![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kossaiassociation of objects with magical uses can be hard for some people to grasp and adjust to - cinnamon is cinnamon , daisy is daisy , this idea of link to traits like warmth and luck just do not make sense . no amount of lists will help , because every kind of folk magic from every kind of place will have entirely different lists , so which one is really " right " ? answer is of course , any of these can be entirely right and entirely wrong for any individual practitioner ... which is even more useless answer to people who struggle with idea .
in conversation with someone who struggle in this way , first break down why associations come about . every practitioner of various folk magics and traditions use what was available then and there , which is why so many objects can have identical meanings , and why one object can have different - sometimes contradictory - meanings . in simplest form , association is object which stand in for one's desired outcome , chosen with local , communal , and personal factors in mind .
modern communities tend to focus on traits as associations , because have all of these lists at fingertips , able to spread around , corroborate , and occasionally dick wag about which ones must be really right and true . but again , this can be utterly unfamiliar and useless to some people . if any list could be right , then what , just have to pick one of those lists and try ? that is certainly idea , but can make those people feel disconnected from practise , just follow instructions someone else write without really understand why , and demotivate .
think need to talk more about use cases as associations . these lists of associations did not spring up from nowhere , after all - there was someone , somewhere , at some time , who start out . sometimes these indeed come from religious and metaphysical analysis , like stories that tie this god to this plant , high fae activity in area where this plant bloom , or otherwise . but other times these come just as much from physical properties - scents , tastes , chemical reactions , times of bloom and death , resemblance to something else , anything really .
similar questions can help to build associations under both frameworks , but trait framework ask practitioner to interpret those answers as symbolic - use case framework instead ask practitioner to think about ways to use , regardless of anyone's potential symbology . these use case associations may very well turn into trait associations with time , refine into more specific use cases , or even just fall out of use with time as something else start to make more sense .
one example that give was about incense . if there is one particular scent that truly love , then that could become incense which burn when need to calm down and clear head of stress . could even use two or more different incenses for this and experiment - is one of these more subtle and calm , and one more energised ? now have one for gentler rest and relaxation , and one for more powerful mood boost . can then build from that - if favourite rose incense is for rest and relaxation , then that and other rose ingredients may also be useful in sleep aid spells .
this is much more approachable framework for some people . think this , as well as some ideas of questions , might be good idea for website ... as if not already strange enough spaghetti ;P
in conversation with someone who struggle in this way , first break down why associations come about . every practitioner of various folk magics and traditions use what was available then and there , which is why so many objects can have identical meanings , and why one object can have different - sometimes contradictory - meanings . in simplest form , association is object which stand in for one's desired outcome , chosen with local , communal , and personal factors in mind .
modern communities tend to focus on traits as associations , because have all of these lists at fingertips , able to spread around , corroborate , and occasionally dick wag about which ones must be really right and true . but again , this can be utterly unfamiliar and useless to some people . if any list could be right , then what , just have to pick one of those lists and try ? that is certainly idea , but can make those people feel disconnected from practise , just follow instructions someone else write without really understand why , and demotivate .
think need to talk more about use cases as associations . these lists of associations did not spring up from nowhere , after all - there was someone , somewhere , at some time , who start out . sometimes these indeed come from religious and metaphysical analysis , like stories that tie this god to this plant , high fae activity in area where this plant bloom , or otherwise . but other times these come just as much from physical properties - scents , tastes , chemical reactions , times of bloom and death , resemblance to something else , anything really .
similar questions can help to build associations under both frameworks , but trait framework ask practitioner to interpret those answers as symbolic - use case framework instead ask practitioner to think about ways to use , regardless of anyone's potential symbology . these use case associations may very well turn into trait associations with time , refine into more specific use cases , or even just fall out of use with time as something else start to make more sense .
one example that give was about incense . if there is one particular scent that truly love , then that could become incense which burn when need to calm down and clear head of stress . could even use two or more different incenses for this and experiment - is one of these more subtle and calm , and one more energised ? now have one for gentler rest and relaxation , and one for more powerful mood boost . can then build from that - if favourite rose incense is for rest and relaxation , then that and other rose ingredients may also be useful in sleep aid spells .
this is much more approachable framework for some people . think this , as well as some ideas of questions , might be good idea for website ... as if not already strange enough spaghetti ;P
no subject
Date: Mar. 18th, 2026 02:16 am (UTC)Very good writeup, big fan of resources to help explain these things
no subject
Date: Mar. 18th, 2026 02:39 am (UTC)