This guide will illustrate the difference between the concept of freedom of religion and freedom to scam.  Freedom of religion  supports the right of individuals and groups to practice, worship, and observe their particular religion or belief in teaching.  Freedom of religion also indicates that we do not persecute those of other faiths.  Religious freedom has nothing to do with the proliferation of merchants on Ebay selling Devata, Demons, Pegasus, Succubi and/or other fictional items and  claiming that those items have any sort of origins in Wicca or other earth-based religions or magical practices.  There is no religion that is based in any of these items or stories.  In fact it is absolute profaning of religion and spirituality by merchants who claim to offer such items. I have written many guides about the unfortunate twisting, contorting, and profaning of spirituality in the metaphysical category on eBay. In order to protect themselves, those who sell these items are now turning the tables and claiming that they are being persecuted for their religious beliefs. I welcome anyone to come forward and show evidence that haunted items  and the selling of animal or human spirits have any basis in religion.   I would go so far as to say that something like the claim of selling an animal spirit or demon is anti-religion, or anti-spiritual.  In fact, it is one of the most heinous things I have ever witnessed in my life.  Selling a haunted doll or  an item that has  a history of strange activity is one thing -- -- claiming to sell a spirit of a God, Goddess, Demon, etc. it is an entirely different scenario.

I collect and sell haunted and curious items, but I am aware that there is no basis in religion for most of these items. They are paranormal curiosities  and while I do believe in things and objects of a paranormal nature, it is not my "religion".  I do not subscribe to a formal religion, but my belief system is rooted in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Earth-based religions.  I have had an interest in  and have collected paranormal curiosities my entire life, but it is not my "religion".  Because of what I believe, I would never claim to sell the spirit of an animal  or any other sacred being. To do such a thing is anti-spiritual end is the encapsulation of what is wrong with the world today. Have some become so greedy in their quest for the almighty dollar that they would stoop so low as to (claim)  to sell an animal spirit or the soul of a sacred religious deity?  People know deep in their hearts that this is wrong, but they continue to sell these items as well as attack anyone who tells the truth about these spiritual crimes. Sadly, the reason for this is greed.  Fortunately, people are waking up to the truth behind many of these scams.  As I said in my previous guide, we are all looking for  happiness and we all want to feel that we can touch the other side. We want to see beyond the veil  and give meaning to our lives, and since we live in a material world -- we sometimes look for material objects to make our hopes a reality.  Not everyone  who searches for enchanted items is educated in spirituality, religious systems, or the occult.  They shouldn't have to be. But in this day and age they do have to be, otherwise they can lose so much financially, emotionally, and spiritually.

 Speaking of religious freedom, many of those same merchants who sell false items also profane some of the worlds most ancient religious practices. One of the greatest victims is Wicca.  I do not call myself a Wiccan,  but I do have great respect for this religion and I  do follow a lot of Wiccan principles in my work. I do call myself a "witch" because of my work, but I am not part of a coven nor do I follow Wicca exclusively.  For countless years witches have been stereotyped and persecuted.  Sadly, this tradition is in full force on eBay where people have seen dollar signs in the selling of "witch estates". The reason for this is that witchcraft has always been intriguing to the public and many merchants try to use that to their advantage.  Instead of respecting the craft and studying it in order to create objects of value that are truly spell cast, these merchants simply buy large lots of jewelry and say that the jewelry was left behind by a witch or spell cast by a coven.   Not only does this spread false information about Wicca, but it takes away from those who are actually creating authentic spellcast objects.  I recommend that if you are looking for something that is spell cast,  that  you always purchase directly from the one who did the casting.  It may be worth your while to take a trip to an independent metaphysical shop or to even visit some of the shops in Salem Massachusetts either  in person or online. In this way you can be sure that you are buying from genuine practitioners who take spell work seriously and respectfully.  It really makes all the difference in the power of the finished object. It is the difference between buying a machine printed copy of a painting and buying the actual painting directly from the artist.

 Another issue related to religion is  the unfortunate selling of religious objects as metaphysical or "haunted" objects. The selling of Devata strikes a particular nerve with me, as these are sacred Hindu deities.  I have also seen Tibetan prayer wheels, malas,  and Buddha statues being sold as "haunted" or  as having magical powers.  this is what I mean when I say that so many merchants here are profaning the sacred  in the name of money. I am reminded of the story of Jesus in the temple with the money changers.  there is nothing at all wrong with selling haunted, paranormal, or unusual curiosities -- --  but when religions and the spirit world are used falsely and with the sole purpose of deluding a buyer, this is wrong -- it is wrong -- it is wrong! 

Am I being negative by telling the truth?  Whenever I write a guide,  the sellers responsible for the spiritual crimes that I'm speaking of usually go all over the Internet and post false information about me. Most recently my daughter was attacked on a website created by some of these sellers.  These sellers also went so far as to call me a satanist with a history of violent crime  and recommended that no one buy my items lest they suffer misfortune and illness.  That particular issue is currently being dealt with legally,  but I figured I would write a bunch of guides today in order to prove that truth does not back down and the truth always will outweigh dishonesty and greed.  The fact that these others are so infuriated by my guides that they would engage in criminal activity further proves my point that there are very dark dangers lurking here in the metaphysical category. I am very glad to hear that the light is shining through and that people are beginning to understand  the terrible ways in which so many have been taken advantage of. There is a magical and powerful world just beyond our five senses, and we CAN tap into the spirit world to help us in our daily lives. But in order for it to work, it must be done respectfully and with care.