I recently started reading The 1001 Nights, one of my pre-Islamic readings for this year, and one of the questions that often arise when I search for this book is whether it is a misogynist narrative or not. The short answer, if you want to know, is not for me, but that it reflects the fears of insecure men. Before anyone asks which version I refer to, because there are many and there may be a few differences here and... Read more
For me, the hamsa is a special symbol and carries a meaning of strength, passion, love, and courage. Read more
If you want to know more about Witchcraft and Paganism, I’m sure the following books will be of use. Perhaps you will find others on your way, or maybe you won’t connect with all of them, but you will find useful and practical information in all of them. Read more
Yesterday an aunt asked me for some help. She was told she had the Evil Eye and asked me to see what was happening, where it came from, from who, why, and so on. Being the familiar guy I have always been, I said yes right away and took my tarot cards the second I had them with me. Although I always pray and ask for guidance when I perform any kind of divination, this time I felt the need... Read more
A few months ago I wrote a long Instagram post (or long to Instagram anyway) about Shahmaran, a guide for healers, as I concluded in it. However, as time passes and you revisit your writing, I would also add that this figure is also about love. In case you missed it, here it is copypasted: Shahmaran (Persian: شاهماران Şahmaran, lit. ‘Shah (king) of the Snakes’,) is a mythical creature, half woman and half snake, found with different variations in the... Read more
After I got a copy of The 1001 Nights, one of my 7 pre Islamic readings for this 2021, I started learning several things about these tales, confirming many of the things I heard and read in other sources: that the three most famous tales linked to The Arabian Nights are actually not part of it. I’m speaking about Aladdin, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, and Sinbad the sailor. I will not say I wasn’t a bit disillusioned to... Read more
When searching for information about Al-‘Uzza, Al-Lat, and Manat, there is something I keep coming across, over and over again. There is a prayer supposedly said in pre-Islamic times for the Three Daughters of Allah and the debate about whether these Goddesses were recognized by Muhammad. After reading about this issue, I cannot help but agree with those who said it actually happened. Tempted by the Devil In short, Muhammad was reading some verses in Mecca, longing for more followers,... Read more
A few days ago I lost a dear friend due to Covid-19, my aunt’s mother and who was friends with my family. I got paralyzed by fear and grief, crying right where I was, trying to figure out why, like a million people have been doing all this time. A man told me that he was asking himself many the very same thing yesterday: “Where is God? Where is the mercy? Why is He letting this happen?” When grief strikes,... Read more
The crescent moon is highly respected and important in the Muslim world, something that could date back to pre-Islamic times. The reason is that it was and is still used to determine the religious calendar of the faithful, but could it be possible that it was seen as a God before the times of Muhammad? Read more
Since I was a kid, there was a blue eye used as an amulet for babies to be protected. Only when they were one year old or so, or when my grandparents considered enough time had passed by, they removed the pendant from the child’s clothes. Later in life, I discovered this amulet is called nazar, is against the evil eye, and can be used by actually anyone, not only babies. What’s the Evil Eye? Annwyn Avalon, from The Water... Read more
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