alittleanxiousbadger

Latest Posts by alittleanxiousbadger

𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓬𝓱𝔂 𝓪𝓬𝓪𝓭𝓮𝓶𝓲𝓪

Burning candles while you study. 

Watching storms. 

Wearing velvet. 

Singing poems to yourself. 

Writing calligraphy. 

Wandering the graveyard. 

Hidden coffee shops. 

Misty afternoons. 

Listening to the same songs on repeat. 

Herbal tea. 

Late night stargazing. 

Cloak like jackets. 

Feeling the presence of life in old buildings. 

Being quietly strong. 

subtitles from Science Gossip, 1900

✨Collars✨

if the secret history was a netflix show

i made this over a year ago and it’s just been sitting in my drafts so here you go

being on tumblr is just so cozy... you know what i mean? instagram and twitter are all flashy and loud but tumblr is as cozy as my bedroom with scented candles on a cold November night

Baby Witch Bootcamp Masterlist

Baby Witch Bootcamp began as a series of informational videos on my YouTube channel. This series is my attempt to meet a need for free, accessible, and well-researched information about witchcraft and other forms of magic. My background is in journalism, and this is the approach that I take with this series – I try to be as transparent as possible about where I get my information, which means including lots of quotes and sources. I also try to keep this series as objective as possible – my goal is not to convince you to practice witchcraft a certain way, but to provide you with the tools and resources you need to create a magical practice that fits your own beliefs, values, and spiritual needs.

Part 1: Basics of Magic and Energy

Chapter One: What Is Magic? Why Does It Work? [Video version on YouTube]

Chapter Two: Meditation for Witches [Video version on YouTube]

Chapter Three: How to Ground Yourself [Video version on YouTube]

Chapter Four: How to Find Good Witchcraft Books

Chapter Five: The Ethics of Witchcraft [Video version on YouTube]

Part 2: Spellcasting

Chapter Six: How to Cast Spells That Work [Video version on YouTube]

Chapter Seven: What Are Correspondences and How Do I Use Them in Spells?

Chapter Eight: Using the Elements in Your Spells

Chapter Nine: Magic Herbs You Can Find at the Grocery Store

Chapter Ten: Add Some Oomph to Your Spells with Magical Timing

Part 3: Divination and Psychic Abilities

Chapter Eleven: Tapping into Your Psychic Senses

Chapter Twelve: Divination Basics

Chapter Thirteen: So You Want to Learn Tarot

Chapter Fourteen: Psychic Protection

Chapter Fifteen: When NOT To Trust Your Intuition

Part 4: Engaging with the Spirit World

Chapter Sixteen: Intro to Spirit Work

Chapter Seventeen: Working with Spirits

Chapter Eighteen: Communicating with Spirits

Chapter Nineteen: Banishing Nasty Spirits

Chapter Twenty: Pathworking and Astral Travel

Part 5: Incorporating Witchcraft into Your Everyday Life

Chapter Twenty-One: Little Acts of Everyday Magic

Chapter Twenty-Two: Building a Magical Home

Chapter Twenty-Three: Magical Journaling

Chapter Twenty-Four: Kitchen Witchin’  

Chapter Twenty-Five: Practicing in Secret

Part 6: Controversial Magic

Chapter Twenty-Six: Using Human Body Parts in Spells

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Blood Magic

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Curses and Hexes

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Conjuring Dark Spirits

Chapter Thirty: Sex Magic

Part 7: Social Issues

Chapter Thirty-One: Cultural Appropriation

Chapter Thirty-Two: Magic vs Medicine?

Chapter Thirty-Three: Keeping Consumerism out of Your Craft

Chapter Thirty-Four: Earth-Friendly Witchcraft 

Chapter Thirty-Five: Witchcraft and Activism

Other Helpful Links for New Witches

Why the Law of Attraction Is an Unhealthy Mindset

How to Recognize a Cult or Cult-like Group

How To Find a Safe Witchy/Pagan Teacher or Group

Why Spells Don’t Work

Getting To Know Plant Allies

photo source

Use It!

One of my teachers was very insistent that before I was allowed to study a plant, I had to get to know it first. Head knowledge is one thing, but when you are working as a herbalist you have to have more than that.

Before using any herb, even for these exercises it is important to look up contraindications for the herb. Herbs are medicinal, even in small doses. Personally I like to use this book. And remember to always tell your doctor if you are taking any herbs!

Based on the type of herb, make a decoction or infusion. Fragile herbs, usually dried leaves or flowers, are better suited to an infusion (let steep in nearly boiling water for 20 minutes). Hardier herbs such as roots can be simmered in the water for 20 minutes (decoction).

Sip slowly, taking notice of how the tea feels in your mouth. Does it trigger a salivary response? How does it taste? Anything your experience is worth taking note of. I’ve never been sad I took too many notes!

Take a bath with it. If a full bath isn’t possible, do a foot or hand bath. I was taught to start with water as close to room temp as possible. This can be a good way to determine if the herb has warming or cooling properties.

Again, make notes! Lots of them.

Get creative with how you experiment. Cook with them, use them for facial steams. Any way that you’re called to, and remember, take notes!

Study It - Materia Medica

It’s time to make your own herbal! We’re going to take our observations and start a Materia Medica. This is the term herbalists have been using since the 1st century AD, thanks to the Ancient Greek physician Pedanius Dioscorides. Modern science now often uses the term pharmacology but I greatly prefer the Materia Medica.

Some witches will combine this with a Materia Magica which goes into the magical correspondences for the herbs. But this post won’t be covering that.

How each herbalist organizes the Materia Medica is going to vary, but it should hit a few key points. And, of great importance, is to track your sources! Any information that you include in your MM needs to have a citation so that you can track your info.

Latin Name

My Materia Medicas always start with the Latin name for the herb. Herbs have many, many different names. Both through history and throughout the world. The best way to ensure that you’re using the correct plant is to use the latin name. But then, after that, I make not of common names and historical names.

History/Lore

If a herb has an interesting history, or appears in folk lore I make note of that next. It can be interesting and is helpful for knowing the herb. There’s a lot of knowledge to be gleaned from old stories!

Description

If you’re inclined for either wildcrafting or foraging, a section on the cultivation and appearance of the plant.

Chemicals

Now, we get into the medicine of it. Herbs work because they contain chemical compounds. A lot (all?) of modern medicine is derived from the manufacturing of these chemicals.

Make a list of the chemicals that are found in the herb. Making note, where you can, of what these chemicals actually DO. Over time you’ll want to get to know which ones are the active ingredients and how the work. Yup, it’s science!

Herbal Actions

Actions come next. Herbal actions are a whole language to learn. But as you are putting together the Materia Medicas you’ll start to get the hang of things! An action describes the way a herb works on the body.

It can seem a bit overwhelming, so here is an example.

Bitter is an herbal action, and it is aptly named. Herbs with this action typically taste… bitter! The action that they have on the body usually starts in the mouth where it stimulates saliva production as the first step of aiding in the digestive process. (they do a lot more but we’re keeping it simple for the example).

Examples of bitters are: arugula (also called rocket), dandelion greens, and black coffee.

Here’s a very simple way to experiment yourself! Take some time to sample one of the above mentioned bitters and see how your body reacts.

Christopher Hobbs is an herbalist I respect a lot. He has a handout that he uses in his classes which lists herbal actions, indications (we’ll get into that next), and lists example herbs.

http://www.christopherhobbs.com/webdocs/class-handouts/keville-hobbs-2016/Herbal-Actions.pdf

I highly suggest printing this sheet out and keeping it handy, reading it over often. Eventually it’ll become more intuitive, but it takes time and practice.

Indications

Indications are where we want to use the herb. IE: where is the herbal action of the herb indicated? This is going to be a list of conditions that the herb in question is good for treating.

For example, Corn Silk (zea mays) is an antiseptic, demulcent and a diuretic. Because of this, it’s indicated for use with a urinary tract infection. (it’s indicated for other things too, but I’m trying to keep things fairly basic!)

The demulcent soothes the irritated skin, the diuretic helps to increase urine output, and the antiseptic of course helps to prevent the growth of harmful organisms.

Medicine

The last section of my Materia Medica deals with dosing and contraindications. 

I like to include dosing for both teas and tinctures as they are my personal favorite ways for treating people.

Contraindications means anything that counteracts with the herb. St John’s Wort is a popular one for this, as it has many. It is a highly reactive herb and can interact negatively with many drugs! 

It is very important to know how the herb interacts. People think that because herbs are natural/plants that somehow this excludes them from the realm of medicine. But the very reason that herbs are effective is because they ARE medicine!

When I am working with a client, I do my best to take a detailed history, even things they don’t think is important. But I also inform them of every herb I am giving them and encourage them to do their own research. And it’s important to be aware of your body when you are taking herbs. From the practitioner to the person taking the herb, everyone needs to do their own due diligence.

If you found this post useful, or have any comments/thoughts/etc I would love to hear it. If there is interest I can do posts on salves, tinctures, etc. And perhaps examples of my own materia medicas.

rb this with ur opinion on this shade of pink:

‘am i Having A Brain Problem or Being a Shithead’: a short procrastination checklist

aka why tf am i procrastinating on The Thing (more like a flowchart, actually)

lots of people who have executive function difficulties worry about whether they’re procrastinating on a task out of laziness/simply wanting to be a jerk or mental struggles. this checklist might help you figure out which it is at any given time! (hint: it’s almost never laziness or being a jerk.) (obligatory disclaimer: this is just what works for me! something different might work better for you.)

1) do I honestly intend to start the task despite my lack of success?

yes: it’s a Brain Problem. next question

no: it’s shitty to say one thing & do another. better be honest with myself & anyone expecting me to do the task.

2) am I fed, watered, well-rested, medicated properly, etc?

yes: next question

no: guess what? this is the real next task

3) does the idea of starting the task make me feel scared or anxious?

yes: Anxiety Brain. identify what’s scaring me first.

no: next question

4) do I know how to start the task?

yes: next question

no: ADHD Brain. time to make an order of operations list.

5) do I have everything I need to start the task?

yes: next question

no: ADHD Brain lying to me about the steps again, dangit. first task is ‘gather the materials’.

6) why am i having a hard time switching from my current task to this new task?

i’m having fun doing what i’m doing: it’s okay to have fun doing a thing! if task is time-sensitive, go to next question.

i have to finish doing what i’m doing: might be ADHD brain. can I actually finish the current task or will I get trapped in a cycle? does this task really need to be finished?

the next task will be boring/boring-er than the current task: ADHD brain. re-think the next task. what would make it exciting? what am I looking forward to?

I might not have enough time to complete the task: ADHD brain wants to finish everything it starts. (if task is time-sensitive, go to next question)

i just want to make the person who asked me to do it angry: sounds like anxiety brain trying to punish itself, because I know I’ll be miserable if someone is angry at me. why do i think I deserve punishment?

no, I seriously want to piss them off: okay, i’m being a shithead

7) have I already procrastinated so badly that I now cannot finish the task in time?

yes: ADHD brain is probably caught in a guilt-perfection cycle. since I can’t have the task done on time, i don’t even want to start.

reality check: having part of a thing done is almost always better than none of a thing done. if I can get an extension, having part of it done will help me keep from stalling out until the extension deadline. i’ll feel better if I at least try to finish it.

no, there’s still a chance to finish on time: ADHD brain thinks that I have all the time in the world, but the truth is I don’t. 

reality check: if i’m having fun doing what I’m doing, I can keep doing it, but I should probably set a timer & ask someone to check on me to make sure I start doing the task later today.

8) I’ve completed the checklist and still don’t know what’s wrong!

probably wasn’t honest enough with myself. take one more look.

if I’m still mystified, ask a friend to help me talk it out.

hope this helps some of you! YOU’RE DOING GREAT SWEETIE DON’T GIVE UP ON YOU

remember when it was safe® to go outside and you could throw on a coat and grab your bag and take the bus downtown and wander around the street, maybe dipping into a few bookstores along the street, as the sky got dark and the air got that little bite of chilliness into it and you could flip through all the notebooks and paperbacks and touch things and have a conversation with the vendor and see their entire face and then go sit in a cafe and drink coffee and eat a bagel, bumping into people but not minding bc it wasn’t like they could give you a deadly virus, and then go home all happy and rosy-cheeked without a care in the world? yea, me neither.

i really do be losing my mind over george harrison on july 8th, 1968

How to put “wrote fan-fiction” on your résumé:

Leveraged an inventory of established fictional character and setting elements to generate a disruptive custom-curated narrative entertainment asset.

So, I was looking through some pictures of George Harrison when suddenly this one came out

I was thinking "hm, where have I seen that before?"

And then I remembered...

THIS IS TOO MUCH AHHH

it's always a good day to complain about English speakers

☁️ 10 tips on studying when your motivation’s nowhere to be found

i got an ask about this yesterday and decided to turn my reply into a post because having trouble focusing when you’re super unmotivated is really common, so i thought more people might find this helpful :) buckle up kiddos, this is gonna be a long one!

1. i want you to remember that this is a universal experience.

every student out there struggles like hell sometimes, and that’s completely normal; you’re not a machine and that means you can’t possibly churn out work 24/7 without burning out. so try not to beat yourself up too much okay, you’re doing great!

2. take a deep breath and identify the reason you’re feeling like this

are you burnt out because of stress or overworking yourself? are you overwhelmed by the amount of tasks on your plate? is there a particular assignment or exam scaring you to the point where you don’t want to start studying? these are all normal reasons for lack of motivation and knowing the why will help you figure out the how - you gotta know the problem to solve it.

3. i know you feel like you’re months behind, but start small

small achievements accumulate. repeat this sentence to yourself daily, write it on a sticky note and keep it on the wall above your desk (it’s exactly what i did). break up daunting tasks into smaller ones; got a billion formulae to know by heart? memorise 3 every day (you’ll have memorised more than 20 by the end of the week!). got a long chapter to study? divide it into smaller chunks and just focus on 1-3 pages a day. slow and steady, you can do it

Seguir leyendo

women write men with so much nuance and care and more dimension than most men in real life will ever have and men write women like they’ve never spoken to a woman in their entire life 

Almond Branches In Bloom, San Remy | Vincent Van Gogh

"Dancing in a swirl,

Of golden memories,

The loveliest lies of all,

The loveliest, lies of all."

everyone posting that “my generation lost hobbies” post is so stupid like no you fuckwits hobbies were stolen from you by a system that demands you work 8 hours a day to earn a tiny percentage of the profit you generate, leaving you too exhausted and brainwashed to enjoy exercising passion without financial incentive

Things that have helped me (coding related)

jsfiddle - Helps you test out your code instead of using tumbr’s shitty customization page

cssportal - offers a variety of services,including: testing out your css code (gives you a live demo), generators (box-shadow etc) and others

dirtymarkup - Cleans up your code. Basically makes it legible

patternify - creates small patterns (it’s what I use to create my icons). This is honestly my favorite tool.

w3schools, codeacademy, learn-shayhowe, learnlayout - all of these websites help you learn the fundamentals of html/css and more

google - it is literally your best friend. It’ll answer any question you have no matter how vague

stackoverflow- very helpful website. Helps you answer any questions you may have (code related). BUT PLEASE, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE SEARCHED YOUR QUESTIONS BEFORE ASKING. These are actual people who are taking their time to answer your questions, and they will take your “question asking” privilege away from you if you abuse it

tutorialzine  codrops- tutorials to help you with coding. It can go from very simple, to “that’s way too much time investment for me”

css-tricks - it’s like a combination of helping you code, to asking questions, to tutorials (this is my favorite website)

behance, dribbble, awwwards - great place to find inspiration

 validator - checks the validity of your code

iconfinder - holy grail of icons. Some are free some aren’t

fount - it can identify any font that a webpage is using

colourcode - just check it out. 

colorlovers- color palette galore 

caniuse- says in the name

Now if you’re trying to see how your code/theme etc looks on different screen resolutions this is how you do.

Google chrome

right click on page then click on inspect or (Ctrl + Shift + I) look for this (it’s the two ipad looking icons)

All you have to do now is input in whatever specs you want If you don’t want it anymore, just click it again and it’s gone.

Firefox

click on the menu icon (the 3 lines in the right hand corner)

click developer then responsive design view or (Ctrl + Shift + M)

I hope you found this helpful. Enjoy your day

me, all the time: i could just die and not have to do this

the inherent cultism of wealthy new england towns in autumn

To all content creators out there, how do you overcome the feeling that what you are creating is Cringy??

So there’s this huge dudebro in my class, who, yesterday, sat next to me. And I’m sitting there sweating because like… I’m wearing my shirt with the lesbian flag on it, and he’s the most popular jock in school, and always has this look on his face that say ‘I can and will kill you’. He looks me up and down, stares at me for a minute and then goes, “So. Girls in skirts and long socks, am I right?”

To which I nodded solemnly, both out of agreement, surprise and also a healthy amount of awkward fear. He nodded and went, “You get it.”

I said, “Yep.” He fistbumped me, and on went our lives.

concept playlists pt. 2

let’s find us a jersey devil: you’re deep in the pineys, surrounded by fog, eyes are on you in the shadows of the trees. this is the verge of discovery. you spend your free hours in cemeteries and libraries because you know there’s more. everything has led up to this. ghosts, cryptids, aliens. the fog parts- a night to dismember.

someday huh? when’s that.: all these goals are stacking up. your eyes may be dead but your mind is racing. wake up, get excited, wait for the doubt to kick in. life’s a bitch but so are you. sleep deprivation is no match for you. you have ambition. you’ve got the spirit. when you’re not spiraling, that is.

somewhere in the northwest: a tall house in a small town in northwest. grey skies and christmas lights. everything is picturesque, everything is just fine until it’s not. an ornate living room, piano notes echoing, dust rising from worn leather couches, and a butcher knife. lighting is flashing along with the sign of the motel outside. (bates motel/psycho vibes)

one for the money: it’s the roaring 20s. you’re in a booming metropolis at the height of it all. think tommy shelby/peaky blinders. you spend your days in slightly shady business and nights in jazz clubs surrounded by rich men and women. you’ve got the money, you’ve got the power. what’s a little danger?

new age heretics: dancing around a bonfire. the euphoria is palpable. knowledge to bring nations to their knees and the means to do it. the ticking of the clock has slowed. can you feel it?

soft grunge: rain blows against your windows as you ready your next vinyl. these are the moments you dreamt of. everything is quiet, within and without you. time is fluid and you’re questioning things. you’re driving down a highway, and the flashing of headlights is blinding. this isn’t limbo, or darkness, but the feeling is infinite, and so are you.

quietly burning: your rage is your power. your anger is a gift. there is a system to tear down, and damn it if you’ll back down. sure, you’re in physics class but that doesn’t mean you cant dream of throwing a molotov cocktail at some fascists. spit out the blood and bare your teeth, this is the sounds of a revolution.

it’s a rumble: alright cats and dogs, its a turf war, ya dig? surfers vs bikers, a beach shack, and the best vibe on this side of the lighthouse. yes, this is inspired by teen beach movie. what about it.

sci-fi fantasy: 80’s synth wave is blasting and torn copies of sci-fi classics are scattered around your room. the telescope by your window is practically calling to you tonight. at least there’s no lack in the stars. there’s so much you don’t know, but you know we’re not alone. the telescope dips- that had to be a UFO above the trees.

pt. 1

these paintings feel VERY lesbian to me💅

dark academia on a budget

(because not only rich people can be dark academics)

-thrifting with friends for old sweaters that someone’s grandfather must have worn

-getting second (or third or fourth) hand books and reading the notes that other people left in them

-making sure everything is tidy and clean, no matter what

-adopting a minimalist aesthetic

-or making your own decorations (which then makes you better at lettering and art)

-sitting in a local cafe and buying the cheapest thing so that you can study there (and making sure that you tip as much as you can)

-reading poetry online, printing your favorites, and posting them on your walls

-taking as much of your family’s clothing that they’ll let you have

-rotating the same few shirts, pants, and shoes without anyone noticing

-a lack of jewelry (because there are more important things)

-sitting outside at a park to read or write

-looking outside windows on public transport while listening to somber music