Vice:

 

Pandora's box.....almost everyone knows the infamous Greek myth. A woman created to punish the hubris of man, both beautiful and inquisitive and entrusted with a mysterious box that must never be opened...

I am not one to argue the right and wrongs concerning the mythologies of other faiths. In my own belief system, the things she released from that box, all of the "vices" of man, are known as the Cursed Gods, and they were born long before the Gods themselves.

They are younger than the first Primordials, but older than most other entities. And despite their name, they are not bad or evil, but necessary to the nature of all things both mortal and Divine.

Afterall, how could Pandora had even desired to open the box if not for Temptation? And he is one of the Cursed Gods I am probably the most aquainted with.

Every single emotion, everything that pulls and shapes us, comes from them. They are as countless as the stars, and just as constant in our lives.

We are blessed, or cursed, with free will, so they do not have to rule our lives unless we allow it. Oh, they play us, and ever so well. They know our weaknesses and feed on the chaos that ensues everytime one of us succumbs to their influence.

The results are not always unpleasant, but they are always guarenteed to change our lives in some way or another.

Dabbling in Death:

The worst thing I have ever done regarding my Craft involved death.....not causing it, as even those who have died as a result of a mishap on my part do not haunt me or give me any cause for regret.

No, I thought that because I had once orchestrated the events which lead to someone beating death, that I had a right to that power, that I could ward it off no matter what my target's fate was.

In my arrogance, I saved the life of another, only to prolong their suffering. In the end, they died by my word, because I had come to realize that what I had done was something unnatural, and that they would not have thanked me for it.

I no longer try to save lives, as that is not the nature of my path.

There is beauty in Death, as much as there is to be found in Life. Accepting that fact was one of the most important, and painful, lessons I have ever learned.

Death by Peeps:

*This spell is meant for a diabetic, although, with a little tweaking, it can easily turn from a death spell, into a hex to give someone diabetes. That's the fun thing about Crafting, the possibilities are endless.

 

Ingredients:

1 charged Poppet. This should be made from a sponge. Doesn't matter what type, if you prefer to go all natural then by all means get yourself a sea sponge, otherwise, pick up a yellow brick-sponge from your local supermarket and shape it into a basic, gingerbread-type humanoid form.

1 Glass bottle with lid. Don't worry about being fancy here, mason jars are an Occultist's best friend.

A shit-ton of Peeps.

I won't bother telling you how to charge your Poppet, if you do not know how, then you do not need to ever worry about preforming this spell.

Steps:

 - Place your charged Poppet into the container.

 - Surround the Poppet with Peeps. Stuff those suckers in until there is literally no room left. You want to suffocate your Poppet with their yellow, sugary evil.

 - Add water.

>insert whatever chant/incantation/energy focus you prefer to use in order to make known your intent here<

 - Seal the container. Personally, a little super-glue works wonders when it comes to wanting to ensure that your lid stays perfectly sealed and intact. I know candle wax is fancier, but I deal in practicality.

 - Dispose of as desired. Usually I keep my Poppets, but in caues such as this, which include perishable foodstuffs, I'd probably bury it somewhere. Preferably somewhere I don't frequent on a regular basis.

 - Finish up by engaging in any type of ritual grounding/cleansing you feel you require.

And there you have it.....Death by Peeps. 

Spelling Mishaps:

It's been a long time since anyone has given me a lecture for not spelling Magic with a K, and I totally don't miss that aspect of dealing with other Crafters.

It's right up there in my book with threefold and the "oathbreaker" rant.

Then again, I don't really speak to a lot of Neos these days so maybe that's it.

The reason I don't spell it that way is because when I first began my path, I didn't have access to anything that told me to, and once I did, it didn't feel natural, so I didn't go with it.

Later on, I joined a serious Occult group and they pretty much disdained anyone who spelled it that way, unless they were somehow associated with Crowley's teachings. As a joke, I created a SN with the K in it for when I posted on the group's forums.....(well, I originally created the SN to troll a Therian forum I was a member of, because they were grouping up and trolling other "Were" forums, then posting the results of their games and laughing about it. I decided to even the score, because none of these forums knew that they were being targeted by an entire group. So I made a new account, and linked all of the posts on the targeted forums. The Troll-Therians had their site bombarded and eventually had to go private to avoid any further mishaps, and all was right in the world.)

I'm the Dexter of Trolls. I only ever Troll other Trolls.

I guess my point is...there was a time when a lot of Crafters developed this clone mentality where they assumed that EVERY Crafter was a (Neo)Wiccan, and if you dared to differentiated from the norm, then they'd go off on you like a pack of rabid dogs.

These days, I don't really see that, so I'm hoping that knowledge has finally triumphed over ignorance in regard to the Occult.

After all, this is a highly diverse vocation, and the path each of us walks is not necessarily yours.

Felidae:

Silly Suckling, I had no intentions of feeding from that empty little head of yours, regardless of how many times you've begged me to do so.

However, this most recent misstep of yours, yet another bungling attempt on your part to once again involve me in your games, has turned my otherwise uninterested attentions towards another, far more delicious little morsel, one who's mind calls to the Darkness within.

Such a pretty little kitten, whose head is full of Dreams.

I think I wish to dance with her.

Brambles:

Aside from the occasional joke, I don't tend to focus on the atrocities committed by other religious fanatics, most of which occurred hundreds of years before my birth, because I'm not that big of a hypocrite.

The second aspect of my Lady rules over the Flesh, holding all acts of the Flesh to be sacred. Unlike some other watered down sex deities, this doesn't just include things which beget pleasure.

Pain is not all she stands for, but it is sacred to her. It is one of the main reasons I don't have too much of a problem with my own pain issues, as if I'm going to be the chosen of a Primordial Proto-Goddess who rules over such things, then I can't really whine too loudly when I'm forced to experience them.

Basically I could indiscriminately commit just about any heinous atrocity known to man and my Lady would be just as pleased by my conduct as if I were to offer aid and comfort to those in need of such niceties.

It's not about right or wrong, as there really isn't such a concept aside from what society has brainwashed us into believing....pain has it's place in the balance. Suffering and destruction are necessities.

I am a strong believer in the Balance, and as such, my faith dictates that all things have an equally important purpose, including those which might be a bit too harsh for the majority to swallow.

I walk the path of the Twisting Briar, so it only makes sense that I'm willing to embrace the thorns which surround me, even as they tear and rend at my own flesh.

Magic and Morals:

I do not believe in a singular reality.

Even without the belief in other worlds, I would still hold that reality is what people make of it. It can bend according to our wills and how we choose to view it.

I believe that through manipulation and deception, that we can change the perceptions, and therefore the realities, of those around us.

This is the core belief behind the path I walk, for what else is Magic but the manipulation of all things based through nothing more than the power of our will?

Then again, maybe that's just the jaded opinion of a diseased mind. What can I say? I was born without a moral compass.