Me: Trying To Do Schoolwork

it takes years to develop your craft. do not romanticize the idea of an ‘overnight success’. be a student. grow organically. get really good. hate your work. start over. find new ways to express the same ideas. the student becomes the master. your time will come.

by Karen Leopold

The classes you wish you were taking this semester

This tower, patched unevenly with black ivy, arose like a mutilated finger from among the fists of knuckled masonry and pointed blasphemously at heaven. At night the owls made of it an echoing throat; by day it stood voiceless and cast its long shadow.

Mervyn Peake

being compassionate to yourself involves making it a discipline to do the things that you love, no matter how many times you attempt to convince yourself that it’s no use. being compassionate with yourself involves sitting down and writing, even when you feel insecure about the work you’re producing. being compassionate with yourself involves taking a walk outside because you haven’t had any fresh air the whole day. being compassionate with yourself involves committing yourself to learning something new even if it hasn’t gone well many times before. being compassionate with yourself is about committing to the discipline of self-betterment and healing.

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.

awesome things to look forward to at college and university

strolling through the beautiful campuses

getting the opportunity to study what you want

being surrounded by inspiring academics with years or wisdom

speaking with these intellectuals as their equals and colleagues

meeting people from all different cultures and backgrounds

making friends with whoever you want

ditching the fakes and the bullies

relishing catch ups with special high school besties

intellectual discussions with people from all walks of life

commiserating together with everyone over the workload

flexible class timetables and days off

learning things that you’ll use everyday in your career

knowing that you’re investing in the future

having hundreds of clubs and societies to join

discovering that there’s someone in the same boat as you

experiencing dorm life and late night parties

experimenting with new styles

understanding what sort of citizen you want to become

being surrounded by people who are as passionate as you

learning to seek evidence and proof for all questions in life

motivating yourself by seeing your own hard-earned GPA/WAM

laughing with friends about the people who are still jerks even in uni

understanding things you’ve never thought you’d understand

learning concepts your way with your own study methods

studying in libraries that are several storeys high

utilising your bullet journal to its full potential to stay organised

joining the gym and reaching that level of fitness you’ve always aspired to

despite the hard work and long hours, there’s a lot to things to love! add things you love about uni and keep the comments positive! :)

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Update: Links fixed!

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

“I opened my mouth, almost said something. Almost. The rest of my life might have turned out differently if I had. But I didn’t.”

— Khaled Hosseini

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