Before we begin, I recommend playing this song in the background to experience the full effect of this blog post. I should also mention that I don’t own an Apple iPhone, and have no intention of purchasing one in the near future. So having said all that, let’s get into the topic at hand: is the Apple iPhone the new killer app for Pagan and occult practitioners? I don’t simply mean Pagans using them as script prompters during ritual, I mean using this hot tech item to cast spells, practice divination, and even curse your enemies.

The iPhone helps you manage your e-mail, listen to your music, stay connected, and—every now again—make a phone call or two. Now, with the assistance of two recent arrivals at the App Store, it can also help you master the dark arts. Oh, sure—VooDude bills itself as an entertainment app, but I think we can see through its facade. The app, from Aspyr Media lets you create your very own voodoo doll, which you can then poke with your finger, shake using the built-in accelerometer, or (virtually) set on fire. Aspyr calls Voo Dude a “stress relief buddy,” and I’m sure it’s all fun and games—until someone uses the app’s customization feature to create a VooDude who looks suspiciously like you. (You can use pictures from the image library on the iPhone or iPod touch to personalize your voodoo doll.)

What better way to focus your will than using a machine you already obsess over and use every day? The makers of VooDude should also include a healing extension for the program (band-aids, medicine, etc), imagine the boost in sales! Respond immediately to healing energy requests you get via e-mail on your iPhone! Brilliant! However, if poppets aren’t really your thing, there are also several divinatory tools available for the iPhone, from palmistry to several tarot-based programs (iTarot, Touch Tarot, Party Tarot). Also, you may never miss a high holiday again.

“Get quick offline information and forthcoming dates of all religious festivals. Religious festivals give us an opportunity to ignite cosmic love, mercy, generosity, selflessness, truthfulness and purity. Each festival, in its own way, pays tribute to all the enlightened beings and the pure inner love we nurture in our hearts. Major festivals of all religions including … Asatru  …Hindu …Wiccan”

That along with programs to help you along in your esoteric studies, keep track of moon phases, and brush up on classic esoteric texts, certainly positions the iPhone as an attractive piece of machinery for the aspiring techno-Pagan . I can only imagine the interactive possibilities once more Pagan programmers get to work. Maybe the iPhone has finally created a useful ritual (and lifestyle) tool for a truly modern Pagan population…. [soundtrack swells].

PS – In a fit of self-promotion (and speaking of swelling soundtracks), I should mention that the iPhone has access to all the podcasts listed in iTunes, which means you could subscribe to A Darker Shade of Pagan to provide the  perfect soundtrack for your modern Pagan lifestyle. I merely remark.

Tags: Apple, iPhone, occult, Paganism, Tarot, Voodoo