Recently on another forum, we Pagans there have met a stint of misrepresentation and heavy ridicule because of this site. "Become a Dragon/Mermaid/Vampire/Werewolf" spells? Magic Carpets? And not only this, but spells that are submitted by ten to fifteen year olds? I ran some numbers; the average age of users here (out of 52) was 18. Many still many years from adolescence. There was - no kidding - a user born in 2002, making her ten. TEN.
And spells to turn oneself into a dragon or have some "Freaky Friday" body swap? This is not the Disney Channel, nor some Hollywood movie of "The Craft." Stuff like this is causing serious harm to the Pagan community, because your general zealous christian finds sites like these and then just loads their guns with further ammo to ridicule. And rightfully so, if there be those who actually think they can become a dragon.
Spells are not Harry Potter. You cannot throw fireballs from your fingertips or fly or kill someone by willing it into a mirror. In all my years of studying and practicing Pagan arts, this has never been seen or done short of in myths and legends. Spells are the exertion of Spiritual Will, forces that drive our essence and inspire our imaginations. True magic is a song or music that touches your Spirit, or those long dead lending their wisdom through books and age-old instruction. They are incantations and rituals that bolster our bodies in ways we cannot readily do, to fight infection and find locked strength. As a christian prays, Magic for us is communion with the Gods, it is their Slovo in action in our lives.
Please, from one Pagan to this community, don't do us a disservice. It is hard enough living in a predominantly christian society, but to have them thinking we all believe we can throw fireballs and turn into dragons is Earth-shattering.
well, i assume they will never fade away.. by saying "they" i mean fluffs, who thinks that fireballs are real...
well, they wont stop or anything, every once in a while some new 10 year old come to this site and fluff again, so.. just gotta deal with it. (sadly)
I choose to ignore them unless they begin to attract people with their ridiculous notions. Then I'll say something to prevent a domino effect. Otherwise some are just ignorant and merely need someone to NICELY give them the facts. You can't blame children for believing in fairy tales, I'm sure we all did at some point in our lives. This site is one of the very first to pop up when googling magick. Every new post creates a new avenue for google to pick up on key words and give a link. Everytime someone posts a topic it can be brought up on google. So it is important that even just one person posts on such topics giving truth.
Go ahead, go on google and search "vampire spell" "mermaid spell" and "werewolf spell" and spellsofmagic.com is on the very first page with numerous links to each one. THAT is why we attract fluff. Unfortunately we cannot remove spells from the spellbook, only the admin can. And as quickly as they can be deleted, more can be posted. You're looking at years of built up posts and spells. It would take a lot to remove it all and then a lot more upkeep to keep it clean.
"Magic" is an encompasing term for the Pagan Arts, though some of these practices are seen as far less "magical." Rune-work and herbalism, for instance.
However it can be something entirely simpler and more "secular" than a religious ritual. Take music, for instance. To write a song can be a form of spellwork; you pour your intent and deep meaning into the song, as well as utilizing a balance of different instruments (and their Elemental influences.) If your magic in this creation is strong enough, then the song will take on a magic of it's own and inspire people, and will continue to do so without end. It would be a successful spell cast into the musically-driven fabric of the Universe. This is also why some songs are so good and inspiring that they send chills down your spine and give you goosebumps.
Not all of us youngies are fluffs or whatever you call them. I am 13 and very serious about this stuff, it really does mean a lot to me. And trust me, it annoys us too.
They are going to upgrade SoM next year and someone had an idea to be able to put comments on spells and someone else had an idea to get rid of all of the fluff categories which is good. If they do those updates it will greatly limit the fluff that appears on this site so Im keeping my fingers crossed for that.
I don't believe anyone here said all young people are fluffy or all fluffies are young. But it is true that the majority of those claiming and asking about outlandish things are younger. However, knowledge, wisdom, and maturity doesn't come with an age requirement and there are many young people here that have more sense about them than some adults that come around.
