Bookishbug - Eep

Had to draw lil nas with some crows…his outfit is too good

horse speedpaints from 2021

As your Goth Auntie is apparently in the grips of Goth Nostalgia ...

Three books that were good examples of the mood of 90s goth:

Actually written in the 90s: Lost Souls by Poppy Z. Brite. Content warning: if you're someone who is uncomfortable with taboo themes in fiction, give this a pass.

Not written in the 90s, but set then and captures the mood: In the Blood by Miranda Luna. It certainly has writing flaws, but definitely hits the Goth Nostalgia button for me.

Also not written in the 90s, but damn, all of us wanted the goth club in this book to exist. Gothique by Kyle Marffin. The writing is clunky in places (and has one plotline too many, IMO), but it's still a nostalgia rush.

All three of them are, yes, vampire novels, and I would put content warnings on all three for people who want to avoid taboo themes or unhealthy relationships. (If you are one of those folks, I suggest avoiding vampire fiction altogether, but that's a different discussion.)

I’m like a moth drawn to a flame

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.

Me and a mush

Started my first job this week and dealt with some stress. I’m trying to focus on the positive moments, like when I recognized that I was doing well on my first day. I felt so proud of myself for persisting even though my mind was filled to the brim and my body ached. Change is hard but it can be accomplished!

I just want to remind everyone how affordable buying food from indigenous tribes is. I live in a major city and I was able to purchase and ship (15) pounds of fish from back home to myself for cheaper than I could buy it from a grocery store here in the city. Yeah, shipping has its own environmental factors but I was able to support an indigenous owned business while also getting my groceries at a lesser cost. (Buying in bulk is always a good idea if you’re planning on having something shipped to you)

Some tribal owned grocers that ship:

Bow and Arrow (Ute Mountain)

Native Harvest (White Earth)

Red Lake Fishery (Red Lake)

Wozupi (Mdewakanton Dakota)

Ramona Farms (Gila River)

Tanka Bars (Oglala)

Indian Pueblo Store (Pueblos)

Twisted Cedar Wine (Cedar Paiutes)

Ute Bison (Ute)

Seka Hills Olive Oil and Vinegars (Yocha Dehe Wintun)

She Nah Nam Seafood (Nisqually)

Sakari Botanicals (Inupiaq)

Honor the Earth (? Anishinaabe)

Nett Lake Wild Rice (Boise Forte Anishinaabe)

Passamaquoddy maple (Passamaquoddy)

BONUS: coffee :)

Yeego Coffee (Navajo)

Spirit Mountain Roasting (Yuma Quechan)

Birchbark Coffee (Anishinaabe)

Thunder Island Coffee (Shinnecock)

Magick in the Mundane

At every Dark Moon, deep clean the house (Hekate's Deipnon is generally a time of purgation but it can still serve as a monthly cleaning mark). Sweep the floors and wash them. One can wash them with salt water and, after that, basil water in order to protect against evil spirits, ensure peace and bring good fortune.

Every Sunday, clean the house to prepare for the new week and do a little bit of magick to call in good spirits and kick out the bad.

Every Sunday, cast a divination spread to find out what the week entails, what omens to look out for, what to get involved in and not to get involved in etc. A geomancy chart is quite good for this because its easy to cast (once you get the hang of it) and shows a good amount of detail.

Every Dark Moon, dispose of all the offerings that have been gathered as an offering to the Wandering Dead and the Mistress Hekate.

In lieu of Sabbat celebrations, get in tune with things by practical work. During the transition into the colder months, wash down the house, wash the bedding and put extra blankets, if you have the ability to gather firewood for the hearth, do so etc.

In lieu of Yule Rituals, simply celebrate by use of spiced teas and spice cakes.

To welcome the spring, bring flowers into the house and place them on the dining table or some focal point.

Always step into buildings with your right foot.

Always give the first bit of bread to the spirits of the house.

Salt water is good for cleansing, basil water good for fortune, cinnamon water good for money and businesses, chamomile for protection against curses and anger.

Wash your clothes in heavily diluted salt water.

Sprinkle chamomile/lavender tea over your bed and bed clothes to ensure a restful sleep. Sprinkle rosemary over it if you wish to remember your dreams or obtain a dream oracle.

Bergamot helps with the drops (A term in my family for those period sof time brought about by Depressive Disorders). and it is found in Earl Grey Tea.

Rice water for hair...

Keeping a pine branch/cone/needles over the bed protects against ill health.

Make a Kathiskos

Keep a glass of salt water or white vinegar and salt behind the front door so that people who enter have negativity diffused.

A bowl of salt, a bowl of rice or a cut up onion in each of the rooms of the house absorbs negative energy. They should have regular disposal.

Laternenlicht (Lantern Light) by Waldemar Fink (1912)