NUKS SPRING 2020 - MAGIC

Tarot Reading Spells Recommendations Short Story Continuation Predictions Exorcism Quiz and more w w w. stud i e ve ren i g i n g kn us.n l

What’s Inside...?

Table Of Contents

Chief Editor’s Note...................................................................... 3 What Happened So Far: The Annual Hitchhike Trip 2020............. 4 What’s Happening Next: KNUS Tarot Reading............................. 4 Magic in Nimma.......................................................................... 5 Magic in your Daily Life: a Spell to Exorcise your Personal Demons.. 5 Coronavirus: the myths and realities.......................................... 6 The Big Bois of RU: Christiaan Huygens...................................... 7 YouTube Recommendations.......................................................... 8 Greet the Gods from Me: Short Story Continuation................... 9 Nostradamus Predictions for 2020............................................. 10 Vampires: The Historical Truth about Dracula........................... 12 Inside the Mind of a Modern Day Eclectic Witch..................... 13 Magic in Popular Culture.......................................................... 14 Procedures of an Exorcism........................................................ 15 Who Would You Be?: Harry Poter vs Voldemort Quiz.................. 16 A Magically Delicious and Enchantingly Beautiful Love Potion.... 17 Cartoon..................................................................................... 18 Sponsor..................................................................................... 19

Editors

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Adil Boughlala Charly Hermanns Daniela Piangiolino Gwen Tummers Minsun Kang (Sunny) Sarah Selena Selena Soemakno Shanna de Caluwé Vera van Nuenen

Designer and Chief Editor

Tatyana Dimitrova

Chief Editor’s

Dear reader,

Note

We have come this far and here it is! The third edition of the NUKS for the academic year of 2019-2020! I had so much fun working on the previous ones, but at the same time they helped me improve myself. What is more, this feeling seems to be shared between me and the readers of the NUKSes. Receiving positive feedback has made me feel extremely happy and accomplished. So there is a small favour I would like to ask of you! The design of this NUKS is something new I am trying and, therefore, I feel very anxious about how it will be received. If you like it, please approach me at any time, any place and let me know your thoughts. Actually, do that if you do not like it as well! I would appreciate some constructive criticism.

To give you a little context: as you can tell from the cover, this NUKS’ theme is Magic. For this reason, I found inspiration in the magical girl manga and comics such as Sailor Moon, Winx and W.I.T.C.H. Do you recognise the aesthetic? Did I manage to put it across effectively? Let me know!

The magazine is not magical only in its visuals, though! Between the pages you’ll find magical recommendations, (historical) facts and stories, a fantastical continuation of the short story, predictions, recipes but also some serious political articles. How did we manage to connect that to Magic? Dive in and find that out for yourself!

Head of the NUKS committee and Designer of the NUKS, Tatyana Dimitrova

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What Happened So Far: The Annual Hitchhike Trip 2020 On the 29th of March, six brave KNUS members went on an adventure trip into The Unknown. After they gathered together in their favourite bookshop, they finally got to know where they would be until the evening. It was a city in the far distance - to be exact: 159km from the secure home. That city was Cologne.

Not to waste anymore time, our beloved KNUSers coupled up to find a way to reach the destination. The journey consisted of many obstacles that they had to overcome. Some achieved greater than others. While one couple could enjoy the good taste of a cup of coffee in a strangers home, another was stuck in the middle of nowhere in the Netherlands. However, only one couple actually reached the destination, even though they had hardships at the very beginning. But we leave no one behind!

All of them reached the safe haven, one way or another, and enjoyed a well-deserved dinner. After a relaxing night, it was finally time to see the city that is known for its big amount of churches. Quite blessed by the weather, the adventurers could enjoy the beautiful landmarks Cologne offers. The exciting weekend was ended with an impressive tour through the cathedral of Cologne. This hitchhike trip may be over but 2021 is awaiting with new adventures that we are looking forward to! Even if you are too shy to participate, you are welcome to join the committee to support all other brave adventurers!

Head of The HitchHike Committee, Melanie Münninghoff

What’s Happening Next: Haven’t you always wanted to know the future? Well, I have! And that is why I have consulted the universe to ask of it to show me what the future KNUS Tarot reading

By Adil Boughlala

will hold for our study association KNUS. Thankfully, it has answered me with the following three cards:

This card advises on how KNUS should work in the future.

It’s a card full of possibilities! All of KNUS’ ideas will turn out to be fruitful.

Even if things look difficult, solutions will easily be found.

As long as everyone is passionate about it, everything can be accomplished!

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This card tells what KNUS will be awaiting, and that is a future full of abundance. But beware, as the snail in the card signifies patience! Profit and abundance are on their way, but it must not be pursued hastily!

The final card shows KNUS’ future opportunities and it is all about celebrating life. The card symbolises a legitimate reason to celebrate cheerfully, because something great will be accomplished! Relax, enjoy and celebrate, because KNUS deserves it!

Magic in Nimma

by Daniela Piangiolino

Not far from the wonderful and ancient St. Stephen’s Church, there lays the statue of Mariken van Nimwegen, carrying a magical legend from the religious past of the late Medieval Nijmegen. It takes us back to the 16th century, where the young Mariken makes a singular encounter in the Grote Markt after a fight with her aunt. Scared of the night, she meets a stranger, who reveals to be the devil disguised as a human being. He arises in the form of ‘Moenen with the one eye’ and seduces her by promising her knowledge and wealth if she follows him. However, there is one condition: she must change her name, because Moenen feels triggered by the memory of a certain ‘Maria’ (*sad Moenen still heartbroken from the Virgin Mary*). Hence, Mariken now becomes Emmeken, which means little M, reminding of her own name. Emmeken and Moenen spend seven years together, wandering around Europe and settling in Antwerp, where they live a wild and sinful life. Emmeken enjoys the ability to practice seven arts and speak different languages which Moenen gives her. The years pass by and Emmeken wishes to see her family again. So Emmeken and Moenen go to Nijmegen and see the performance of a street play about God’s grace and mercifulness. For the first time, Emmeken sees the light and repents, asking God for forgiveness. Betrayed, the angry Moenen lifts her high in the air and drops her back down to break her neck and lead her soul to hell with him. She survives the fall thanks to the prayers of her loving uncle and she travels with him to the Pope to find forgiveness. The Pope encircles her neck and arms with metal rings, which will fall off only when God sends a sign that He has forgiven her. Mariken enters the monastery and after many years of penance, an angel appears in her sleep to remove the rings. When Mariken dies two years later, the rings are placed above her grave. This miracle is commemorated from that day on with the statue of Mariken in the Grote Markt of Nijmegen.

Magic in your Daily Life: A Spell to Exorcise your Personal Demons

by Shanna de Caluwé

This spell will help you weaken or eventually get over your personal demons, that make up the negativity inside of your mind (from Basic Witches by Jaya Saxena and Jess Zimmerman).

Necessities: • A small piece of paper • A black and a red pen/pencil • Matches or a lighter • A small bowl • Your favourite perfume

Steps: 1. Use the black pen to write the negative thoughts you have about yourself on the small piece of paper; be very specific, use experiences or stories 2. Use the red pen to draw the ugliest, vicious looking demon you can come up with over top of the text you wrote down 3. Fold the paper in half twice, then place it in the bowl 4. Light the piece of paper on fire 5. As the piece of paper burns, recite these words: “You hold no power You are not welcome I am not what you say I am” 6. Once the paper has completely burnt up, spray some perfume on it and mix this together with the ashes 7. Use your fingers and the ashes two draw two Xs on your body, one on your forehead and one on your chest 8. Recite the incantation, again: “You hold no power You are not welcome I am not what you say I am” 10. Get into the shower to wash away the ashes, together with the curses they now hold

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Coronavirus: the myths and realities

by Adil Boughlala “The” Coronavirus — it has taken over the world both figuratively and literally. You might have heard of it on the news, on the radio or, heck, you might have even seen a meme depicting the end of the world because of that damned disease! The coronavirus has left us all a bit confused and terrified, and there are a lot of people to blame. Because what happens right now, is that a lot of incorrect information (fake news!) is spread, for various reasons. We will look at some of the most frequently circulated myths about coronavirus (cause that’s what they are — fantasy), and give you the right information.

Very quickly, what is the coronavirus?

Let’s get one thing straight — there is no such thing as “the” coronavirus. There are many different coronaviruses. The one that has received so much attention lately is called the 2019 novel coronavirus and has caused an outbreak of respiratory (breath) disease. The outbreak started in Wuhan, China (hence why some refer to it as the Wuhan virus) and has since spread because of the heavy population.

Only (East-)Asian people can get the coronavirus/Every (East-)Asian person has the virus.

The virus has given many people, especially in the West, the idea that every Asian-looking person around them carries the disease. This has led to severe racism, both online and in the real world. Some Asian people even shared their story of being harassed on the bus, just because they had to cough or sneeze!

However, the virus could care less about race and ethnicity.

Everyone can be infected (not to cause any commotion of course)!

The coronavirus has been planted by [random country] to deal with China’s growing economic power.

It is thought that the virus is a new form of attack towards China. A lot of speculation is going around on the internet as to who it could be, most of which is pointing towards the USA. Some believe that because of China’s growing economic importance, countries have joined to manufacture this virus, which would easily spread. Thankfully, this is all speculation.

The virus is pretty new and there hasn’t been enough research done to actually tell where it came from yet.

Something you ordered online from China can carry the coronavirus with it.

Some of us love to shop online and sometimes even order from China (think of web-shops like AliExpress and Wish). Now, it is true that the Chinese government has issued complete quarantine in their cities, but this does not apply to packages and letters. But what if the virus gets itself on the package? Well, I wouldn’t worry all too much about that. The virus’ cousins SARS and MERS are proven to live for only a few hours on a surface. The same would apply to the 2019 novel coronavirus.

Even if the virus were to end up on your package, it takes at least a few days before the package is delivered. So, don’t you worry about buying that counterfeit Gucci bag!

The coronavirus will slowly end the reign of humanity.

Do you remember the Ebola virus? Also, do you remember how people were at their wit’s end because they thought everyone would die of the disease? What happened since then? The Ebola virus was subject to a lot of media attention a few years ago, but ever since the West had started to tame the disease and even find ways to battle it, the media has completely neglected the virus, despite it still being a big problem in Africa. It seems like as soon as there is no danger for the West, the media will stop talking about it.

To protect yourself from the virus, you need to drink bleach (or something similar).

I mean, honestly, I’m starting to lose my faith in humanity a bit. Who would be so stupid enough to actually believe drinking bleach would help you in any medical way, whatsoever? At least now I understand the Darwinian theory “Survival of the fittest”.

Here are some actual ways to protect yourself in the best way possible: • Regularly wash your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds.

• Cover your mouth when you cough (preferably with the inside of your elbow).

• Stay home when you are sick.

• When you notice you have the symptoms (fever, coughing, runny nose, sore throat and trouble breathing), don’t hesitate to go to your local GP!

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The Big Bois of RU: Christiaan Huygens

by Gwen Tummers

Christiaan Huygens is known for his inventions and discoveries as a physicist, mathematician and astronomer, but the reason why I picked him for this theme of the NUKS is that he was an early science fiction writer. I will firstly mention a few of his famous inventions and discoveries and then write a little bit about his science fiction work.

Huygens lived from 1629 until 1695 in the Netherlands. His most famous discovery was that Saturn has rings around it and that it has a moon (Titan). He did this by using his invention of the telescope with two lenses. His most famous invention was the pendulum clock, which would be the most accurate way of measuring time for the coming three centuries. Huygens is also seen as the founder of mathematical physics, since he was the first to use mathematical formulas to describe laws of physics. Some of these laws which he discovered are the formula for the centripetal force and laws for elastic collision.

What followed from his interest in astronomy was the inevitable question if extraterrestrial life existed and if that life could be similar to the life we know. Huygens turned these speculations into a book called The Cosmotheoros. This book is not as well-known as the inventions and discoveries above, but it is very interesting because Huygens freely wrote down his fantasies in it. The freedom to believe that there is life on other planets was new, since the thought that the earth was the centre was the only accepted one back then. The next step after accepting the Copernican world view was accepting the possibility that there is life outside the earth. Huygens believed that life on other planets had to be similar to the life that we know because our planet would have otherwise risen above the rest. He did not prove his thoughts, but wrote down his speculations. Although the building at our university is probably not named after Huygens because of this, I think it is nice to know that he also attributed something to the genre of science fiction. So next time you feel like speculating rather than just naming facts with MLA in your essay, say that you are inspired by the way the building you are in is named.

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Reccomendations by Selena Soemakno Have you been looking for magic in your everyday life? Would you believe that you were meant to be reading this article? Тhat this message is specifically directed towards you?

Intuition, destiny, manifestation, healing, meditation, there are so many facets of magic that occur in the most mundane of days. If you want more magic to bring in to your otherwise normal life, here are some channels on YouTube that may help you find it:

Shonetta’s Divine Tarot Shonetta is perhaps my favourite tarot reader I’ve ever come across on the platform. Her videos focus on monthly predictions and self-growth, and all you have to do is pick a deck of cards, skip to the timestamp and enjoy. Shonetta is bubbly, radiates positive energy, and all of her videos always go deeper than the average tarot reading. If you’re skeptical about everyday magic, start with Shonetta. I’m certain she’ll change your mind.

AMY LEE (Vagabond Youth) A lot of people are open about self-help and therapy, but not everyone is Amy Lee. Amy started out as a fashion vlogger, but her recent videos stand for much more. She talks about her therapy sessions, shares new ways she’s exploring mental and spiritual healing, and discusses taboo topics such as sexual health. If you’re interested in the more practical methods of balancing mental health in the fast-paced Hustle Culture we live in, then I’d highly recommend her videos.

EAT READ LOVE INC

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Sal is a Leo man who reads zodiac-sign based tarot cards on an almost daily basis. Yep. Just like Shonetta, Sal has amazing energy that can uplift your day. If you’re not ready for the heavy-duty readings or therapy talk, Sal’s videos are a great way to dip your toes into the world of spiritual consciousness. He’s light-hearted and his videos can act as a small guidance before you start your week.

Greet the Gods from Me

Short Story Continuation

by Tatyana Dimitrova

“What is your name? Since when do you not know? I remember you from my dream. If I meet you again, I may not recognise you. But you always arrive when I am waiting for you.”

These thoughts were roaming through Maeve’s head while facing Heria. She was on a rooftop, again. But this time she was not alone. Ran was probably searching for her, again. However, Maeve was too preoccupied with tracing the silver lines the city lights left on Heria’s face to think about that. Her lips separated. She wanted to ask the questions even though they made little sense.

Maeve met Heria a few months ago after the night of White Christmas. She tried to enter the dreamy warehouse she and Ran had been looking at, and there they were; Heria. Back then she did not know their name. But she knew something else: Heria was not human. And she could be like them if she wished for it. That’s why Heria was sent to her. By whom? That was something no one knew.

Since that event, Meave spotted them in public as if the Universe was sending her devine messages. And perhaps that was the case. She decided to give them the name Heria after the first time they spoke with each other, because it was the name of the chocolaterie across the street from the park they were walking through.

She was not sure if the “H” was pronounced silently, but it did not matter much because she only used it in her thoughts.

Now Maeve and Heria were standing on the edge of the rooftop of the tallest building in the nameless town.

But everything had changed.

“What’s that below us?” asked Maeve.

“Those are all the worlds, Maeve.” Heria replied. “There! Do you see it? Everything is circulating below us.”

“Is that everything?”

“Yes.” they replied.

“And where are we?” she asked.

“Hear me out, Maeve. You know humans render time and reality based on that which they remember about themselves. For everything that has happened, they reach back to their memories. If it weren’t for those, they would not know who they are and, consequently, they would not be. They would not exist. But since they remember everything that has happened to them and in the same way can imagine certain things and events, which were created by their mind, then where is the difference between that which has happened and that which they imagine? There is no difference. This means, Maeve, that they have never existed and never were.

They are not now and they will never be. Never.”

Maeve looked at him on the verge of tears. Nothing made sense. But it also did. The sun had shifted. It was setting below them. No. It had set a long, long time ago. Or perhaps it was never there.

“Someone is calling us, Maeve! We are not humans! We are! Spread your wings and follow me!”

“I am scared,” she replied.

“Don’t be! That’s what was supposed to happen!” Heria spread their invisible wings and flew down into the abyss. The worlds spread into chaos. The light shrunk into a sphere and whined timidly.

“Maeve, come! I see beyond everything!” shouted Heria. Maeve spread her invisible wings in turn. She made a circle and sank downwards after Heria. Somehow, in that moment, she realised that since the very first time she spotted them on the corner of the warehouse, Heria was there to take her away and she knew it back then.

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Nostradamus Predictions for 2020 We all know of horoscopes, from cosmopolitan magazines to comparing horoscopes during summer camp to see which person we would be most compatible with. However, an aspect of horoscopes that is not very well known is the predictions of Nostradamus. Nostradamus, born Michel de Nostradame in 1503 in Saint-Remy-de-Provence, France, was a physician who treated plague victims in France and Italy. He practiced the occult and made predictions of the future which he published in The Prophecies. Due to fears of religious persecution, his predictions were formatted in quatrains—rhymed four-line verses—and a mixture of other languages such as Greek, Italian, Latin, and Provencal, a dialect of Southern France. It is widely believed that his quatrains predicted many important events throughout our history.

Here are some examples.

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“Um??? UM???” That’s what you’re thinking, I know it. I am the new Nostradamus. If you read into and analyze his quatrains, they seem spot-on to the events of our past. However, to spook you even more, let us see what his predictions for 2020 are based on his quatrains.

The threat of World War III has been looming over all of our heads from the election of Donald Trump into the Oval Office. He has made questionable decisions, including insulting Kim Jong Un, ordering the assassination of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani; which actually did almost cause a war. Hence, based on certain leaders and their corresponding attitudes and access to nukes, WWIII occurring does not seem too far off.

This quatrain applies to the prediction of World War III and the “holy men” implicates the Middle Eastern superpowers to join the fray. The “sacred law” they will supposedly “suppress” may be Islam, whereby the people fighting in the war will go against the teachings of the Qur’an to justify their acts in the war.

The “King” refers to Trump leading America.

The “exiles” may be interpreted as minority communities or the democrats wronged by Trump and the “conspiracy” being his impeachment.

Although, despite the odds, Trump will be reelected according to the prophecy. …Australia. Need I say more???

The lion is a traditional symbol of England, often represented on sporting teams, such as the England national cricket team. The “falling outside the austere city” refers to the repercussions faced within the EU due to Brexit.

That concludes my list of predictions based on the quatrains of Notradamus. I hope you were sufficiently shooketh by them and let us hope that the poetry of an alternative facts dude in the 16th century holds no weight and rest easy friends!

• Sarah Selena

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Vampires: The Historical Truth about Dracula Dracula, we all know him. Some know him as the vampire who slaughtered many, the father of all vampires, the ur-vampire, the legend created by Bram Stoker that has been used as a blueprint for every other vampire story existing. If you were to ask anyone you know if they know Dracula, sure the answer always would be a “yes”. But do we really know Dracula and the vampire race he belonged to? I think no one really does and no one ever will. Every fictional story, every folklore story differs from the other. It is interesting to look into the way the popular culture adopts the old tales and creates new myths about vampires. But even more interesting is the story behind the ur-vampire that made the hype around vampires happen. Thanks to Bram Stoker, popular culture and many subcultures find pleasure in the offspring of Count Dracula, who by the way is one of the most portrayed villains in the history of film ever.

“Dracula means ‘son of the devil’ in Romanian, which definitely was a fitting name for this ruler in Medieval times.”

To get to know the real Dracula, we have to travel way back in time. The inspiration for Bram Stoker’s fictional Count lies in the life of Vlad III, also know as Vlad The Impaler or Vlad Dracula. Dracula means “son of the devil” in Romanian, which definitely was a fitting name for this ruler in Medieval times. Vlad was ruler over the Wallachia, a historical region of Romania. Here, he ruled in the 15th century, protecting his land against the Ottoman Empire.

Let’s begin with the childhood of Vlad, shall we? He surely did not experience a normal childhood. There are many sources giving different information about this historic event but I will just go with what the history channel provided me with: after capitulating to the Ottoman Empire, Vlad II, Vlads father, sent his two sons as peace offering to the Sultan. Here, the boys would be imprisoned and kept as a guarantee for peace and loyalty. During imprisonment the boy must have endured circumstances no one can really imagine. Historians are not sure what might have happened to the boy, but speculations range from definite torture to sexual assault and other cruel experiences that for sure imprinted the mind of Vlad. Both were also raised there. They were set free after all.

He is most known for the way he ruled during the Ottoman War, which is what makes him so gruesome.

Even before that, he had his cruel ways to show who was the ruler of Wallachia and who most certainly was not.

To do so he used the method of impalement, which is torture in the most brutal way. I will not go into detail but feel free to look it up yourself, just a little disclaimer: it naaaasty. To do something like this while being up close, or even do it himself, is the reason he got his little nickname and why historians are fascinated with him. According to sources, Vlad was able to kill whoever he wanted without the slightest hint of emotions.

There are even stories about him feasting while looking at the impaled. Let me tell you one thing, the smells, the screams and the view he had during this dinner, were not ones a sane person could have faced…

But those little tales have not made him famous. The forest of the impaled has. To protect his land from the invading Ottoman army, Vlad turned on his own people and allegedly impaled a whole village. By the looks of this massacre, the sultan and his army were so scared. Not knowing what Vlad might do to them if he could do this to his own folk, they immediately turned around.

Bram Stoker took this guy as inspiration for his Count Dracula. Not only has he taken the bloodthirst and brutality and obviously the name of the cruel leader as an example, he also took the place of origin: Transylvania, which is a part of historic Wallachia. Stoker turned the method of impalement on Dracula and invented the only way to properly kill a vampire: by a stake through his heart, otherwise he might be resurrected again.

Another aspect both creatures share: they seem impossible to be stopped by a human hand, both leaders who kill for a living.

• Charly Hermanns

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Inside the Mind of A Modern Day Eclectic Witch

A piece written by Shanna de Caluwé’s lovely cousin Leeza Masia

It is one of my greatest beliefs that we live in a world of magic and miracles. For me, there is no doubt that we each are born with innate spiritual powers that are natural in every human. However, they are not always widely recognized, accepted, or nurtured in every aspect of our daily society. We all have the capability of learning how to harness our own powers and energies, and there are many ways to do so.

A few years ago, after a long series of traumatic events that went unhealed, I reached a breaking point in my life. My heart was broken in so many ways, from the death of a beloved sister, to the sequence of failed toxic relationships, I always seemed to find myself swept up in. I had no will left, nor purpose or direction. Like so many before me, I had lost my way. I forgot about my magic.

It was during this time that my very spiritual mom, Nancy, who had already gifted me my first tarot deck, brought me to my first crystal healing class and introduced me to her friend Donna Temm. Donna is the creator of the Donna Temm Energy Rebalancing Technique called DTERM, which is very similar to Reiki energy healing. She introduced me to many spiritual concepts, helped me understand that I am an empath and what it means to be one, and showed me the importance of and how to release and rebalance one’s energy. Most excitingly, she was able to channel messages of guidance, encouragement, and love from cherished family members that had passed on, and this was priceless for me.

She continues to be one of the greatest spiritual teachers I’ve encountered.

Once the doors were opened, I was never the same again. I began connecting with my own spiritual gifts in ways I never had, I dove deep into mystical topics and stayed up all night researching them, learning about universal truths and magical concepts, such as correspondences between rocks, plants, colors, numbers, and planets and taking detailed notes. My soul felt alive again and excited to be living in a realm where magic is so clearly possible.

Soon, I had a new job at a local metaphysical shop which I helped manage, and I began teaching classes about what I was learning, connecting with people from all walks of life and building a spiritual community.

For the past two years I have been honored to lead tarot workshops that I have dubbed Tarot Talk Tuesday. They began as tiny groups of people meeting at the local metaphysical shop and soon graduated to a larger room at the local library for a growing community of people. During the talks we focus on a central theme or discussion centered around the tarot and its intriguing archetypes and symbols. Each of the images has a meaning and a lot of what I do is help others decipher the significance for themselves. It is never my job to tell someone their future, that is only in their hands. My hope is to help them discover the answers already within themselves.

During the workshop, we all pull a card or a few to reflect upon and talk about. It is this kind of work, in asking our subconscious questions, where intuition can be developed, which can connect us to higher realms and supernatural abilities. I also bring my tarot collection to share with everyone, so people can explore the different kinds of decks out there. It’s important to note that there is no one way to read tarot, the advice that might come through might be different from reader to reader, but all of it significant. The goal is to create a safe space where we can talk about spiritual subjects within our life, without fear of judgement. I am honored to have inspired anyone to trust their own intuitive abilities.

With that being said, I’ve come to identify myself as a modern day eclectic Witch living in Massachusetts. The amount of joy to be able to freely say such a thing without worry of being burned at a stake is indescribable for me! I now know I’m here on the planet at this time to help empower myself and others to see the magical and spiritual potentials and abilities we all hold. To bring some light and gentle guidance to those going through a moment of darkness, and to teach about many mystical subjects that have helped me, such as tarot reading as a form of self-reflection, crystal healing and gridding, astrological concepts, candle magic, meditation, and empath empowerment.

These days I am a freelance tarot reader and teacher, and continue to have deep love and reverence for the natural and spiritual world, and finding the magic within it. My work with the energies of various plants and minerals, as well as my spirit guides and ancestors, brings meaning and purpose to my life, as well as oceans of happiness. While not all may understand my path, it is my path, and I walk it proudly.

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Magic in Popular Culture

When I hear the words “let’s talk about magic, about magic in popular culture,” my head starts spinning. Where should I start? You could write a whole book about this! Magic is basically everywhere. Not in the cheesy, Instagram quote type of way, that magic is in every little action.

No, I definitely don’t mean that by saying that magic is everywhere.

When you take a closer look at the popular culture and its many different manifestations, magic winds through them like a red thread.

There is music related to the magical realm, fashion trends, lifestyle trends, a TV-shows, hundreds and hundreds of movies that relate to it. We all know the most famous wizard of all time, who in my unpopular opinion is not the greatest of them all, Harry Potter. The universe surrounding Harry Potter is a booming entertain enterprises that penetrates every market available in popular culture. You can buy merchandise of Harry Potter in any way your little Harry Potter fan heart desires: food, beverages, clothing, home accessorise, shower gels etc. Aaaand you had Pottermore, now Wizarding World, the website that tells you in which of the houses you belong and what your patronus is (mine’s a crow by the way). The Harry Potter universe is just one example for the magic driven business that the entertainment world actually is. And this world has a big influence on popular culture.

Recently it seems that the hype around magic just reached a new high. When looking at the releases of the entertainment platforms, such as Netflix, we find magic in most of them. There

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was one release of the past years that had nearly everyone talk about magic: The Teenage Witch Sabrina. She lured many into the magical world.

In January 2020 Netflix dropped the second season of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. But that is just one example of the trending series of Netflix that are related to magic. I would definitely argue that Riverdale and the plotline that gets weirder and weirder how longer it goes on, moved towards a more magical approach of dealing with crime and whatever it was Riverdale was dealing with. When introducing the cult that was related to the “Gryphons and Gargoyles”, Riverdale definitely took a deep dive into the magical world. It is no wonder than that Riverdale and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina share the same universe and the fictional towns Greendale and Riverdale seem to be neighbours.

Sabrina actually visited Riverdale once but an official crossover never happened. Maybe it will one day?

In lifestyle, magic has also made a comeback.

Popular culture takes another leap towards magic.

The trends go towards a more spiritual way of life that is open for the magic of the everyday.

Even though I personally know very little about it, astrology is now a very big part of popular culture and has created a belief for predictions in many forms. It can be argued that astrology might be seen as a form of magic (please, let me not offend anyone by saying that). Astrology is more than it meets the eye. It is a pseudoscience that was very important throughout history. It was already recorded way back in ancient times.

In astrology one can find explanations for divine and baffling things that happen to us on a daily basis. It can help create structure and insight into the inner life. For the one, it is the way to find answers, for the next, it is just utterly humbug. A discussion that brings it closer to magic.

Magic fascinates us, it always has. But it also scares us. Magic is used to label activities impossible to explain in a logical way. It

entertains us to imagine scenarios that cannot happen in the real world, if there was no magic.

Magic is part of the escapism of reality. It might help explain paranormal activities, but there is no proof magic exists. Still, popular culture will create the desire for magic to exists. Magic is a timeless phenomenon, and so is the fixation of popular culture on it. Just take a look into your history books, believe me: magic is everywhere.

• Charly Hermanns

Procedures of an Exorcism

by Minsun Kang (Sunny)

An exorcism is a ritual or spiritual practice for removing demons or an other non-physical entity from a possessed person, an area, or an object. However, the possessions in Late Antiquity were exploited as propaganda of the Christian religion. In The Devil Within: Possession & Exorcism in the Christian West by Brian P. Levack, some people believed in the power of the devil and its existence. Therefore, they associated the violent seizures, contortions, swellings, and blasphemies with the Devil’s abilities which can intervene in the natural world. Thus, the norm for exorcisms depends on people’s belief. Nevertheless, there are numerous sources related to exorcist cases in the history of religions, especially Catholicism. Nowadays, for instance, there are unbelievable cases which cannot be cured with normal medical treatments, but are solved by exorcist practices. Those pieces of evidence stand for the existence of the Devil and the power of exorcisms and exorcists.

According to the exorcist procedures which Guiley introduces, firstly, the exorcist and his assistants have to become aware of the eerie feeling coming from the nonexplanatory existence. Next step is the attempt by the evil existence to come out and act as the victim, to be seen as the same person. Through this process, the exorcist tries to figure out who the demon is. For example, there are many exorcist films which show the scene where the exorcist finds out the name of the demon during the exorcist practice. Then, the demon begins to reveal their existence through the possessed victim in third person instead of as itself. At this point, the demon’s pretence finally breaks down while they make horrible sights, noises and exude smells. In particular, there is a sign of this moment, the so-called Breakpoint, when the voice is inordinately disturbing and humanly distressing babel. After that, the voice is silenced during the proceeding of the exorcism. In this procedure, the demon has collided with the “will of the Kingdom”. The exorcist finalises the process of exorcism. They are locked in a fight with the demon and try to get more information about it by the domination of their holy power. Finally, the exorcist takes the spirit out of the body of the victim in the name of Jesus. After all the procedures, the victim may remember what happened to them or cannot remember anything.

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Who would you be?

Harry Potter vs Voldemort Quiz

by Adil Boughlala

You and your bestfriend have the same crush, you:

If you find money, you: a. give it to the police b. keep it to yourself

When you start a book, you: a. read everything piece by piece b. immediately read everything

a.decide that friendship is more important b. take your shot at your crush

a.wait an hour for a spot to open

You see some kids at the supermarket putting stuff in their pockets, you:

b.park at the handicapped place

a.notify an employee of what

very shortly

they’re doing

You need to park but there is only a handicapped spot left, you:

When doing this quiz, you:

b. pnretend not to see

a. obviously enjoyed it b. couldn’t care less about the answer

Count all the answers and see the results for yourself!

More answers A. • More Answers B.

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A Magically Delicious and Enchantingly Beautiful Love Potion

(by Tipsy Bartender on YouTube) • Shanna de Caluwé

Needed Ingredients: • Fireball Whisky • Cherry Vodka • Grenadine • Honey • Red Sugar (found at a baking supply store) • Pearl Dust (found at a baking supply store) • Heart Candy Tools: • 2 shot glasses • A large glass • Ice • Spoon

Steps: • Rim the shot glasses by dipping the edge into the honey before dipping it into the Red Sugar • In the large glass filled with ice, add one part of Fireball Whisky to an equal part of Cherry Vodka • To this, add a splash of Grenadine and a sprinkle of Pearl Dust to give the drink a nice shimmer • Stir everything together to combine • Pour the mix into the shot glasses • Finish of by making a little slit on the bottom of the Heart Candy and put that on the edge of the glasses • Enjoy! But be careful who you serve this to, as they will inevitably fall in love with you!

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Sadly, these are the last pages of this NUKS. But hey! Cheer up! This means another funky comic, right? • Tatyana Dimitrova

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@catandcatcomics

NUKS SPRING 2020 w w w. studi e ver en i g i n g kn us.n l