Rev. (Dr.) Swati Prakash Alt. Med.
Rev. (Dr.) Swati Prakash (Alt Med) Vegan Mind Body Soul Guide

Category: Witchcraft and Wicca

Positive Witchcraft and ethical Wicca based on the Wiccan Rede as a guideline : An Ye Harm None and Do What Ye Will which means to do what a person chooses to with own will power, with no harm to self or others and without interference or domination over oneself. Freedom from limiting belief systems that have created misunderstandings about witchcraft and magic so that the right teachings are given.

  • Repel Demons and Dark Entities: Reject Exploitation and Reclaim Sovereignty

    Repel Demons and Dark Entities: Reject Exploitation and Reclaim Sovereignty

    Have you ever wondered why some spiritual experiences leave you feeling empowered, while others leave you feeling confused, drained, fearful, exhausted or dependent on an external force?

    In the world of spirituality, not every presence, message, or apparent human or spirit guide should automatically be trusted. Appearances can be deceptive, and what presents itself as a benevolent spiritual being may not necessarily have your best interests at heart.

    In my understanding, dark entities and demonic forces are associated with exploitation, domination and the desire to gain power over others. Their methods may involve deception, manipulation, fear, energetic interference and attempts to influence an individual’s thoughts, emotions and decisions for personal gain, lust, financial power, social power, or a narcissistic need for admiration.

    But there is one basic principle that is more important to learn, than merely simple remedies such as smudging or spells for psychic protection:

    Who Has the Right to Control You?

    Every individual has the right to sovereignty over their own mind, body, soul, energy, time, space and resources. Anyone who does not understand that is likely to be demonic.

    No spiritual entity, human being, religious authority or other force has an inherent right to take away an individual’s sovereignty. Let us take an example from Biblical/ Koran based literature. These scriptures outline how Abraham believed in dreams or prophetic visions that a God asked him to kill his own son as a test of obedience. This clearly was an evil deed that infringed upon the basic rights of his son as an individual. Yet, because he believed the message to be from the true one creator of the universe or God, he obeyed it and was then asked to kill another animal instead of his son, apparently a ram or a sheep. This took away the right of the poor non-human victim animal. Ask yourself – is it really likely that any good being or God would ever demand the sacrifice of an innocent victim as a test of obedience or faith? Yet, this widespread belief in such a God remains the backbone of the majority of Abrahamic faiths, whether Jewish, Christian or Muslim, and makes up the majority of the human world.

    One might justify that God saved his son by giving a non-human animal to kill instead. However the principle of not victimising anyone, extends to all sentient beings, including non-human animals. The right not to be controlled, exploited or used against one’s will should not depend on species, social status, power or position.

    Religions often confer special rights and Dominion to human beings as they spread certain Narcissitic beliefs that humans are created in the image of their supposed God who is an individual creator of the universe by ‘Himself’. This belief has no evidential support so far and exists just as a part of a system of exploitation upon which the human economy has been built in a self-destructive way, to destroy human health, morality, environment, nature, and all other beings we share this planet with. This is exactly the agenda of dark beings or demonic entities. To control innocent lives and ruin the planet.

    1. Understanding Demons and Dark Entities

    Demons, in my spiritual framework, are dark energy beings that seek to gain power by exploiting, controlling, and destroying lives of others. They may be invisible, appear as apparitions or manifest in forms that resemble human beings or other spiritual entities. They are predators who lack moral capacity. Energy vampires, dark ETs or aliens, demonic mediums, evil sorcerers, necromancers, and evil spirits all work in tandem, within a network of demonic control in order to  exploit the vulnerable. They give innocent victims fears, trauma, harassment, stalking, pain, illnesses, and even death, while taking away their life energy, time, emotional happiness, joy, free will, peace of mind, bodily integrity, and at times their life itself. They trade in souls just as humans trade in livestock, and possess humans, just as humans own, possess and control their victim animals.

    Demons are distinct from individual human spirits or fragmented souls that may remain attached to the earthly realm. These categories should not be confused: while individual spirits may be capable of learning, changing and moving on to the afterlife or reincarnation in order to learn lessons, demonic spirit entities are understood as fundamentally exploitative forces that do not seek moral development. They only seek power and control.

    Some humans may have demonic energy patterns that are quite established, as they display a lower sense of morality over time. They think it is absolutely fine to exploit someone else, as long as they themselves are not the victim. It is a phenomenally selfish attitude. These humans are either possessed partially or wholly by demons or have their own demonic selves or personalities by birth.

    The defining characteristic of a demonic influence is not simply that it appears frightening or unusual. In-fact in many cases it could be someone who is friendly and ordinary looking. It is the underlying pattern of exploitation, manipulation, energy vampirism, domination, traumatising, possessing, bonding, and controlling behaviour, that confirms that the being is demonic, sometimes in overt ways, and sometimes in covert or subtle ways.

    2. The Many Faces of Spiritual Deception

    One of the difficulties in navigating spirituality is knowing whom or what to trust.

    An entity or even a human being, may present themselves as an angel, god, ascended master, higher-dimensional being, spirit guide or even a loving spiritual companion.  They may also present as a soulmate, twin-flame, star being, ET, or alien. In doing so they may offer messages, predictions, apparently accurate information, or promises of special powers. However, the appearance of light, authority or spiritual knowledge does not automatically establish that an entity is benevolent. Mediums, spiritual seekers, and clients are always guided to be very careful when dealing with any human or invisible spiritual guides.

    Use of substances such as drugs, alcohol and non-vegan items, and conformity to lower vibrational religious beliefs or bad habits, is to be strictly kept at bay because such things can lower consciousness, and create openings to allow negative energy or entities inwards.

    A useful principle is to examine the nature of any being or entity (whether invisible or visible, human or energetic) by asking a few simple questions. And no, the question is not whether they consider Jesus to be the one true God or saviour. The questions (in-fact quite the opposite) are:

    • Do they encourage independent thinking or lean towards unquestioning obedience?
    • Do they respect your free will or demand control over your decisions?
    • Do they encourage equality or promote domination of your will by a superior being or master?
    • Do they respect the rights and freedoms of other beings or justify their exploitation?
    • Do they empower you or make you increasingly dependent upon them?
    • Do they leave you to make your own choices or control your movements and thoughts?
    • Do they respect your boundaries or invade your space or aura despite your refusal to let them be with you or control you?

    Absolutely nobody has the unquestionable right to control another individual or their space. Always refuse to let any unwanted or controlling energy in, whether human or an invisible energetic entity.

    3. Human Relationships and the Energy of Exploitation

    Not all forms of exploitation need to be understood through invisible entities. Demonic influences may also work through human agents, whether willingly, unwillingly or under coercion, with the aim to exploit a victim. Controlling relationships, emotional manipulation, intimidation, coercion, trauma-bonding, marriage with legal bondage, and the deliberate misuse of another person’s resources are examples of behaviours that undermine individual sovereignty.

    If you look around, you will find that most human beings do control and exploit non-human animals just for fun, taste-pleasure and personal gain, even though they can be Vegan by refusing all products or services based on exploitation. This tells us something very important. Demons are not rare entities that appear in unusual cases to some psychics. Demonic beings and systems are very much real and present in human forms all around us.

    Often demonic humans do not harm other humans simply because they need other human beings for their own economic, emotional, social, or sexual purposes, not because they respect their rights. Sometimes they do not harm other human beings overtly or conspicuously because laws will prohibit or punish them from doing so. Laws are so built in order to maintain economic and social structures that profit government entities or corporations. This does not prevent such demonic beings from using coercive control to manipulate and harm others and drain them out, or even use regressive laws to control them. Demons may manifest therefore as humans, to control victim humans or non-human animals by themselves and also in alignment with established social, political and legal systems that enable them to continue exploitation – if not overtly then covertly. Ask yourself – is there any government worldwide that has banned exploitation of sentient beings? If not then you have a clear example of the demonic frequency this human world operates in.

    The important lesson is to recognise exploitative behaviour rather than conform to social pressure, habits, laws, or norms that keep you and others enslaved in these systems. No relationship, spiritual commitment, family arrangement, religious belief, legal or social system should require someone to surrender their fundamental rights.

    4. Protecting Your Spiritual Sovereignty

    Your individual will and sense of self are important aspects of your spiritual sovereignty. You do not need to surrender your independent judgement to an external entity, spiritual teacher, medium, religious authority or supposed higher being.

    Some useful principles include:

    • Maintain clear personal boundaries. Say no and mean it. Do not give in to coercion, manipulation, and pressure.
    • Question messages that demand unquestioning obedience. All messages from divination, dreams, or spirits are not necessarily wholesome.
    • Do not participate in practices that involve exploiting or harming others (including non-human animals by way of non-vegan products, services or activities that use animals).
    • Avoid relationships built around domination, intimidation or manipulation. Cut off completely from such exchanges.
    • Be mindful of spiritual practices that encourage dependency or surrender of personal will. Believe in your higher self, not in an external entity or dark ‘Lord’.
    • Develop your own discernment rather than relying entirely on someone else’s interpretations and on internet articles and social media content coming from various misguided souls.
    • Respect the sovereignty and rights of other sentient beings even if your family and friends do not, and even if the law does not require you to. Rise above the illusions around you and refuse to be associated with evil, exploitative and abusive people now onwards.

    Spiritual development should strengthen individual awareness and independence, not diminish them. It does not mean you must love everyone, and that God is an ‘unconditional love of all humans’, evil or good. It means that you must believe in fair, just and reasonable behaviour that does not harm yourself or others whether through exploitation, control, or domination. Spirituality must liberate – not bind you.

    5. Reclaiming Your Energy and Individual Will

    In my spiritual practice, removing unwanted energetic influences involves restoring the individual’s sense of self, strengthening personal will and establishing clear boundaries.

    My approach includes several aspects:

    Recognising unwanted influences: Using personal intuition and spiritual discernment to examine what may be affecting one’s sense of wellbeing and independence. These may include beliefs, habits, family or ancestral patterns, past-life patterns, astrological karmic patterns, and conscious or unconscious fears that affect your sense of self, integrity or wholesomeness. This is done in my initial assessment sessions at the very beginning.

    Reclaiming personal authority: Focus on establishing a clear intention that no external force has permission to dominate, exploit or control anyone’s individual existence, including your own. I do not work with clients who wish to continue being desperate for love, to win back their ex, to control a lover, to harm an opponent, get psychic messages for selfish gain, and so on. I help clients establish clear and positive intentions for their holistic Mind Body and Soul healing and liberation.

    Energetic cleansing and protection: Using appropriate spiritual practices, rituals, spells, mantras, affirmations and other methods to restore a sense of energetic integrity, boundaries, and personal will. I am always available to help good souls with this work, and to help students learn the right techniques.

    Releasing unwanted attachments: Working towards the removal of unwanted energetic connections, emotional attachments, trauma bonds, and coercive influences. Psychology and spirituality must go hand in hand on this front. Using reiki and spiritual healing methods, I help channel positive energy to unplug cords and cleanse away any unwholesome energetic leftovers from all chakras and auric layers alongside counselling through tarot and Vedic astrology.

    Restoring wholeness: Focusing on the integration of mind, body and soul, and strengthening one’s independent sense of identity and will. Your diet, lifestyle, behaviour and aura must altogether reject all negative energy and shine brightly with positive energy. I help clients over the long term so that their healing and liberation journey is maintained instead of one-off sessions that do not offer enough time and energy to support a true change.

    These practices form part of my spiritual approach to helping you enhance your protection, peace and liberation.

    6. The Universal Principle: Respect the Rights of All Beings

    Perhaps the most important lesson in understanding dark forces is recognising the underlying lesson. To not exploit or control anyone else, and to prevent your own exploitation and control at the same time.

    What you give to others returns your way too – you may call it Karma or the Law of Attraction, because you attract not what you want, but what you vibrate with. Exploitation and control should never be part of your energy signature.

    An individual who demands absolute freedom for themselves while denying the rights of others has not understood sovereignty. 

    Sovereignty means the freedom to exist without being exploited, dominated or controlled — and recognising that same right for every sentient being.

    By believing that it is alright for you to exploit or control other beings such as non-human animals for their milk, body parts, eggs, etc, you are telling the universe that exploitation and control are okay, thereby leaving the universe free to manifest more of it for you, including your own exploitation and control.

    This is why it is supremely important to be Vegan and to respect the rights of all beings not to be used, controlled, harmed or exploited. No being should be treated as someone else’s possession or resource. Not you, not anyone else!

    This is why the principles of equality, justice, freedom and respect for individual rights are central to my spiritual philosophy as a Vegan Mind Body Soul Guide.

    Conclusion: No-one Should be Owned or Possessed by Anyone

    You do not need to live in fear of unseen forces, nor should you surrender your judgement to anyone with any spiritual authority, Godhood, family relationship, marriage, or twin-flame energy. Always believe that you create your own reality instead of handing over significant power over your reality to unknown forces or beings (regardless of religions), or to known humans around you. Be in-charge of your own energy and its manifestation.

    The foundation of spiritual empowerment is knowing that your existence, identity and individual will deserve respect, and so does that of each individual animal.

    We are all animals and the word Anima means Soul. Each soul deserves to be free of all control. No animal should be owned or possessed by anyone.

    Recognise exploitation. Question domination. Establish boundaries. Develop discernment. Be Vegan and Be Free!!

    And above all, remember that the right to freedom is not an exclusive privilege of the rich or powerful.

    I wish you complete healing and liberation of your Mind, Body and Soul.

  • Being Against Evil: A Vegan Life and Ethical Wiccan Magick for Liberation

    Being Against Evil: A Vegan Life and Ethical Wiccan Magick for Liberation

    By Rev. (Dr.) Swati Prakash (AltMed) — Wiccan High Priestess and Vegan Mind Body Soul Guide

    Magick was the name of a store I once ran in the heart of Mumbai to teach people techniques to banish evil and manifest positive things in life. Sadly, Hollywood and popular culture have reinforced major stereotypes about Magick, all themed around Halloween, Tantrics, Shakespearean Macbeth witches, dark rituals, hexes, spirits, devils, demons, occult practices, and evil magick. Yet beneath this huge fascination with the supernatural lies a question that deserves much more attention:

    What kind of consciousness are we cultivating when we use spiritual practices to control, exploit or harm another sentient living being?

    For more than two decades, I battled misconceptions about Wicca, magick and spiritual practice. I also received (and of course rejected) requests for spells that I consider deeply unethical, including attempts to control another person’s affections, lure romantic partners, win back an ex, eliminate spouses or family members, break up relationships, or eliminate business rivals. Using animals and animal products such as dairy, beeswax candles, and animal parts was rampant throughout society and most clients, students, and practitioners (including myself) were unaware of Veganism.

    Novices and advanced learners approached me frequently to learn magical skills and Wicca. Press approached me often to create ‘eye-catching’ and sadly very misleading headlines.

    ‘Hex and The City’

    During my earlier career in India, I was interviewed by members of the press about Wicca and spiritual practices. Despite my explanations, some headlines used sensationalist language, to sell their newspapers or magazines. Such headlines may attract attention, but they can also leave readers with a misleading an lasting impression of what a person actually teaches or practises. One that I wish to break once and for all.

    The problem is not confined to journalism. Social media can reproduce the same pattern. Even recently I have seen several social media posts (often with millions of followers and likes) for evil and stereotype witches in gothic attire, using black nail polish or lipsticks, dark magical spells, and ingredients that are unwholesome. These included animal products to curse others. One demonstrated how to use beef to harm someone with ‘witchcraft’. When people see that type of content they would once again think of magick spells as inherently negative and therefore, I believe it is important to challenge this misconception.

    Wicca is a modern Neo-Pagan religion with diverse traditions and practices. It is not simply British witchcraft. Witchcraft itself is about Wit and Wisdom (craft of the wise) just like Wizardry. It is not about ignorance and black-magic which is not wise.

    WICCAN REDE: Many Wiccans understand their spirituality through reverence for nature, the sacredness of life, personal responsibility and ethical reflection. The Wiccan Rede, commonly expressed as “An it harm none, do what ye will,” is an important ethical principle for modern ethical Wiccans. This should ideally lead to a more conscious way of living.

    ‘To Harm None’ or believe in ‘Ahimsa’ – Yet Being Non-Vegan?

    Some of my Wiccan teachers were non-vegan and vehemently against Veganism. Also some lacto-vegetarian spiritual healers and gurus seemed so proud of not killing animals that they forgot that exploitation is also equally evil. These people are no longer my friends or role-models because I believe such practitioners deeply harm your soul’s development as a good human being against all exploitation.

    Veganism is essential as a moral baseline that needs to be established early on, well before one goes for any spiritual advancement. It is not something you can choose as and when you find convenient on your spiritual path or justify as a personal choice that someone should not ‘push upon’ you. How would you feel if you were the victim being exploited while others justified it as being something they should have the right to continue doing as long as they are comfortable?

    Some clients and students were parallelly dabbling with some tantriks and witches who used animal sourced ingredients. One of my suppliers dealt with porcupine quills, turkey feather quills, or bottled seahorse charms, which innocent believers and myself believed to be sourced from nature, simply lying around and picked up as ‘found objects’. This is not true however, and these items are usually quite exploitative and their suppliers unethical.

    As a Vegan Mind Body Soul Guide, I invite you to look beyond popular stereotypes and consider what ethical magick, genuine spiritual development and liberation of consciousness might mean.

    A Choice Between Fear and Self-Development

    Ask yourself:

    • What harmful beliefs am I ready to abandon?
    • Where am I allowing fear, scarcity, envy or resentment to govern my decisions?
    • Am I developing greater self-awareness, or becoming expecting quick answers and solutions delivered for some money, in the name of magick, astrology, or tarot?
    • Am I respecting the autonomy and free will of other people? AND ALSO:
    • Am I treating sentient beings as individuals or as resources for my own purposes?

    These questions take us beyond appearances and towards the real work of spiritual development.

    Why Harmful Intentions Undermine Spiritual Development

    People sometimes approach magick from a position of desperation. They want a former partner to return. They want a rival to fail. They want a relative’s relationship to end. They want clients to choose them instead of a competitor. They may even want to use supernatural methods to influence another person’s decisions or obtain their money.

    • A person who believes there is no possibility of finding another suitable partner may become fixated on controlling a partner or an ex.
    • A business owner who believes another person’s success threatens their own may become consumed by rivalry.
    • Someone who fears financial insecurity may become willing to exploit others for profit.
    • A person who lack a sense of self, might constantly look for company, friends, or people to while away their time with, as they are unable to be happy alone.
    • Similarly a person who lacks empathy and ethics towards sentient beings, feels entitled to exploit non-human animal victims for taste pleasure, fun, entertainment or fashion ; and remains non-vegan.

    All of these are expressions of perceived scarcity and lack of self-realization.

    Abundance is a shift away from the assumption that another being’s loss must become our gain. It is about seeing the infinite possibilities in every moment, and to realize how the universe is within.

    True spiritual development should free us from destructive attachments, to other humans, to exploiting animals, to taste pleasure, to habits, to culture and traditions.

    Against Use of Animals

    One of the most disturbing aspects of certain occult, folk-magic and ritual practices is the use of animal bodies, body parts or animal-derived substances as supposed instruments of supernatural power.

    Animals are sentient beings capable of experiencing pain, fear and other forms of subjective experience. They have lives of their own, needs of their own and interests that do not disappear merely because a human being wants to perform a ritual.

    Their bodies are not spiritual commodities.

    A personal experience involving a pigeon

    I have personally experienced an incident that I understood as an attempt to target me through an occult practice.

    On that occasion, an employee once found a pigeon tied by a rope to the underside of my car. The bird’s throat had been cut. The circumstances led me to believe that the animal had been deliberately harmed as part of an attempt to curse me as I am aware this is part of a common folk ritual practiced by some tantrics or witches. The suffering of the animal was real and deeply disturbing. And perhaps the intention of such dark practitioners is to disturb the minds of empaths and healers such as myself. Obviously they wanted to transfer negative energy to me – by victimising someone and killing them, they thought they would be able to kill me.

    Whatever the perpetrator believed they might achieve against me as their intended victim – the truth remains that the pigeon was definitely their victim.

    This experience reinforced my opposition to the use of animals as instruments in rituals directed against other people.

    No spiritual objective can justify treating a sentient individual as disposable. If someone claims to possess spiritual power but is willing to inflict suffering on an innocent animal to obtain a personal result, I believe their ethical priorities deserve serious examination. An animal’s exploitation does not become morally acceptable because somebody gives it a religious, magical or supernatural explanation.

    A Non-Vegan World is an Evil World

    We have been conditioned or brain-washed into accepting non-veganism as a social default, when it is supremely evil.

    Remember the movie – The Matrix, in which the main characters battled AI who were exploiting humans, farming them, and using them for energy?

    Use of animals and dense negative energy work that exploits or harms other being – human or non-human animals – is a system designed to lure, tempt and hold humans in a dense vibrational state within the 3D universe. This is part of what some of us call ‘The Matrix’ or a ‘simulation’ in which our mind generates a stream of reality based on our conscious, sub-conscious and unconscious energy patterns.

    Rejecting Non-Vegan Items on Ethical Grounds

    Over the years, I have found spiritual practitioners learning the law of attraction and positive manifestation techniques, as well as continuing use of animals. Exploiting others, using them, and treating them as your slaves or products to buy, sell, or enjoy is definitely evil – regardless of where you are on your spiritual journey or what path you follow or not follow. Your beliefs do not matter – facts do. Animals are individuals like you and me and deserve to be free of exploitation.

    1. Animal feet and body parts

    I have heard reports from students who had studied with other tantrik teachers about the use of chameleon feet described as hatha jodi. Whatever claims are made about such objects, an animal’s body part should not be treated as a magical commodity without regard for the animal from whom it came. I reject the killing, capture or exploitation of animals to obtain ritual ingredients.

    2. Snakeskin

    Snakeskin appears in some folk-magic practices and is sometimes sold for ritual or symbolic purposes. A naturally shed snakeskin is not equivalent to a skin obtained by killing a snake. Nevertheless, the source of any material matters, including whether its trade encourages the capture or exploitation of wildlife.

    3. Horns, antlers, bones and skulls

    I have observed the use of animal remains in ritual and decorative settings while researching spiritual groups in the UK. Horns, antlers, bones and skulls may appear in various Pagan, folk-magic or other ritual contexts, but their presence alone does not establish how the animal died or whether its remains were obtained ethically. Often animals are killed or exploited to obtain them.

    4. Honey and other bee products

    Honey is frequently marketed as a symbol of sweetness, attraction and prosperity. Yet honey is produced by bees for their own colonies and using honey involves stealing from them and exploiting them. I prefer plant-based alternatives, such as date syrup or maple syrup, when a ritual, wellbeing, or food recipe calls for a sweet ingredient.

    5. Dairy milk and other animal milks

    Cows are sentient individuals who can form social bonds and experience distress. Cow’s bodies are used and molested to produce milk. Their bodies are not ours to use. I reject the idea that a product becomes ethically acceptable merely because it is considered traditional, auspicious or commonplace.

    6. ‘Meat’ and animal sacrifice

    I reject killing sentient animals for offerings, feasts or attempts to obtain specific flavours. An animal’s life is not a payment that humans must make to a deity, spirit or supernatural power. Neither it is ours to use for nutrition or taste.

    7. Cow dung and cow urine

    Cow dung and cow urine besides milk are used in certain traditional practices and are sometimes attributed with purifying or protective properties. These are simply disgusting and not only exploitative but also unhygenic.

    8. Leather

    Leather may appear in clothing, footwear, ritual clothing, book covers, furniture and other objects used in spiritual settings. These also view animal’s body parts as items for your own use. I prefer vegan alternatives that do not depend on animal skins.

    9. Fur

    Animal fur is sometimes used in clothing, decorations and ritual objects. Obtaining fur usually involves the killing or confinement of animals for their coats. The animals concerned are not merely sources of material; they are sentient individuals.

    10. Feathers

    Feathers are used in some ceremonial objects, costumes, decorations and ritual tools. The ethical circumstances vary according to their origin. A feather found naturally on the ground is not the same as one obtained through the killing or exploitation of a bird. I do keep feathers from some turkeys I rescued or looked after in sanctuataries where they were saved from exploitation.

    However, commercial demand for feathers can encourage the use of birds as sources of materials and therefore these must be discouraged.

    11. Animal skins used in drums and musical instruments

    Some traditional drums and other musical instruments use animal skins. Music can be spiritually meaningful without requiring the exploitation of animals. I encourage practitioners to consider instruments made with synthetic drumheads and other non-animal materials, particularly when acquiring new instruments.

    12. Ivory and other materials taken from wildlife

    Ivory is associated with elephants and has historically been used in ornaments, carvings and ceremonial objects. The ivory trade is particularly concerning because demand for ivory has contributed to elephant poaching and severe harm to elephant populations. I remember one student once offering me a considerable amount of money in return of selling an antique item. This is something I had totally refused as it was unethical.

    The same principle applies to animal teeth, claws, shells, pearls, horseshoes, seahorses, and other exploitation-derived materials.

    13. Animal eggs, blood, organs, fat and other bodily substances

    Some ritual practices use animal eggs, blood, organs, fat or other bodily materials. These substances may be described as powerful offerings or ingredients, but such descriptions do not answer the central ethical question: what happened to the animal whose body supplied them? I reject the deliberate killing or exploitation of animals to obtain these materials.

    14. Wool, silk, beeswax and other animal-derived materials

    Wool, silk, beeswax, gelatin, animal fats and other animal-derived substances can appear in clothing, candles, cosmetics, crafts and everyday household products. All of these are from exploited animals. We can use soy candles or synthetic ones instead of beeswax.

    15. Animal-derived candles, soaps, cosmetics and ritual products

    A product marketed as spiritual, natural or handmade is not necessarily vegan. Candles may contain beeswax or animal-derived stearic acid; soaps and cosmetics may contain tallow, lanolin, silk-derived ingredients or other animal-derived substances. Plant-based waxes, vegan soaps and other non-animal alternatives do not reply on animal exploitation or animal testing. Only ‘cruelty free’ labels are not sufficient.

    Sentient animals are individuals, not food, ritual ingredients, decorative objects or instruments for fulfilling human desires.

    I advocate a vegan approach that excludes animal exploitation from food, clothing, household products, cosmetics, entertainment and spiritual practice.

    Veganism: To Reject Exploitation

    Veganism as a moral imperative: Not just a Personal Choice

    Humans must respect the rights of non-human animals, who are sentient beings, by excluding products, services and activities that use or exploit them.

    Veganism is not merely a diet, a health trend or a lifestyle preference. It is a commitment to stop treating other sentient individuals as property, commodities or instruments for our own purposes.

    What Should You Not Seek from Me?

    I am not your personal genie, medium. or seer. I am not your fortune-teller, psychic or spellcaster. I am a Mind Body Soul Guide. My aim is to help liberate you from lower vibrational energy and help you on the path of positive values, beliefs, thoughts and practices over the long term – a path for life.

    Kindly note this is a significant shift in my life and one that I wish to reinforce to everyone who knows me so far.

    My Work as a Vegan Mind Body Soul Guide

    I would like to make my professional position clear.

    I work with people who are prepared to take ethics seriously and also take full responsibility for their own development rather than expecting another person to change their circumstances through a quick supernatural intervention.

    Who is suitable for my work?

    I welcome people who want to:

    • Develop greater self-awareness and a more sensible approach to life instead of focusing on religious and miscellenous spiritual beliefs.
    • Examine destructive habits, limiting thoughts and unhealthy attachments.
    • Cultivate a healthier lifestyle, with the right species appropriate Sattvik plant-based diet
    • Adopt an ethically consistent vegan approach and Take the Vegan Pledge
    • Explore meditation, spiritual philosophy and the nature of consciousness.
    • Develop healthier relationships based on autonomy and mutual respect and let go of all harm or abuse.
    • Build a more constructive relationship with prosperity, personal goals and responsibility.
    • Pursue spiritual growth without exploiting or harming other sentient beings.
    • Work consistently over time towards meaningful personal change.

    Also please note that no matter how close you were to me in the past, or how great a student, client or associate you were – you will not be enabled to remain unethical, non-vegan and exploitative of any animal – human or non-human. It is necessary to both reject human exploitation and abuse, as well as that of non-human animals if you wish to move forward.

    I wish you much success and Bright Blessings on your journey with me as a Vegan Mind Body Soul Guide, who is here to help you be liberated from all negative vibrations and embrace your true self.

  • Should we be Realistic or Magickal?

    Should we be Realistic or Magickal?

    Q. Should we be Realistic, or should we be Magickal?

    To understand this question there are two additional questions interlinked.

    1. What is real?
    2. What is magickal?

    In 3D reality most people would think reality is Fixed, Solid, Physical and Created by an Outside Person/s or Outside Energies. This is the way an unmagical mind works. People in this 3D Mindset do not think that reality is created by their energy to any extent at all. Except for physical effort or outer behaviours such as hard work, talking, explaining, or doing physical actions, they hardly believe that they influence their own reality or the world around. In their mind this world is made up of many different people and beings, many planets, galaxies, etc. They need many different people and things to fill up their life with because they depend on them.

    In multidimensional reality people realize and understand that the universe is within each one of us. The microcimosm and microcosm. The outer world is a reflection of the inner world. In this view you are magical. Your thoughts, emotions and subconscious projections are surrounding you in this dreamworld or Matrix of the mind. Just like any dream, it also originated within. This will make you open to magick. The truly magickal yogi needs noone else to complete them. They sit alone and meditate and feel absolutely fulfilled because they see their mind manifest realities in each moment including people around. They don’t depend on them.

    To the unaware mind, magickal thinking is a mental disorder or disease. There is a ‘God’ or a distinct person outside who created nature. Or everything was created by forces around you.

    Spiritual awakening however tells you that you are magical. It tells you that there is nothing outside except illusion. That all is actually within. That even God or Goddess is within. Nature is within.

    You create your reality – magically or unmagically – you chose!!

    Truly what you believe determines everything. If you do not believe it you may never achieve it. This also applies to magick.

    Those who do not believe in magick will never find it.

    If you believe in the physical world or material reality as the ultimate reality you will be stuck in 3D thinking thereby being unmagical and unable to create things except by physical effort and toil.

    If you believe in a magical God/ gods as the external creator/s you will find yourself in a reality where that belief receives validation and where you are controlled or influenced by outside beings. You create your Gods, Angels, Devil’s, Shadows, etc too.

    If you believe you create a reality around you and that all five elements are within you, you just might change the world (for better or worse) with your inner energy shifts.

    So what do you believe?

    (*)

    AskSwati.com Rev Dr. Swati Prakash Alt Med – Vegan Mind Body Soul Guide

    Send your general questions to me via Contact Me. For personal in-depth guidance please book your sessions on this website. Vegan Mind Body Soul Guide

    #magick #manifestation #askswati #spiritualguidance #mindbodysoulguide
  • Beltane: Start of Summer to Awaken Light, Power, and Joy

    Beltane: Start of Summer to Awaken Light, Power, and Joy

    As the wheel of the year turns, Beltane arrives as a radiant threshold — a celebration of fire, fertility, and the full awakening of life. In the Northern Hemisphere, it marks the beginning of summer, while in the Southern Hemisphere, it signals the descent into winter’s introspection. Yet in both, it is a powerful pivot — a moment of transformation in Earth’s living cycle.

    Today’s Flower Full Moon amplifies this energy to extraordinary levels. Blossoms are not only blooming in the physical world as flowers will soon turn to fruits, but energetically, possibilities are opening, intentions are ripening, and the veil between thought and manifestation feels thinner. This is a day of phenomenal power.

    The Turning of the Earth Cycle

    Beltane is not merely seasonal but energetically powerful.

    The Earth shifts from potential into expression. What was seeded in stillness begins to rise into form. Light expands. Warmth grows. Movement replaces dormancy. This is the triumph of life force energy.

    In this moment, we align ourselves with the same rhythm: From hesitation into action, from shadows of doubt into illumination, and from limitation into expansion of abundance and success.

    Light Over Shadow

    Beltane is a fire festival, and fire is both creator and purifier. It burns away what no longer serves us. Today’s energy clears away all lingering doubts, negative thought patterns, or stagnant emotional energy. We replace this with clarity, courage, and vitality.

    This is why Beltane has long been a time for spells of success, health, empowerment, and forward movement. The growing light of the sun becomes a mirror of our own inner fire.

    The Energy of Joy and Celebration

    Unlike more introspective festivals, Beltane is alive with happiness, sensuality, and playfulness. It invites us not just to reflect but to celebrate existence itself.

    Dance, laughter, connection, colour and the experience of joy without guilt or fear is liberating. Maypole dances and the May or Summer king and queen as divine symbols of nature when animals celebrate, and enjoy outdoors with good cheer. It is a social festival too with dance, music and playful exuberance.

    Wicca as a Global Path of Nature and Wisdom

    Wicca, in its modern global expression, is not bound by geography but rooted in a universal truth: Nature is sacred, and we are part of it.

    The word “witch” itself carries the essence of wit and wisdom — one who understands energy, cycles, and balance, and works with energy practically in a way that does not harm self or others, but heals, inspires and transforms our life and our planet.

    Global Wicca embraces a fusion of traditions, recognising that symbols across cultures reflect shared archetypal truths.

    Sacred Symbols of Beltane Across East and West

    Beltane’s solar fire and fertile energy appear in many forms across traditions:

    • In Western symbolism, the May Queen embodies beauty, growth, and the blossoming Earth alongside the Green Man who becomes the Oak or summer King.
    • The Maypole dance, with its intertwining red and white ribbons, represents the sacred union of energies — life force weaving into creation.

    In Eastern traditions, we find parallel expressions:

    • Mata Rani Durga, radiant and powerful, represents divine feminine strength — a force that destroys negativity and restores balance. She is a union of all the powers and positive energies of various masculine deities collectively in order to defeat the most unvanquishable demons.
    • The sacred pairing of Ram and Sita, comes to mind, supported by Hanuman, who reflects devotion, righteousness, and the victory of light over darkness with Hanuman eating up the sun as a symbol of power.
    • The colour red, so prominent both in Western and Eastern rituals, mirrors Beltane’s fire — passion, protection, and life energy. Red candles, and flowers are sacred today as offerings to the sun and the full moon, and to the deities.

    This East–West resonance forms the essence of Vedic Wicca — a unified understanding that spiritual truths transcend cultural boundaries which is represented in the Global Wicca Tradition.

    Beltane Ritual: Banish and Manifest

    This is an ideal day to actively work with energy with the Earth Healing Temple of Global Wicca.

    Simple Earth Healing Practice:

    1. Step outside and enjoy time in a place of nature, or stand near an open window.
    2. Visualise golden sunlight pouring into your body.
    3. Feel it expanding through your chest, your mind, your entire being.
    4. Then imagine this light pushing outward — dissolving all negativity within and around you.
    5. Speak (aloud or within):
      “I release all that no longer feels right. I welcome light, power, and success in me. I heal and bless with love and light. Myself, my home, family, nature, and humanity. By the powers of earth, fire, wind and sea. As I will so will it be!!”
    6. Visualise your intention already alive — not as hope, but as reality.

    Stepping Into Your Power for Earth Healing

    Beltane reminds us that we are not passive observers of life but co-creators.

    The same force that blooms flowers, fuels the sun, and turns the seasons lives within us. Let this day and season, be one of brightness, movement, and intention to heal our planet.

    Thank the earth, sun and moon today for the radiance and life energy provided and channel some of the life force energy from the higher self or the universe into the earth using your hands of light. Visualise the Earth’s shadows or darkness being erased and replaced with a bright and warm aura of beauty, love, and healing for all animals and plants on earth. This is not possible unless we are Vegan first and then also choose to be a force of good.

    Today I also present www.govegan.earth as an offering of Earth Healing Network to the world. Please Take the Vegan Pledge and sign up the Animal Rights Declaration.

    Thank you and Blessed Be!

    Rev. Swati Prakash, High Priestess Earth Healing Temple, and Head Global Wicca Tradition/ Magick School.

  • Imbolc: A Pagan Festival of Seeds not Dairy

    Imbolc: A Pagan Festival of Seeds not Dairy

    Greetings of the Season of Imbolc!!

    Derived from the word Imbolg or ‘in the belly’, Imbolc is celebrated ritually at the start of February in the northern hemisphere (and the beginning of August in the southern hemisphere). This festival of earth, brings an end to the dark phase of very short days and less light, to provide an opportunity for earth to awaken again and bear seeds in her ‘belly’.

    It is time for Earth mother’s quickening and for us to be preparing seedbeds for plantation. The return of light to earth is illustrated with a symbolism of a young goddess (maiden or bride called Brigid) and a ritual of Candlemas (to crown the goddess with candles or light to pair her with God (solar deity) who brings the warmth necessary for the upcoming days of germination. Incidentally Christian symbolism has borrowed this festival of the Earth mother to create a festival around blessing of Virgin Mary who is a young lady selected to be impregnated by the seed of God, and called it Candlemas. (Just like Easter is borrowed from Ostara and Christmas from Yule).

    IS IT IMBOLG OR OIMELC?

    Imbolc is often wrongly described in modern explanations as a festival involving humans using animal milk/ dairy, or the lactation of ewes because some people pronounce it as Oimelc or Ewe’s milk (sheep lactation). While this interpretation has become common, it reflects a narrow and later overlay rather than the deeper spiritual and earth-based meaning of the sabbat. At its heart, Imbolc is not about consuming animal products, but about the subtle yet powerful moment when the Earth herself begins to stir again after the long dark in order for us to prepare soil for planting seeds in her ‘belly’. Even if sheep lactate at this time or any other, it is only for the purpose of producing milk for their own children, and never for human exploitation. Sheep or any other animal would lactate only when they produce a baby and not necessarily at a specific time of the year.

    WHY DAIRY MUST BE AVOIDED

    From a Wiccan perspective rooted in non-harming and reverence for life, the modern emphasis on dairy at Imbolc deserves careful reconsideration. Dairy is not a neutral or benign substance. It is a product of exploitation, involving the control of animal reproduction, separation of mothers and offspring, and ongoing physical harm. To include such products in a festival dedicated to renewal, purity, and alignment with the Goddess creates a spiritual contradiction.

    Wicca teaches respect for all living beings and seeks harmony rather than domination. Consuming products rooted in suffering and exploitation, does not align with the principle of non-harming, nor does it support spiritual clarity or attunement to the higher self. Explotation is harm.

    When honouring the Goddess as Earth Mother, it is more consistent to celebrate her through plant life, seeds, grains, herbs, and simple offerings that reflect cooperation with nature rather than extraction from it. The correct way of understanding this festival is described below.

    BLESSING THE SEEDS

    Imbolc actually is about blessing new seeds, for new beginnings, and preparing the soil, before planting them into the earth, as it marks the turning point where the light, once at its weakest, begins its return and days start growing. The days are still cold, the land may appear lifeless, and growth is not yet visible, but something profound has shifted beneath the surface. The Earth has entered a phase of quickening. Life is no longer fully dormant. Energy is moving again, quietly and inwardly, preparing for what is to come.

    Rather than focusing on milk or animal reproduction, Imbolc is more accurately understood as the time when Mother Earth once again carries seeds in her belly. These seeds, both literal and symbolic, are held within the soil, nurtured in darkness, awaiting the strengthening light of spring. This is not a time of birth or abundance, but of preparation, intention, and potential. The Goddess is present not as the giver of harvest, but as the bearer of possibility.

    Traditionally, this season was associated with cleansing, readiness, and quiet work. Tools were repaired, land was tended, and seedbeds were prepared. Nothing dramatic was expected to happen yet as it is still very cold in olaces further from the equator. The wisdom of Imbolc lies in recognising that true growth begins unseen. Roots form before shoots appear, just as inner transformation precedes outer change.

    WICCAN MAGICK FOR IMBOLC

    In Wiccan spirituality, this mirrors the inner path. Imbolc invites reflection, purification, and alignment. It is a time to release what has grown stagnant during the dark months and to make space for new intentions to take root. The returning light is gentle rather than overwhelming, like a candle flame rather than a blaze, reminding us that transformation does not need force to be powerful.

    Spells for Imbolc: Try candle magic, using brightly coloured candles to manifest your positive wishes, especially if dressed in herbal potions or magickal oils. This time Imbolc also falls on the full moon and is especially powerful. You may also use seeds for spells, by blessing the seeds with powerful intentions using the candle, and plant them for germination. How about a spell with seeds to bless the earth with positive energy and healing for our planet, and then planting these seeds in the soil with this powerful intent? You could also try to bless crystals or stones and plant them with written spells or intentions into the earth for fruition energetically.

    The association of Imbolc with Brigid reinforces this understanding. Brigid is a goddess of fire, healing, inspiration, and renewal. Her fire is not destructive but illuminating, warming the frozen ground and awakening life. This sacred fire represents consciousness returning after dormancy, creativity re-emerging, and the soul remembering its connection to the living Earth.

    Imbolc belongs to the land, the light, and the unseen work of becoming. It reminds us that life renews itself quietly and that the Earth is not a resource to be taken from, but a living presence to be honoured. As the light returns, so does our responsibility to walk gently, act consciously, and align our practices with the values we claim to uphold.

    Imbolc is the whisper before the green, the breath before the sprout, the moment when the Goddess carries the future within her once again. To honour this sabbat is to honour potential, purity of intention, and the sacred rhythm of life awakening from within.

    May you have a peaceful and positive festivity of the growth of light within and spreading of the seeds of knowledge. Bless the seeds of love and light and may the Goddess as the Higher Self always shine radiantly in you to spread positive energy and awareness of truth all around.

    Blessed Imbolc

    (*)

    Rev. Swati Prakash

  • The Right Application of Wiccan Wisdom in Daily Life

    Is it just about Positive Thinking?
    No
    Will just sound healing or frequency be enough?
    No
    Will just candles work?
    No
    Is it just about being compassionate?
    No
    Is it just belief?
    No

    There is plenty of misinformation out there on the Internet because AI, chatbots and new age influencers do not have the vast actual experience and enlightenment that I do. So please understand this well.

    Wicca works with all five elements:

    1) Spirit (Inner beliefs and subconscious energy)
    To keep your spiritual state Positive 🙏
    Holding on to lower quality beliefs, religious brainwashing, dogma, belief in exploitation, abuse, demonic alignment, evil deities, evil people, evil traditions, evil scriptures, and lower consciousness is unuseful.

    2) Air (Thoughts)
    Your words, your affirmations and spells, mantras, frequency resonance, mental programming, mental energy work, must be focused on good and to cut out all unwanted interferences

    3) Fire (Will and Action)
    Just belief and mind is not enough. We also need to send the energy out into life by acting on it. Set intentions. Project your will outwards. Do the energy work. Take concrete steps to welcome change. Work on your daily routine.

    4) Water (Emotion)
    Negative feelings, anger, rage, fear, selfishness, being unkind, jealousy, desperation, gloom, these take away your energy and leave you drained and unhappy. Transform your emotional charge. Walk in love and light. Visualise and feel the power.

    5) Earth (Physicality)
    Your body, your Home or workspace, your surroundings area, environment, clothing, decor, and food, all matter. Clean, positive food, clean spaces, herbs, crystals, aromas, symbols, colors, sunshine, and nature, clothing, jewelry, all connect with the earth element. Bring your positive energy into actual physical life too.

    Only 100 percent positive energy inside out.

    Blessed Be
    (*)
    Rev. Swati Prakash
    AskSwati.com Swati Prakash Tarot and Wiccan Healer

    A Holistic Path
  • The Real Magical Festival of Winter Solstice

    The Real Magical Festival of Winter Solstice

    The Original Season of Yuletide Explained

    Long before Christmas became a commercial holiday, it was known as Yule—the celebration of midwinter, the Winter Solstice, and the rebirth of light and the Goddess (Nature). In the darkest days of the year, ancient peoples honoured the turning of the Wheel, gathering in warmth and gratitude as the Sun began its slow return back to fuel earth.

    At its heart, this season was never about consumption or excess. It has nothing to do with killing baby pigs and putting their dead flesh in their own blankets of tortured skin. It has nothing to do with stuffing dead turkey birds murdered ruthlessly or eating and gifting dairy products made of milk of of stolen babies. It was originally about nature, light, renewal, and love for all life.

    The Living Evergreen: A Tree to Honour, Not to Cut

    The Fir tree, evergreen even in the harshest winter, symbolizes eternal life of earth or nature, endurance, and the promise of renewal. People once decorated living outdoor trees, offering them: Solar and star symbols and lights, ribbons, herbs, fruits, misteltoes, holly, and pinecones, handmade charms and presents to share love with. These were gifts to nature, not taken from it.

    Cutting down trees, abandoning them after use, and treating them as disposable is the opposite of the original meaning. The tree was, and still remains, a living guardian of the winter nights.

    Sacred Plants: Mistletoe and the Magic of Midwinter

    Herbs like mistletoe were revered not only for protection and healing but also for their symbolism of life that thrives even in darkness. Such plants reminded ancient peoples that nature has its own wisdom and that winter is a time of quiet power, not death.

    These traditions were expressions of partnership with the Earth, not dominion over it.

    25 December: The Solstice, Saturnalia, and the Old Sun

    The date later known as “Christmas Day” was originally the culmination of Saturnalia and the veneration of Sol Invictus, the Unconquered Sun. It marked the returning strength of the Sun after the longest night.

    Santa Claus and Saturn: The Old Sun / Old God

    Before Santa was reinvented as a jolly gift-giver in red, he reflected the Old Sun—the Old God of Saturnalia.
    He was the Ancient Winter King, the spirit of the dying year who:

    Delivered final gifts of wisdom

    Blessed people magically (the most magical time of the year)

    And then stepped aside to make way for the new Sun of the coming year

    This figure symbolises release, completion and the gentle passing of the old cycle with new magical gifts brewing inside the cauldron of our soul and soil.

    The Goddess and Earth: December as Her Rebirth

    Later patriarchal traditions centred winter festivals around a male god or sun deity and the modern deity of the scriptural religions who claim that nature was created in six days by a male deity or an individual person from outside of nature who forbids use of magical powers in us. Who demands sacrifice and obedience to commandments that are not always healthy and allowed the use and dominion of non human animals with humans made more ‘special’ as the ‘image and likeness’ of himself.

    We can now clearly see that the older understanding of nature as the creator of all beings is more balanced—and in many traditions, deeply feminine and reminds us of our own inner power or energy. After all Energy creates Reality, not a deity or individual from outside. And we all have Magickal Powers inside of us. We are all animals.

    The Earth Herself is the Goddess

    In winter, she descends into stillness, appearing barren or asleep.
    But beneath the frost, she carries the potential for new life.

    December can be seen as the birth of the Goddess:

    The Old Crone of Samhain, now dying and experiencing rebirth

    The deep womb of the Earth carrying the spark of new life, and

    Nature preparing to reawaken

    By spring or Ostara, the Goddess emerges as the Maiden, young, green, and flourishing. This interpretation shows that the season is not inherently male at all. It is Earth-centric, nature-centric, and deeply inclusive. The cycle is simple and eternal (The Wheel of The Year):

    Dec – Yule/ Mid-winter Solstice – the old Goddess of earth or nature rests, regenerates, dreams new life, reborn as new alongside the dying and reborn sun god in the shortest day and longest night of the year

    Feb – Imbolc/ Start of Spring – The Goddess is the baby Brigid, helped by the solar god of growing light and potential of seed germination

    March – Ostara/ Spring Equinox – the Goddess is a green Maiden, fertile, and youthful in the equinox of the sun when day and night are equivalent

    May – Beltane/ Start of Summer – The Maiden is wed with the powerful Sun as the days are brighter and longer

    June – Litha/ Mid-summer Solstice – the Goddess flourishes, bearing flowers with the strongest sun or the longest day of the year

    Aug – Lammas/ Start of Autumn – the Mother bears the first harvest fruits as the days get shorter

    Sep – Mabon/ Autumnal Equinox – The Mother bears the second harvest of grains as autumn takes over

    Nov – Samhain/ End of Summer and Autumn—she becomes the Crone, releasing the final harvest of pumpkins and ready to retire in winter’s start

    It is the story of nature itself—not a masculine lineage, but the living body of the planet with the Eight Sabbats of the Wheel of the Year.

    Easter / Ostara: A Festival of Life, Not Harm

    Just as Yule celebrates rebirth in the womb of winter, Easter (originally Ostara) celebrates the explosion of life at the Spring Equinox.

    It was always about: Newborn animals, Eggs as symbols of creation, Flowers opening, Rebirth and fertility. This season honoured life, not death.
    It was never intended to be a time for harming lambs, consuming eggs from exploited animals, dairy chocolates, or celebrating violence against the young. To truly honour Ostara, just as Yule (real Easter and Christmas) is to protect and nurture life, not take it or steal it.

    So, now do you realize how the ‘Matrix’ or false religious propaganda was created to replicate original reality and promote consumerism in place of nature. They created focus on stories of mythical deities and personalities as divine men, in order to reduce a direct connection with nature. In this way they promote exploitative industries of killing lambs, stealing milk from mother animals, and stealing eggs and newborns to ruin the planet and take away empathy by making humans. This is all done to make humans feel superior, entitled and ‘allowed’ to exploit other animals, by a deity who is imagined to be someone of our likeness or image, and a person instead of nature?

    Hemispheres: Celebrating the Festival the Land Is Actually Living

    In the Northern Hemisphere, December is Yule; June is Litha.
    But in the Southern Hemisphere, these are reversed as the seasons are inverse with the opposite spoke of the Wheel of The Year in action, instead of midwinter, there is midsummer and vice versa, for all eight sabbats.

    This alone reveals the truth:

    These festivals were never meant to be rigid dates.
    They are instructions from nature.

    To celebrate Yule in December in Australia or South Africa makes no spiritual sense—because the land itself is singing a different song. True celebration is always in dialogue with the Earth beneath our feet.

    Reclaiming the Real Tradition: Love for Nature and All Beings

    When we peel away modern layers of consumerism, exploitation of nature and animals, mass slaughter, artificial customs, patriarchal overlays, commercial storytelling

    …we rediscover the oldest truth of all festivals:

    They are invitations to honour the Earth.

    To protect life, not destroy it.

    To live in partnership with the natural world.

    The real traditions teach us to:

    Decorate living trees, not cut ones

    Offer gifts to nature, not take lives from it

    Love animals instead of using or eating them

    Celebrate the return of light with gratitude, not excess

    Recognise that the Goddess of Nature (manifested as the Earth for us) is the true mother of all life, born from her womb, and growing to maturity before taking rebirth alongside the Solar god. Thereby seeing nature as divine in itself. It is not an alien or outside ‘God’ who is a creator of nature. Nature is energy/ Shakti goddess, born of the Self, along with her own Inner Light or Consciousness/ god or Shiva (her own awareness), and we are the ones who are part of her and conscious beings who can look after and respect nature.

    These celebrations are not about religion or dogma; they are about remembering who we are:

    Children of the Earth.
    Keepers of life.
    Protectors of the seasons.

    A Planet-Healing Path Forward

    When we reclaim the wisdom of Yule, Solstice, Saturnalia, and Ostara, we step back into harmony with the living planet. The festivals become what they were always meant to be:

    Seasonal celebrations of the sacred duty of humanity towards loving and protecting nature, our mother.

    Reminders that the Earth is sacred, and so is every being upon it, nourished by the light of the Sun who protects her and us.

    To celebrate in alignment with the land is to return to compassion.
    To honour the Goddess is to honour life itself.
    To cherish the seasons is to heal the Earth with light and love. And the Earth, when loved, answers back. 

    May you rediscover your soul’s powers and be reborn in consciousness.

    Blessed Be and have a most spiritually magickal celebration!!

  • The Vegan Witch’s Cauldron: Beautiful Plants, Not Animal Parts

    The Vegan Witch’s Cauldron: Beautiful Plants, Not Animal Parts

    Blessings of the Hallowed Season of Samhain!

    Every Halloween, witches have been misrepresented in media, brewing dark potions with eyes of newt, tongues of dog, and dragon’s blood. From Shakespeare’s “bubble, bubble, toil and trouble” to TV shows like Charmed, magic was often imagined as something wicked — full of animal parts and sinister ingredients. While Veganism is about not exploiting non human animals, Wicca is meant to be a path of positive witchcraft which includes not harming anyone, and being against all evil overall to the best possible extent.

    Evidently, the truth about these ingredients used by witches in potions, is far gentler — and far greener.
    Real witchcraft has always been rooted in plants, not cruelty. And Halloween as it is called now, was originally Hallows Eve or Samhain, a sacred festival of celebrating the final harvest of the year with pumpkins, apples, candied fruits, and lights, just like Diwali in Hinduism is too a celebration of the harvest and a new year for pagans or plant farmers at the summer’s end, with presents, fruits, nuts and decorations of light. This is a global time for celebrating the bounty of Earth mother or Lakshmi, whether in the West or the East. The use of animal milk or dairy, animal gelatin sweets, animal body products for food or any other evil ingredients in food, worship, or magic is simply repugnant and unnecessary.

    The old “body part” names were never literal. They were secret herbal codes — poetic metaphors used by healers and wise women to protect their craft when magic was forbidden. What sounded eerie was simply earthly.

    The Secret Language of the Wise

    When you read that a witch added Eye of Newt to her potion, she was actually using mustard seeds — tiny and golden like a newt’s eye.
    Bat’s Wings? Those were holly leaves, protective and spiky like wings in flight.
    And Tongue of Dog was houndstongue, a soft-leaved herb used for grounding and courage.

    Even the “pigs’ feet” shown in Hollywood cauldrons of witchcraft in Charmed, could simply mean Pigweed (Amaranth), a nourishing plant used for health and strength and also for protection against evil.

    Ancient herbalists used these coded names both to guard their knowledge and to speak in symbols. Magic was never about harm — it was about understanding nature’s hidden language.

    Plant-Based Magic for the Modern Witch

    As vegan witches, we continue this tradition with compassion.
    Instead of animal-based products like honey, we can use Honeysuckle in spells for sweetness, attraction, and love — no bees exploited, and the symbolism remains pure.

    Dragon’s Blood isn’t blood at all, but a deep red tree resin used for protection and empowerment. I used to sell these in my store called Magick in Mumbai.

    Devil’s Claw sounds frightening but is simply a healing root used for releasing negativity.

    Every animal body part sounding name has a positive truth inside it — a lesson in transformation, the very heart of witchcraft.

    Decoding Shakespeare’s Potion

    In Macbeth, the witches chant:

    “Eye of newt and toe of frog,
    Wool of bat and tongue of dog…”

    To the uninitiated, it sounds like a horror scene — but to herbalists, it’s simply a recipe written in code:

    • Eye of Newt – Mustard Seed
    • Toe of Frog – Buttercup
    • Wool of Bat – Moss or Holly
    • Tongue of Dog – Houndstongue herb

    So if you use the right plant based ingredients, it is not an evil brew at all, but a poetic herbal spell for transformation, written in the language of nature.

    To be fair you could change the rhyme a bit. Why not ‘Double Double, Success Double, Take Away all Toil and Trouble‘? (As I wrote in my book Yes, You Are a Witch/ You Are the Magick). Sounds and feels way better than ‘bubble bubble toil and trouble’ anyday! A good witch will use magic for banishing misfortunes and replacing them with positive energy in our lives instead of brewing even more toil and trouble than what we already endure. And in order to handle enemity or evil beings, we do not send toil or trouble to them, but rather repel evil beings away. That truly is the path of real ‘wit’ and deep ‘wisdom’ which is real witchcraft – the craft of the wise.

    Some other eerie sounding names of plants which are not animal body parts at all (and if people knew these they would stop killing innocent animals for cures and magical remedies or luck):

    • Rabbit’s Foot – Davillaya plant
    • Dragon’s Blood – Cinnabar tree sap
    • Wish bone – Turenia pansy
    • White Man’s Foot – Common Plantain
    • Graveyard Dust – Mullein
    • Lizard’s Leg – Ivy
    • Lamb’s Ear – Betony
    • Hens and Chicks – Sempervivum
    • Horse’s Tongue – Heart’s tongue fern
    • Sparrows’ tongue – Armstrong
    • Lion’s Tooth – Dandelion
    • Swine Snout – Dandelion leaves
    • Wolf’s Foot – Bugleweed
    • Dog’s Mouth – Snapdragon
    • Pig’s Ears – Round leaved navelwort
    • Bone of Ibis – Buckthorn
    • Elephant Ear – Purpurea
    • Ass’s Ear – Comfrey
    • Dragon’s Scale – Taro
    • Tear’s of Himadryas Babboon – Dill juice
    • Adder’s Tongue – Trout Lilly
    • Bear’s Foot – Lady’s Mantle
    • Bird’s Foot – Fenugreek
    • Crow’s Feather – Foam Flower
    • Tiger’s Claw/ Devil’s Claw – Martynya Annua
    • Wood Spider/ Devil’s Claw – Grapple plant
    • Cat’s Claw/ Hawk’s Claw – Unkaria Tomatosa
    • Gall of Goat – Honeysuckle
    • Cat’s Tail – Reed Mace
    • Crab Eye – Coral Bead Plant
    • Lady’s Finger – Okra

    As an easy guide also remember that blood in herbal magick simply means the sap of the tree, milk simply means plant secretion, foot or ear usualy stands for the leaves of the plants, guts for roots, hair for fine roots, eyes for the whole flower circles, tongue for petals, eggs for fruits, tears for seeds, flesh for stem or fruit flesh, toes for small leaves and wool for moss.

    The Witch’s True Magic

    Real witches — ancient or modern — are healers, herbalists, and guardians of life.
    Our cauldrons are filled not with suffering, but with seeds, roots, leaves, and blossoms for love, prosperity, protection, and health. We stir teas for wellbeing, create tinctures for healing, and burn incenses for meditation

    Magic isn’t about commanding dark forces or using demons for fulfilling sinful wishes at all. It’s about repelling dark forces away and keeping safe from them, as well as working in harmony with the living Earth in order to make our life positive in a real way, not just in thoughts but also in practicality. Witchcraft is practical magic of everyday life, with potions steeped with wisdom, stones for building positive realities, smoke of purification, candles of light, and of course positive intentions in words to energise our mind, body and spirit and protect our life, home and hearth.

    So next time someone criticizes witchcraft or magic, please guide them towards the truth and dispel myths to make the world a better place for all beings.

    Closing Blessing

    May your spells be kind, your herbs be green,
    Your cauldron bubble, with courage unseen,
    May you flourish and grow, in kindness and peace
    May your success and prosperity never cease
    May all evil beings leave you unharmed
    And may your life be magically charmed
    By earth and fire, wind and sea
    By the Spirit, Blessed Be!

    Rev. Swati Prakash, High Priestess

  • Witches and Their Familiar Animals

    Witches and Their Familiar Animals

    Do you believe we are magical beings?

    If yes, did you think only human beings are magical?

    Animals of non human species are powerful beings with magic in them just like us. They all have their free will and creative energy.

    Respect of each person’s free will is most important in witchcraft as it’s all about free will and crafting a chosen reality out of your will as well as not harming others in the process (the Wiccan Rede). No one should be treated as an object or owned or forced to live with us against their will, or forced into becoming our companion animal, or farmed animal, or domesticated slave, or our victim to be bred, used, traded, or killed (not even to become food or pets).

    Witches don’t usually prefer to have ‘pets’. We may at times have familiars, i.e. some animals who are free to come and go as they please as per their own free will, and are willing to be with you if they like to. Not confined in a small space indoors ideally, although they might be indoors if they are happy. Not domesticated. Not owned.

    Contrary to what religions have claimed, witches do not work with demons or any devil, and their familiar animals are not their slaves, servants, or ‘demon spirits’ on animal form who do their bidding.

    Familiar, as the word indicates, is a term that simply means someone who is seen around or known to you. Often an animal from the neighbourhood might like you or spend some time with the you…as many animals can sense energy and know whom to trust, therefore those who have spiritual (magical) or healing energy can often attract various animals from time to time. Sometimes someone brings them to you especially because they felt they should. The bond needs to develop naturally. I always had a stray animal or two wandering around deciding to enter my home and live with me, or someone brought an injured one to me. Often pigeons walked into my rooms when hurt, or a cat or dog in Mumbai where so many were on streets. I always felt bad that humans have brought so much sorrow to them by not thinking about their needs and focusing only on our own desires.

    Sadly religions have destroyed free will, and stopped humans from using our own good sense. They have also created an illusion that other animals are below humans and are made to serve our wants. Most of the negative beliefs regarding humans being superior, made in the image of an all powerful lord who is a singular creator, and that it’s ok to harm, kill, breed, farm, and use other animals, are from religions who have destroyed sense and sensibility, and taken away our intuition, empathy, and natural inner power from us.

    We are all animals. We all have a sixth sense and magic inherent in us. Let’s use these powers well for the betterment of ourselves and all beings.

  • How Do We Manifest Reality?

    It’s Witchcraft!! Except, that it’s not.

    Teen Witch movie reminded me, I always had this power to think and make something happen. Like a switch you turn on or a computer button to get an output, there is a power in every person in the world. Our mind and emotions.

    I decided to pursue a higher research degree in Psychology this year and was preparing for IELTS which is a requirement. It was really tough in the computer practice tests at home, so I did a spell quickly at the venue in my mind on the computer and made the final test super easy for me. I went to eat out at lunchtime and thought about how the speaking test would be. I heard a voice inform me to talk about Tarot Reading (I do hear prophecies). I then thought that perhaps the examiner should ask me about food and veganism. On returning to the test centre I was called for the interview round and he asked me exactly about that. First he asked me about my profession which is Tarot reading, and then entirely about food and veganism.

    Once last year in summer I was eating falafel wraps at a stall and suddenly thought, ‘Well, that is a nice dish to cook and I wish I could wear that pretty apron and work there for a bit and learn how it’s done.’ I pictured myself wearing that apron. Suddenly the chef came over and I complimented him on the colourful apron. He said, perhaps I could wear it someday and work there. Of course I couldn’t do it for too long as he was also serving halloumi wraps that aren’t vegan and I quit.

    Do this yourself.
    Try to create an image in your mind of what you want to do, where you want to be, how you want to enjoy life, or meet people, and make it as colourful and clear as you can. It must be something that feels good and that you are emotionally drawn to. Then let me know what happened.

    Remember that even those things that emotionally upset us happen to come true.

    Infact, anything and everything happening around us is always, related to our feelings, thoughts, beliefs, and worries.

    This is a super fact that if everyone knew about, we could solve the mystery of the universe.

    Also very important is, not to waste time thinking of romance or relationship with particular persons, as this is a sure way to invite trouble into your life. Focus only on yourself and how you wish to feel instead of controlling someone.

    Try to manifest something positive.

    Blessed Be!!

    Swati Prakash