u/Adrinaj95

Hi everyone,

I’ve been thinking about writing this post for a while because this is something that has been on my mind more and more over the years.

I’m a guy, and ever since I was very young, I have had an incredibly strong attraction to anything related to witches, magic, mysticism, folklore, paganism, tarot, rituals, and magical practices in general. When I say “strong attraction,” I don’t just mean that I find these topics interesting in the same way someone might enjoy a particular hobby. It feels much deeper than that.

At this point, I would describe my fascination as almost obsessive. I constantly read about witchcraft, collect books and tarot decks, listen to music inspired by magic and mysticism, write stories involving witches, and generally feel drawn toward these themes in a way that I honestly don’t experience with anything else.

What makes this even stranger to me is that this attraction has remained constant throughout my life. Interests usually come and go, but this one has only become stronger as I’ve grown older.

Lately, I’ve started wondering whether there could be something more behind it.

Part of me thinks there must be a perfectly rational explanation: perhaps it’s simply my personality, my aesthetic preferences, or the symbolism and empowerment associated with witchcraft that resonate with me deeply.
But another part of me can’t help wondering whether there could be a spiritual explanation. Could such an intense connection to witchcraft be related to a past life? Is it possible that I practiced magic in another incarnation, was part of a magical or pagan tradition, or perhaps even lived as a witch in a previous life?

I know that nobody can give me a definitive answer, and I understand that these things are impossible to prove objectively. Still, I would genuinely love to explore this possibility and see whether there is any way to investigate it further.

Have any of you experienced something similar — feeling inexplicably drawn to witchcraft or certain spiritual paths long before you consciously chose them? If so, how did you approach those feelings?
Are there practices, meditations, divination methods, or other spiritual exercises that might help someone explore whether this connection has roots beyond this lifetime?

I would love to hear both mystical and rational perspectives, because right now I’m open to both possibilities.

Thank you for reading, and blessed be. ✨

I wanted to open a discussion about something that has been on my mind lately, because after years of W.I.T.C.H. feeling almost dormant, suddenly it feels like there is a lot happening around the franchise again.

On the German side, things seem very organized. Egmont has been releasing the complete edition at a steady pace, with four volumes per year: March, June, September and December. They have also confirmed that the main collection will have 22 volumes in total, which means the German edition should be completed in December 2027 if the schedule continues as planned.

Besides that, Germany is also getting the 25 Jahre Magie anniversary edition, plus W.I.T.C.H. Special: Die gesammelten W.I.T.C.H.-Sonderbände, which collects the special issues. So Germany is not only completing the main comic, but also recovering extra material.

Italy, however, is where things get especially interesting to me.

Italy is the birthplace of W.I.T.C.H., but the Italian 20 anni di magia / 25 anni di magia collection has been painfully slow for years. Each volume collects five issues, and the original comic has 139 issues in total. That means the complete collection would need around 28 volumes. If they now move to two volumes per year, it would still take until around 2036 to finish the whole series.

This year we are apparently getting volume 8 and volume 9 of 25 anni di magia, which is already an improvement compared to the previous rhythm. But at the same time, Italy suddenly seems to have several other releases coming:

We already have 25 anni di magia volume 8, but then we know that the following is coming:

25 anni di magia volume 9
the Italian anniversary kit
W.I.T.C.H. il manga. Complete Edition, collecting the Haruko Iida manga in one volume
W.I.T.C.H. What If, which appears to be listed as a 2026 Italian release, and according to rumors might be a novel

And this is where I start wondering what is actually happening.

For years, the Italian side of the franchise felt extremely slow and almost neglected. Now, suddenly, several different products are appearing around the same period, especially October 2026. I understand that 2026 is tied to the anniversary period, and W.I.T.C.H. has a strong connection to autumn/Halloween in terms of atmosphere, but still — the concentration of releases feels unusual after such a long drought.

The Italian anniversary kit, to me, feels more like pure collector’s merchandise: a reprint of issue 1 plus physical extras. I understand the appeal, but I am not sure it feels ambitious enough for such an important anniversary.

The manga complete edition is different. Even though I already own the two original manga volumes, a 400-page complete edition for 20€ actually feels reasonable and useful as a reprint.
But the most intriguing one is What If. If it really is a novel, that would be genuinely surprising, because W.I.T.C.H. has not had that kind of new material in many years. A novel would be much more than just another reprint. It would suggest that Disney Italy is at least willing to create or commission new W.I.T.C.H. content again.

So my question is: what do you think is going on?
Do you think this is simply anniversary marketing and nostalgia-based merchandising?
Do you think Disney Italy has realized that there is still a market for W.I.T.C.H. and is now testing different formats?

Could What If be a sign that they are open to producing new material again?

And, more broadly, could all this activity mean that W.I.T.C.H. is slowly being reconsidered as an active franchise rather than just an old property to reprint every now and then?

I am not saying this means a reboot, animated revival or live action is happening. There is no confirmation of that. But with the German edition being properly planned, the specials being recovered, the Italian manga coming back, the main Italian collection continuing, and now this mysterious What If, it really feels like W.I.T.C.H. is more alive editorially than it has been in a very long time.
I would love to know what other fans think. Is this just a temporary anniversary wave, or do you think there might be something more behind it?

I’m writing this because I could really use some perspective, encouragement, and maybe some success stories from people who have been through something similar.

My cat, Artemis, is around 16 years old. He was adopted when he was about 6, and he has been with me for over 10 years. To be honest, he is much more than a pet to me. He has been my companion through some of the biggest changes in my life and has always been one of the constants I could count on.

A few weeks ago, I noticed that he seemed thinner than before. The thing is, apart from the weight loss, he looked completely normal to me.
He still:
Eats every day.
Drinks normally.
Uses the litter box without any apparent issues.
Jumps onto beds and furniture.
Occasionally gets sudden bursts of energy and runs around the house.
Seeks attention and affection.
Sleeps with me.
Greets me when I come home.
Acts like… Artemis.

If I had never taken him to the vet, I honestly would have assumed he was simply becoming a thinner old cat.
My vet agreed that, overall, he looked surprisingly good for his age, but she wanted bloodwork because of the weight loss.

The results showed hyperthyroidism, which seems to explain a lot of what I’ve been seeing.
The bloodwork also showed mildly elevated kidney-related values. My urea was at the upper end of normal and creatinine was only slightly above the reference range. My vet described these findings as pre-renal rather than advanced kidney disease and told me she was not overly concerned at this stage. She explained that hyperthyroidism can sometimes affect how kidney values are interpreted and that the priority was to start treatment and monitor how he responds over time.

Importantly, she did not tell me he was in kidney failure, and she did not present the situation as an emergency.

She prescribed Apelka (methimazole) for the hyperthyroidism and IRC Vet Gel, and we have already started treatment.

Objectively speaking, I know this could have been much worse.
The vet didn’t talk about end-stage disease.
She didn’t talk about euthanasia.
She didn’t tell me I was about to lose him.
She gave me medication and scheduled follow-up appointments.
And yet emotionally I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck.
I think the reason is that, before this diagnosis, I knew Artemis was old, but I could still look at him and think everything was fine because he looked fine.
Now there is a diagnosis.
Now there is medication.
Now there are follow-up visits.

And suddenly my brain has started translating all of that into:
“What if this is the beginning of the end?”

The strange thing is that Artemis himself seems completely unaware that anything is wrong.
I was away for a few days attending a family wedding, and when I came back home he absolutely melted when he saw me.
He followed me around.
He wanted attention immediately.
He wanted to lie down with me.
He looked genuinely happy that I was back.
Looking at him, I don’t see a dying cat.
I see my cat.
The same cat I’ve loved for over a decade.
The same cat who still wants to be close to me.
The same cat who still has opinions about everything.
The same cat who still gets excited about food.
The same cat who still seems to enjoy life.

We’ve also managed to find a way to give him his medication. He takes the Apelka surprisingly well when it’s hidden in a tiny amount of a treat he loves, and we’re slowly figuring out the best way to handle the IRC Vet Gel as well.

What makes all of this harder is that I’m currently preparing for a major life change. My partner and I are planning a move, and for years I always told myself that I would probably make major changes in my life once my cat was no longer here.
Now that I’ve finally reached a point where those changes are happening, I find myself terrified that the universe is somehow telling me that Artemis is reaching the end of his journey too.

I know that’s not necessarily rational.
But that’s honestly how I feel right now.
So I guess I’m looking for experiences from people who have been in a similar situation.
For those of you who have had senior cats with hyperthyroidism, especially cats around 15–17 years old:

How long did they live after diagnosis?
Did treatment help them regain weight or muscle?
Did they continue enjoying life?
Did you also find that the diagnosis was scarier than the reality?

Right now I feel like I’m seeing two different things at the same time:
A very old cat.
And my best friend.
Thanks for reading. ❤️🐱

With the official Cure Éclair mystery still ongoing, I’ve been thinking about the candidates and I keep coming back to the same conclusion: Kurea Howa feels like the strongest possibility.
Of course, this is just speculation before the reveal, but there are a few details that make me think Toei might not be hiding the answer as much as people expect.

First of all, let’s talk about the name Éclair itself.
An éclair is a French pastry. It’s one of the most recognizable desserts in the world and is directly associated with bakeries and pâtisseries. Out of all the current candidates, Kurea is the one most strongly connected to sweets and pastry-making through Patisserie ChuChu.

That alone doesn’t prove anything, but it feels like a very intentional connection.
What makes me think this theory has even more weight is Precure’s history of using thematic clues when introducing new Cures.
A recent example is Wonderful Precure. Before Cure Nyammy officially debuted, many fans guessed that the girl associated with the cat would become the cat-themed Cure. In the end, that is exactly what happened.

The franchise often likes to leave clues in plain sight:

Character motifs
Names
Animals
Hobbies
Occupations
Color symbolism

Because of that, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to assume that a character heavily associated with a pâtisserie could become a Cure named after a pastry.

There’s also the name itself.
“Kurea” and “Éclair” are obviously not the same word, but I’ve wondered if there might be a deliberate phonetic connection there. Japanese media often enjoys this kind of wordplay, especially in magical girl series. I’m not saying it’s definitive evidence, but it adds another small point in her favor.

Another reason I keep returning to Kurea is that the current season revolves around mystery and deduction. If Toei is running a public guessing campaign, it would make sense for the answer to be discoverable through clues rather than being completely random.

If the reveal ends up being someone else, I won’t be shocked. Precure has surprised us before.
Still, when I look at the candidates, the combination of:

The pastry theme
Kurea’s connection to a pâtisserie
Precure’s history of obvious thematic foreshadowing

The possibility of name-based wordplay
makes Kurea feel like the most natural fit for Cure Éclair.

At this point I’d honestly be more surprised if she wasn’t Cure Éclair.

We’ll find out soon enough, but that’s currently where my money is. 🍰✨

I’ve been struggling with this question for quite a while, and I’d love to hear different perspectives from people with more experience.

I’m a man, and I’ve always felt drawn to spirituality, tarot, intuition, and what many people would describe as energy work. Tarot is currently the main form my practice takes, and I use it regularly for reflection, guidance, self-exploration, and understanding situations from different angles.

One thing that has always been true for me is that I seem to pick up on people’s moods, atmospheres, and energies very strongly. Sometimes I can walk into a room and immediately feel that something is off before anyone says anything. Other times I get a strong feeling about a person or situation that later turns out to be accurate.

Because of this, I’ve often wondered whether I’m simply very intuitive, highly empathetic, sensitive to energy, or something else entirely. I’m not claiming to have special powers or anything like that, but it’s a question that has been in the back of my mind for years.

The thing is, when I look at many witchcraft communities, books, videos, and discussions online, I often see people talking about rituals, spellwork, celebrating the Wheel of the Year, observing the solstices, working with herbs, candles, crystals, moon water, altars, and so on.

I don’t really do any of that.

Part of it is practical. I don’t have a dedicated spiritual space. I don’t have an altar. I don’t own many magical tools. I don’t have access to most of the materials that many spells or rituals seem to require.

For example, if I wanted to perform a protection spell against someone’s negative energy, I probably wouldn’t have the candles, herbs, oils, crystals, or ritual tools that many instructions call for.

But another part of it is that my spirituality feels much more internal than external.

I rely heavily on intuition. I pay attention to synchronicities. I read tarot. I reflect on the messages I receive. I spend time thinking about energies and the emotional atmosphere around me.

As far as I know, however, I’ve never consciously cast a spell. At least not in the way most people would define it. I’ve never intentionally performed a ritual with the purpose of manifesting a specific outcome.

That’s where my doubt comes from.

Am I only doing half of the process?

Can tarot, intuition, and energy awareness be enough to form a genuine witchcraft practice?

Do you consider ritual and spellwork essential parts of being a witch, or can they simply be one possible expression of a spiritual path?

Sometimes I feel like many witchcraft spaces place rituals and spellcasting at the center of the practice, while my own experience feels much quieter, more intuitive, and more focused on perception and understanding than on actively trying to influence reality through magical workings.

I also have a small question about terminology.

Since I’m a man, I’ve sometimes wondered whether it’s appropriate for me to use the word “witch” at all. I know different traditions have different views on this, and I would never want to make anyone uncomfortable or misuse a term that has a specific meaning in certain paths. At the same time, “witch” is the word I most often encounter in the communities and practices that attract me, so I’ve always been unsure how people generally view that.

I’d love to hear from people whose paths are similar, especially those who focus more on tarot, intuition, divination, energy work, meditation, or inner spiritual development than on formal ritual work.

Thank you for reading, and thank you in advance for any insight you can share.

My name is Adrian and I’m from Spain. I’ve always been connected to my spiritual witchy side (I’m starting to do tarot reading on my own) and I’ve always read everything that I could in terms of witchcraft, women in power… I’d like to learn about my past life and now I’m interested in doing Shadow Works.
I don’t know why I’ve always felt interested in this, If somebody could help me with figuring myself out, it would be much appreciated.
Also… being a boy, is it okay to call myself a witch? Like, I know I love witchcraft, but I don’t want to call myself something that isn’t right.

I'm currently thinking on developing a large-scale project: a comprehensive analytical book (an encyclopedia/guide) about the Pretty Cure franchise.

With over 20 years of history, I feel that while there is plenty of video content on YouTube, we are missing a definitive, deep-dive literary work in the West that analyzes the series from multiple angles: industrial, cultural, and artistic.
I want this project to cover "everything"-from Futari wa to the most recent seasons-but I want to avoid a simple episode-by-episode guide. I'm looking for a more structural and thematic approach.
l'a love to hear your thoughts! If you were to pick up a book about the history and impact of PreCure:

1. What specific topics would you consider
   "unmissable"? (e.g., the evolution of toy marketing, the shift in combat styles, gender representation, the legacy of different directors).
2. How would you organize the index?
   (Chronologically by eras, or thematically by tropes and impact?)
3. Are there any "hidden gems" of production trivia or obscure lore you think deserve a dedicated chapter?

My goal is to create something that honors the legacy of the franchise and serves as a reference for both long-time fans and newcomers.

Looking forward to your suggestions and discus. this "mammoth" of a project with you all!

Hi everyone!

I'm currently thinking on developing a large-scale project: a comprehensive analytical book (an encyclopedia/guide) about the Pretty Cure franchise.

With over 20 years of history, I feel that while there is plenty of video content on YouTube, we are missing a definitive, deep-dive literary work in the West that analyzes the series from multiple angles: industrial, cultural, and artistic.

I want this project to cover "everything"—from Futari wa to the most recent seasons—but I want to avoid a simple episode-by-episode guide. I’m looking for a more structural and thematic approach.

I’d love to hear your thoughts! If you were to pick up a book about the history and impact of PreCure:

1. What specific topics would you consider "unmissable"? (e.g., the evolution of toy marketing, the shift in combat styles, gender representation, the legacy of different directors).
2. How would you organize the index? (Chronologically by eras, or thematically by tropes and impact?)
3. Are there any "hidden gems" of production trivia or obscure lore you think deserve a dedicated chapter?

My goal is to create something that honors the legacy of the franchise and serves as a reference for both long-time fans and newcomers.

Looking forward to your suggestions and discussing this "mammoth" of a project with you all!