, that’s what I noticed around me. And I later found some posts that seem to back up those observations by others. The more I network, the more I realize that stereotypes seem to be pretty noticeable in almost all pagan pantheons.

What’s the deal?

So, with almost any group of people, there will eventually be stereotypes about them. Some of these are benevolent, others aren’t. It’s just a part of human nature. We tend to categorize people and then make generalizations about people who fall into those categories.

Are those stereotypes all correct? Nope. Some are total lies and misconceptions. Yet at the same time, these can persist for years. It’s human nature to categorize people, especially when it comes to belief systems.

However, when we’re talking about magic, it often deals with energy. Those stereotypes often carry a certain energy that can be picked up by others.

This got me thinking about how deities choose their people and vice versa.

This is my own personal belief: I think deities and entities tend to choose their worshippers and vice versa. In other words, worship is a two-way street. A god has to choose you and you have to agree to worship them.

If you don’t worship them, you might get a bunch of signs that they’re interested in a bond with you, but those will peter out. If you worship a deity that isn’t interested in you, they likely won’t answer your prayers or give you a sign of life. (Go ahead, ask me how I know.)

One thing is for sure: you do have to be in sympatico with the deities you work with. In other words, those deities have to resonate with you. You need to feel bonded to them in one way or another…and that brings me to my main point.

Would you worship a deity that had nothing in common with you?

In theory, I would. A lot of others would. However, in practice, this is not what would work out well. I’ve often got the feeling that deities have a tendency of working with people who have things in common with them: interests, attitudes, similar struggles, etc.

It makes sense. It’s like choosing a spiritual bestie. You want to be able to connect with the deities that you work with—and while we always hear about friends who seem to have very little in common with one another, they’re often the exception rather than the rule.

I’ve noticed that people tend to pick up traits of their deities, the longer they practice.

Ever notice how certain people tend to slowly assimilate the beliefs of a religion over time? Or how people tend to adopt the behavior and personalities of the gods they worship?

This got me thinking that it’s a “chicken and egg” type of deal. Did the energy attract the deity or did the deity attract the energy? It’s hard to tell. One thing I noticed is that the deity’s energy you focus on will grow the longer you work with them.

For example, I’ve noticed that my friend who worshipped Dionysus became a much more party-hardy person. I really leaned into my succubus energy with Asmodeus and have been getting laid quite a bit. Heck, I’m currently in a hellishly good throuple!

Maybe it’s because they are connecting with that energy for a long period of time. Maybe it’s because that deity or entity is finally giving them the permission they needed to actually bring out that side of them.

With stereotypes comes problems—and a need for awareness.

Not all stereotypes are correct or rooted in fact. However, there is that weird slippery slope that can occur with all types of worship where you become a stereotype and lose yourself in your beliefs. Or worse, you end up using those stereotypes as an excuse to be a dick to others.

Remember: as a practitioner, you have to remember to be grounded in both yourself and the real world at all times. Refusing to do so will give you a bad name among others, embarrass you to society, and also potentially get some really awful side effects from your deity.

After all, stereotypes don’t just piss off other people. They piss of the gods too.

So, stay grounded. Stay yourself. And recognize when you’re taking things too far.

As a pagan who is terminally online, I noticed a lot of TikTok content involving guides telling you how to tell if a deity or other entity is calling you to their side. Had it not happened to me, I would have honestly scoffed and said, “How arrogant to think a god or a demon would take time out of their day to talk to a human!”

Well, honestly, it happens. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that it seems to be happening quite a lot more frequently these days than it was in the past. It’s almost as if our world is going through a massive spiritual re-awakening.

It seems like the old gods, angels, demons, and new gods are all listening. They’re ready to help us grow as people. Some even call out to us. So, how can you tell if you have a deity or entity trying to reach out to you? Oh, there are always signs…

#1: You’ve been having dreams about them.

A friend of mine found Christianity because he had a dream that Jesus appeared to him and told him something deeply personal. He never told me what it was, but it rattled him so much that he changed his life.

At the time, he was a drug addict. Within three months, he was sober off cocaine. I’m happy he found Jesus because he’s still a great guy and I honestly think it saved him. However, not everyone finds Jesus when this happens. I found Bastet and Sekhmet through this manner.

#2: Your media feed keeps coming with random allusions to a certain deity, angel, or entity.

Around the time I had my spiritual awakening, I started to get a lot of weird coincidences occurring with my media feeds. Along with my regular feed of Helluva Boss cartoons, I started noticing an uptick in games involving owl-faced characters, random blurbs about Asmodeus, a Spotify band known as Sitri, as well as Reddit posts mentioning demonolatry for beginners.

Long story short, I started to notice that there were a lot of demonic references that just so happened to fit in with the lowest part of my life. Several names and beings made themselves particularly noticeable in my music, reading, and TV feed.

Sure, we all know there are a lot of spiritual hucksters that create TikTok videos saying that a certain deity is calling you, but when you’re starting to see a specific deity mentioned by people other than those types at random, you might want to pay a little attention.

#3: You start to notice symbols related to that deity/entity showing up in your life.

So, one of my patron demons is Sitri, a prince of Hell who is known for making people fall in love, having great sex, and also being a person who outs secrets of women when angered. I’ve also heard of him being linked to fashion, though that was anecdotal.

Well, I asked Sitri for help with my love life. That week, I got gifted a ton of designer clothing—much of it featuring leopard print. I fell in love with shortly after. It’s been great.

While this happened to me with a demon, it also can happen with deities. For example, a friend of mine got called by Anubis, the Egyptian god of the afterlife. Anubis is a jackal and was said to be the patron deity of dogs.

You might wonder what happened with my friend. He started to notice an uptick in dogs showing up in his life. He also started to see anime characters that were modeled after Anubis. At one point, someone even randomly gave him an Anubis statue with no idea that he was being called.

#4: You had an “imaginary friend.”

This is something that typically happens to kids with psychic abilities. They have imaginary friends that they stop seeing after a while. Only later to they find out their “friends” somehow perfectly reflected specific deities or entities in terms of description.

If you remember having an “invisible” bestie named Freya or Aphrodite or Lilith, maybe she was an actual goddess…and not so much just a childhood imaginary friend.

#5: You’ve started to get very strange coincidences and messages that encourage you to do better in life.

Imagine the following situation. You live as a teenager who deals with bullying. You live on a college campus at the time, since you are a freshman. People call you a pushover.

You are at school and get to class. The teacher just assigned each student a deity to do a report on. Yours is Ares, the Greek god of war. You go to the library, and notice that you just passed by a new book title on a stand called God of War. Then, you sit down, only to hear a brief tune.

That tune? You hone your ears a bit and realize that it’s “Aries Man” by Aldous RH. You wrap up your report at the library and go back to your dorm, only to overhear one girl swooning to another over a guy they like. Wouldn’t you know, he’s actively involved in Greek life on campus.

Then you get online. You see a new “fight song.” You’re starting to feel like you should fight back a little when it comes to the way people treat you. If that type of coincidence string has played out in your life, it’s a sign a deity might want to offer some advice.

#6: You have experienced some visitations during meditation sessions.

Do you meditate to the point that you’ve experienced visions? Some of us do—including some of my closest friends. If you have a vision of a deity during meditation, there’s a good chance they are trying to reach out. This is doubly true if the vision involved a friendly chat or a conversation you needed (rather than wanted) to hear.

#7: You’ve become inexplicably drawn to a certain god or entity.

That was my major sign. Something in me just told me to read more about certain entities. I kept getting these thoughts about cracking open the Ars Goetia to read more about Asmodeus. When I heard his name, I felt a warmth—like he was the big brother I always wanted.

The more I tried to fight the temptation to reach out to him, the more intense the urge got. All things said and done, I am very happy I did. I feel like a lot more things make sense now and that’s precisely what I need in my life.

#8: People who don’t know each other but worship the same deity come to help you out when you’re at your worst.

Contrary to popular belief, spiritual awakenings are not typically fun, lighthearted moments. They’re usually horrific. They often happen when people are at rock bottom, questioning their own beliefs.

Watch who actually shows up to your aid when you’re in this type of situation. At the very least, it shows who your real friends at. However, this can sometimes be a sign of a spiritual awakening assisted by helpful friends.

If you notice that an unusually high number of people helping you out have a background in a specific religion you’ve been getting signs from, it may be time to talk to them. That’s how I had one awakening hit me.

Author’s Note: I want to note that a lot of predatory religions (such as Jehovah’s Witness and Mormonism) are famous for recruiting people who are at their worst. They often will send multiple people to slowly convert targets to their religion, often opening the door by offering financial or social help. Use common sense, people.

Not every friendly face has your interest in mind—and you need to use discernment to choose wisely. A good rule of thumb is that this tends to be a spiritual sign if…

• A: It’s not a religion noted for using socializing as a recruitment tool. In other words, if you’re having this happen with folks from the Mormon Church, no, it’s not a sign. It’s a carefully crafted plan to get you in. The more fringe and anti-recruitment the religion in question is, the more likely it is that it’s a real sign.

• B: They don’t ask you for money or get pushy about their religion. Real friends won’t ask for money nor will their friendship be conditional on church affiliation.

• C: There are other coincidences you noticed that align with that specific religion. If you see other signs on this list related to that religion or deity you’re curious about, it’s a green light.

• D: The people in question have sage advice dealing with things you’re struggling with. Yep. I asked people who helped me at my worst about my spiritual path and loss of faith. I’ve blossomed since.

#9: Others have mentioned the nagging feeling you have about a deity’s outreach.

When in doubt, it’s okay to ask the deity for a specific sign that could confirm their outreach. Some have had it confirmed via tarot readings. Others have had it confirmed by asking for a specific sign if the answer is a “Yes.”

I’ve seen people get their hunches confirmed by psychics, tarot readings, as well as other people. Simply put, if you feel like you’re getting contacted, you might want to check that out. You may be surprised at how many confirmations you get from the universe.

#10: You feel it.

Have you ever felt a presence with a spiritual bend to it? Or a spiritual connection that was way more profound than it initially appeared to be? If you have a deity reach out to you, there’s a good chance that you will feel it on a visceral level.

You’ll likely know. It will feel right. It will feel like you have a bond that makes sense. And if you’re very psychic, you might even be able to actually feel that deity hanging out with you from time to time.

Pro-Tip: If you feel a good vibe and your pets react to it, that’s a definite sign of something trying to reach out.

#11: You had an experience that goes beyond scientific explanation.

We’ve all heard about those dramatic stories that involve things like possession, recurring dreams, or even seeing entities defy the laws of physics. Or stories about people having wild paranormal events occur to them, only to have a deity they previously never heard of help them out.

I’ll be blunt: these things do happen. They’re real and they can be signs that you are absolutely indicative of a deity trying to make themselves known to you. The phone is ringing. Why aren’t you picking it up?

Lately, I’ve started to get more acquainted with my darker side of spirituality. I’ve always been slightly drawn to things like black magic, and honestly, Christianity has let me down quite a bit. In recent weeks, I’ve started to look at my pantheon of gods and have been wondering what’s going on.

I still worship Bast and Sekhmet. I still have my Cai Shun statue as well as a stature of Ptah. Yet, lately, I can’t help but feel like there’s something missing. So, I started to look up different options. I may have found one that I might work with, but I want to see if this particular entity would want to work with me.

With that said, I mentioned (in passing) that I am starting to get more into the Left Hand Path to a fellow witch. This did not go over well at all. It turned into a long-winded lecture about how I shouldn’t do it, why it’s important to stay Right-Hand, and why it’ll burn me.

I didn’t bother arguing after a while.

This individual was greatly uneducated about what the Left Hand Path means.

Among magic practitioners, there tends to be a widespread mainstream misconception about the Left Hand Path. People often think that Left Hand Path practitioners are:

• Demon worshippers

• Evil

• Anti-Christian

• Hex specialists

Though Left Handers can worship demons or use hexes, this is not the go-to rule. In fact, whether or not they have a demon or fallen angel in their pantheon of gods has nothing to do with whether they are Left Hand Path or not.

As someone who has dabbled in Left Hand Path practices, maybe it’s time I explain what it is. After all, in the realm of magic and spellcasting, ignorance is not bliss.

What is the Left Hand Path?

In spirituality, people often divide practices into two separate paths: the Right Hand Path and the Left Hand Path. These “paths” were initially mentioned by Eastern philosophers, but quickly morphed into something fairly different when it comes to Western occult standards.

As the name suggests, there’s a contrast between Right and Left-Hand Paths. Let me explain both. It’ll help illustrate the point I’m making.

Right Hand Path

The vast majority of religious people I know are Right Hand Path. The Right Hand Path is one that stands for the following:

• Putting the collective before you. This is all about the greater good.

• A strict moral code or code of ethics. Almost all occult practices and religions have some kind of moral code that they follow. The morals are often absolute, such as “Thou shalt not kill.”

• Prayer and meditation. While some Right Hand Path groups do spell work, a lot abstain from rituals like that altogether.

• Spiritual growth and closeness to God. Or gods, whichever you prefer.

• Organized, structured religion. Many people also view this as a way of cosigning on the idea of organized religions and churches, though it’s not always that way. Even being a member of a coven or having a tutor is Right Hand Path-y.

• Ostracism as a way to keep people in line. I can’t be the only one who sees this, right?

Basically, this is the type of spirituality and occultism that most religious figures tend to be proponents of.

Left Hand Path

So, the Left Hand Path has a reputation for being evil or self-serving. Part of it is because this path tends to stand for different things than the mainstream, including…

• Self-empowerment and individualism. A lot of Left Hand Path people tend to say they can “be their own gods,” in a way. This is more of a Western take than an Eastern take.

• Moral relativism. A Left Hand Path person would be the person who doesn’t want to deal with absolutes or super-serious ethics. They would be the ones who ask if the ends justify the means.

• Spellwork, ritualism, and occultism. A lot of Left Hand Path walkers tend to be big into witchcraft and high magic. One of the reasons the Left Hand gets a bad reputation is because Left Hand Path people are more likely to try things like demonolatry, since they tend not to view any entity as all good or all evil.

• Going with the flow. The Eastern take is that Left Hand Path is all about spontaneity and just learning about yourself.

• Learning over structure. Does it ever feel like your religion forces too much structure and hierarchy, and not enough personal connection with the deities you like? Yeah, you might be LHP.

• Loners vs community. Most Left Handers tend to practice their spirituality on a solitary basis. Some even have a disdain for community-oriented religious outlets like churches because of how corrupt they have become or due to past hurts that come with them.

From what I’ve noticed, Left Hand Path is a speedrun of personal growth. You will suffer, but you will learn harder than most others.

Why do people associate the Left Hand Path with demonic practices?

So, obviously, there is nothing in those points that says you have to worship demons to be Left Hand Path. I’ve been Left Hand Path for the better part of 10 years. It’s not an easy path, at all. It gets lonely. It’s often misunderstood. It attracts people who want a deeply personal journey of learning and brutal spiritual awakenings.

Anyone, even Christians and Gnostics, can be Left Hand Path. However, that doesn’t make it easy. If you feel lost on this path, the chances are very low that you will be able to find a fellow practitioner who you can mesh with. You often end up wondering why you picked this path.

However, there is a trend there that I want to point out.

The moral relativism (rather than absolutism), the occult love, and the loner vibes tend to lend themselves to people who have not gotten along with the church. People like that tend to be reactionary and also tend to be outcasts in mainstream religion, leading some to walk toward the path of demonic occultism.

So yeah. That’s why people assume that demon worship is a Left Hand Path thing. While anyone can be Left Handed, it just so happens that most practicing theistic Satanists tend to prefer the Left Hand Path.

Why are some folks Left Hand Path?

I can answer this as a person who has been Left Hand Path for the better part of 10 years. It’s actually several major reasons:

• We have seen the corruption inside organised religions and do not trust them. Christofascists have absolutely ruined the Christian church for me. While I appreciate Jesus as a person, the vast majority of his followers don’t do a damn thing he said. It’s left a sour taste in my mouth regarding Christianity.

• Abuse at the hands of organised religion burned us out. Yep. I fall into this category pretty well. Why would I want to worship in a way that has harmed me before?

• In many cases, we’re just unconventional people. Organised religion is not exactly kind to people who don’t fit their mold. I’ve personally noticed that a lot of Left Hand Path people were traumatized by bad experiences as a result of being the “odd one out” in life.

• Or maybe they’re like me and just got fed up with Right Hand Path results. Yeah, that’s me.

So yeah. While some of us might dabble in darker stuff, don’t judge based on the path we take. There’s more than enough reason to believe that both sides have their merit.

As a person who loves a bit of sci-fi, Mars has always had a certain mystique about it. The red planet is one of the closest large bodies to Earth and has a lot in common with our planet. For centuries, people wondered if Mars had life on it. Heck, there was even a hit sci-fi series in the 19th century named John Carter of Mars on that premise.

In recent years, scientists have found evidence of water on the planet. They have also gotten more photos than ever before. And lately, it seems like there’s a growing amount of evidence suggesting that Mars may have, at one point, had life on it—intelligent life.

As a fan of “woo-woo” stuff, I decided to take a look at the biggest pieces of evidence that I’ve seen and how reliable it is. Why? Because it’s fun and I love the idea of asking, “What if?”

Scholars already have a name for this: the Cydonian Hypothesis, or the belief that the structures we’ve seen on Mars were made by intelligent life way back in the day. Let’s see the evidence to this hypothesis.

The CIA Remote Viewer

Let’s start with the wildest, most scientifically dodgy evidence I could find: the notorious CIA interview. As many people know, the CIA has been using remote viewing as a way to gain data on people. While it’s officially a “defunct” practice, many people swear that the CIA still uses it today.

In a recent spate of unclassified documents, a CIA agent asked a professional remote viewer to focus on coordinates. The remote viewer did not know this at the time, but the coordinates were on Mars. The time they gave him was 1,000,000 BCE.

According to McMoneagle, the alleged remote viewer, he saw “human beings that were trapped in a place where the atmosphere was turning bad [...] It [was] obvious these people were dying for some reason, but they were humans [...] They were twice our size.”

McMoneagle said that there was a terrible storm that was destroying the atmosphere and that the beings there were aware of his mind’s presence in the past. He mentioned that they were trapped in a cave-like system, mentioned obelisks that were used as road markers, pyramids, and more.

He explained that something happened that destroyed the atmosphere of this area. The people who he saw were waiting for a party that was trying to find them a new place to live.

The viewer claimed they found a place with a lot of animals and plants, volcanic activity, etc saying it felt like they were “Out of the frying pan, into the fire.” Personally, it sounds like they went to Earth, but that’s just me.

How likely is it to be legit?

I’d give this a 4/10, maybe a 5/10. I do believe in remote viewing and have done it before, but it seems like a major stretch to talk to long-dead aliens on Mars about what happened.

However, it’s interesting that the viewer DID NOT know he was looking at Mars and that he mentioned pyramids and obelisks—two Egyptiany things that many have claimed to see on Martian photos.

According to this article, McMoneagle saw bones on the surface of Mars and there’s a photo there. So, for that point, I’ll bump it up to 5.5/10. If Martians came to Earth, we’d have seen evidence of that. So I don’t think they made it here.

Martian Pyramids And The Big Square

So, it’s no secret that Mars has several geologic landmarks that look a little bit too human-made. Much like what McMoneagle said, there are several confirmed pyramid-like mountains that are visible on Mars’s surface.

Oh, and they oddly enough line up pretty similarly to the Pyramids of Giza.

Oooh ohhh, and there is a massive square outline right near them too.

The pyramids themselves could be explained as a coincidence. After all, every planet will have its own weird mountains unless it’s a gas giant. What’s harder to explain is the bizarre square outline right near them.

Squares and perfectly straight lines are very unusual in nature. While they could happen, it’s interesting that this particular massive square also looks like it could be the foundation marks of a big building or a village wall.

How likely is it to be legit?

Honestly? It really looks building-like. And if Mars had intelligent life over 300,000 years ago, this is exactly what would be left of society—at best. I’ll toss it as a 6/10. It just seems way too coincidental.

The Nuclear War Evidence

Okay, now I dove deep into this. Did you hear that a scientist found radiation signatures on Martian craters that had an eerie similarity to the residue from a nuclear war?

Yep, there was evidence of a large thermonuclear explosion detected by scientists a while back in Cydonia, Mars. Technically, there could be other explanations for this, it’s hard to deny what it looks like. Even this Harvard paper explained it:

“Based on the pattern of thorium and radioactive potassium gamma radiation, the explosions were centered in the Northern plains in Mare Acidalium at approximately 50N, 30W, near Cydonia Mensa and in Utopia Planum at approximately 50N 120W near Galaxias Chaos, both locations of possible archeological artifacts. The xenon isotope mass spectrum of the Mars atmosphere matches that from open air nuclear testing on Earth and is characteristic of fast neutron fission rather than that produced by a moderated nuclear reactor.

The high abundance of 40Ar cannot be explained by mass fractionation during atmospheric loss, and must be the result of neutron capture on 39K, also requiring an intense neutron flux on the Mars surface as is the high abundance of 17N and deuterium. Modeling the 129Xe component in the Mars atmosphere as due to fast neutron fission and the 80Kr as due to delayed neutrons from a planet-wide debris layer, and assuming an explosive disassembly of uranium-thorium casing into a planet wide debris layer with 10% residue, all three estimates arrive at approximately 1025 J, or a yield of 1010 Megatons. This is similar to the Chicxulub event on Earth and would be large enough to create a global catastrophe and change Mars global climate.”

So, this paper is saying that a nuclear explosion of that level could have destroyed the atmosphere. That coincides oddly well with the remote viewer’s account of a global cataclysm.

How likely is it to be legit?

10/10. It’s literally Harvard scientists saying that something is fishy. When you add the remote viewer’s account from 1985, which was once even classified, so there was no way for them to know what this 2014 paper said, it gets even spookier.

Exoarcheology And The Face On Mars

Now, let’s get to the photographs. For decades, we’ve known about the “Face On Mars,” a structure that looks oddly like a face. It’s been written off as a bad case of pareidolia—a natural instinct to see faces when there are none. However that same Harvard paper mentioned something shocking:

“New imagery confirms the pyramid structure seen in Viking images of the the D&M pyramid and new high resolution images show evidence of collapsed brickwork. New images of a face found at Galaxias Chaos (the Utopia site) confirms facial structure with eyes, nose, mouth and helmet. High resolution imagery shows symmetric brickwork around the nose region. The civilization appears to have been primitive and indigenous to Mars. Taken together, the evidence suggests that Mars was the locale of a planetary nuclear massacre.”

The funny thing is that the Face on Mars is far from the only strange item we’ve photographed on the surface. Look at these pics from NASA’s site that the folks on Reddit’s r/Exoarcheology have gathered up.

“The Viaduct”

The Carved Stones

This is far from the only carving-like stone they’ve found.

The Keyhole-Shaped Dip

Hm. While this could be a dried-up resevoir of sorts, it really doesn’t look entirely natural.

IZZAT A BONE?!

Cause that really looks like a pile of bone shards. Or even just some kind of smashed pottery. (BTW the remote viewer claimed he saw bones on the surface of Mars too.)

Hoses

Online, this has been said to look like tentacles, with some folks even saying it looks like they can see eyes in this picture. I’m not so sure. It looks like a dried out vine or a hose.

How likely is it to be legit?

So, some of these are hard to debunk. Others might be pareidolia on crack. I’ll average it out to be 7/10.

My Thoughts

Yes, I believe Mars had intelligent life over a million years ago. I also think that something nuclear happened there that killed all life on the planet, potentially permanently. I also think it happened before humans even existed on Earth, though I don’t think we’re Martian.

If our civilizations faced a similar extinction event, the only things that would likely remain after 150,000 years would be the Hoover Dam and the Great Wall of China—or a couple of pyramids. Considering that, it’s easy to see why this loose evidence would be pretty powerful if the civilization there ended A MILLION YEARS AGO.

So I wanna know…what’s your thoughts?

My boss looked at his watch, then at his belligerent client. He then said, “It must be a full moon out tonight.”

This is a fairly common remark to hear, not just from bosses frustrated by clients, but from anyone superstitious. I’ve heard of nurse wards where the staffers swear, up and down, that the most erratic patients always seem to perk up during a full moon.

Moon phases have always been seen as an indicator of things, with almost every culture having their own two cents about what can happen on a full moon. So, maybe it’s time we talk about it.

What are full moons linked to?

In much of the world (especially Europe), full moons have been linked to bouts of mental illness, aggression, and rage. This is one of the reasons why the legend of the werewolf always mentions a full moon as a trigger for its transformation.

No matter what culture it is, there seems to be certain themes that keep popping up with the moon:

• Transitions. In Western traditions, a full moon is linked to either getting rid of what no longer serves you or celebrating a gain of wealth. Either way, it involves a transition from one part of life to the next. This is also the reason why full moons are associated with shapeshifting.

• Heightened Emotions. A lot of hospital wards and doctors swear their worst patients tend to come around the full moon. With that said, scientists don’t have evidence to back up the emotional issues linked to lunar phases.

• Fertility. Certain moons, such as the Flower Moon, are linked to better times for plants to grow.

• Intuition and Spirituality. Unsurprisingly, there’s a longstanding tradition of people using full moons as a way to channel extra energy into their spellwork. Heck, I’ve even read of one lady who believed that flashing her behind to the moon and saying “Fill ‘er up” three times would help her attract money.

Not all full moons are the same.

While there are a lot of generalized beliefs surrounding full moons, many cultures swear that each full moon has its own powers and omens. There are 12 full moons per year, with each moon having its own specific name.

JANUARY - WOLF MOON

Named after the howling of wolves people would often hear during this time of the year, this moon is the one most commonly associated with renewal. Depending on the area you live in, it can also be one of the harshest moons in terms of winter.

FEBRUARY - SNOW MOON

February is known for being bitterly cold. It’s about the heavy snowfall of the month. Among Native American tribes, this is also known as the “Full Hunger Moon” because it can be hard to find food during this time.

MARCH - WORM MOON

Ugh. This is named after the way that worms tend to emerge in March, at least in the Northern hemisphere. It’s because worms come out of rotting logs, from, you guessed it, the snow’s melted watery log stuff.

APRIL - PINK MOON

In many parts of the country, the Pink Moon signifies the growth of pink-hued flowers like Phlox and Crocus. Certain regions also call this the “Moon When The Ducks Come Back” based on duck migration.

MAY - FLOWER MOON

Basically, this is the Pink Moon on steroids. There are more flowers blooming. Wiccans often say the Flower Moon is one of the best for prosperity spells because of all the blossoming.

JUNE - STRAWBERRY MOON

Though this is named after strawberries blooming, this moon tends to signify that most berries are starting to ripen. Blueberries, blackberries, and mulberries all might be good to go now.

JULY - BUCK MOON

Moons aren’t just named after plant life. The Buck Moon marks when most male deer get fully-grown antlers. Hunters often see this as the start of hunting season.

AUGUST - STURGEON MOON

Yep, this has to do with fish life cycles. More specifically, this is when sturgeons are at their most plentiful. It’s said to be good fishing time.

SEPTEMBER - HARVEST MOON

Most of us have already heard about this thanks to scented candles by its name. It’s meant to talk about the harvest of corn, apples, and squash—at least in the United States. It’s also known as the “Falling Leaves” moon in some regions.

OCTOBER - HUNTER’S MOON

Legends have it that this is the month when the moon makes it easiest to spot wild game at night.

NOVEMBER - BEAVER MOON

Beavers are said to be their most industrious during this lunar phase. One might even say they got “beaver fever.” Oddly enough, this moon also tends to mark deer rutting season, so there definitely seems to be some kind of fever going on.

DECEMBER - COLD MOON

Originally, this was named after the cold winter months. But then again so was the Snow Moon. So…I dunno?

Now, let’s talk about spellcasting with lunar phases.

We’ve all met witches who swear that they have to do spells at a certain phase of the moon or use a specific full moon for a ritual. Truth be told, I’ve seen the effects on spellcraft, and I get it—I really do.

Here’s my $0.02c on it.

Does it actually improve spells?

For a lot of witches, the phase of the moon matters a lot when it comes to spell efficacy. Anecdotally speaking, it seems to make spells more effective and even a bit faster-acting.

Now, there’s no real science behind this, but I often chalk it up to the Placebo Effect. Basically, it works better because we believe in using lunar phases to empower spells. After all, the basic concept behind spellwork is belief and willpower, combined with prayer.

Is it necessary?

Nope. Given the right energy and focus, there’s no reason why any spell can’t be cast at any time. At least, that’s what I believe. Fellow witches, I wanna hear your two cents. Are there any spells that you really swear by on a full moon?

So most people know I worship cats. Hence the stylized name of this blog: Havs of Bast. What most people don’t know is that I also worship Sekhmet, the sister-goddess/alter-ego of Bast as well.

Bast is known for being playful, sexual, and a bit of a wild party girl while still being hyper-maternal. Ancient Egyptians used to wear charms of mother cats nursing kittens as a way to pray for having children. (The charms would have the number of kittens reflect how many kids the wearer wanted.)

Sekhmet? Not so cute and cuddly.

Sekhmet is a warrior goddess who was known for her extremely fiery temper. And she was also known as a healer. Today, I’m going to talk about my spiritual path and how her mythology offered me comfort.

Let’s talk about a big issue with spirituality.

Does anyone else get the feeling that too many deities seem hard to relate to? I mean, they’re so high up on the chart that they can’t possibly empathize or sympathize with the human experience, right? Theoretically they can, but there’s always that sense of a certain level of distance between theological perfection and being a mortal person.

I’ve always found that having deities that I can relate to makes a difference. The right mythology can help me feel more connected, more in-tune, and also more seen by the deities you work with. You start to see yourself in them, and that can make practicing your spirituality as an act of self-love.

I first learned this when I heard about Sekhmet’s most famous story.

Generally speaking, I only worship and connect with deities who have come to me in dreams. Even then, it can be an awkward start. I never quite felt fully connected to Bast (despite my vibing with cats) until I dreamt of Sekhmet and began worshipping her.

I dreamt of being in Egypt next to a clay brick wall. I saw the wall crumble down, and realized it was punched out. From the rubble came a black panther-like creature with the head of a lioness and the svelte, toned body of a woman. She was dressed in gold and white robes and she looked up at me.

I woke up as I heard the name “Sekhmet.”

Ever since then, I took the hint and gave her a part of my altar space. I started to study up on her, and BAM, she hit me with some really relatable vibes.

This Is My Biggest Issue

People who know me know that I have anger issues. I’m actually notorious for it. When I lose my temper, it’s common for the police to get called. I’ve punched people out before and that’s generally one of the nicer things I’ve done.

It takes a LOT to get me to cool down once I lose it—and it often requires some form of sedation. I lost my temper at the doctors who were present when I gave birth. Four tranquilizer shots and a mouthguard/muzzle-like device later, I had still bitten a hospital worker, screeched at the doctor in a variety of languages, and got into a fight with a police office who agreed to drop charges.

While I try to keep my cool, the truth is that I always felt shame for my rage—even when it was justified. Moreover, I never saw a deity that was known for having anger like mine.

That was, until Sekhmet.

Sekhmet’s Story

The story starts when Ra gave her life, telling her that she was destined to be his protector. Humanity started to sin against Ra, with some being so stupid as to try to usurp his powers for their own.

Ra told Sekhmet, who became enraged.

She started to wipe out large swaths of humanity, causing Egypt’s sands to flow red with blood. Sekhmet started to drink the blood, which gave her an insatiable bloodlust. Ra told her to stop. She didn’t. She was still angry.

No matter what the gods did, they couldn’t stop her rage. So, they had to get smart. They poured a bunch of drugs into the blood, mixed it with beer, and gave it to her to drink. She loved it, was able to calm down, and she slept for three days.

By drugging her, Ra was able to save humanity.

Ra and his group explained to her that she can be a saviour rather than a killer—that she can show her power through good rather than violence. From there, Sekhmet turned into a goddess of healing as well as war.

The bottom line was that even gods can struggle with rage. The important thing is to learn how to calm down, to recognize the power you have, and to know when to stop. And you know what? I liked that moral because it’s relatable and it helps humanize deities.

Hearing these types of stories about the deities you work with can have a profound effect on you.

I’ve always thought of magic and paganism as a major shift in the way you see yourself. It’s not just about connecting with divine energies. It’s also about seeing the divine in yourself—not always necessarily seeing yourself as your own god, but about seeing god in you.

It makes your belief stronger, along with your spells.

So, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be practicing my own lion’s roar…and maybe combing my untamed, nonbinary mane for a while.

Thank you so much for being a reader! It means the world to me. I’ll just drop my links below…

• Buy Me A Coffee

• All My Links