I Need You To Understand And To Really Listen When I Tell You That The Land Knows You.

a couple new enamel pins! really excited about this series - eda, raine and more to come soon!

When deciding what the properties of a crystal are, please do yourself a favor and look up why. WHY is obsidian associated with cutting ties with things or reflection? Ohhhhh it’s because the Aztecs used it as sacrificial knives and reflective mirrors. WHY is rose quartz associated with love? Ohhhhhhhh because the goddess of Love (Aphrodite) had a lover who bled out onto the stone. WHY is amethyst- ok you get the point. Context is EVERYTHING. Otherwise it’s just meaningless regurgitation of concepts missing their original relevance. Then, after you figure out why they are associated with certain attributes, decide for yourself if you subscribe to this. If YOU feel a difference in energy then obviously use it differently.

The cruelty of racist white men.

BIG shoutout to those who are practicing in secret

y'all don't get enough recognition because leading a double life is exhausting (i know because i'm one of those people leading that very same double life)

shoutout to those who can't tell anyone about their practise

shoutout to anyone who can't own tarot or oracle decks and so use household items to do divination

shoutout to those who can't have candles or fancy altars

shoutout to those who practice in secret.

“CONNECTING WITH THE LAND

Go somewhere you know well. Someplace that calls to your bones and stirs your blood, whether that's a forest clearing, a pasture, a churchyard, or a mountain trail. “Betwixt” places such as crossroads, the place where three creeks meet, a river between two mountains, the base of a tree grown into three, or a mountaintop are especially good spots to help bring you “between” times and places. Ponder what took place here. How many footprints do you now follow? How many forgotten graves lay beneath the red clay? How many bones has this soil devoured?

Feel the presence of the place. This is the spirit of the land. While few speak of the spirit as having form, it is likely to appear as an animal, a cluster of summer gnats in the sunlight, or a whisper on the breeze. Those with the sight are more inclined to see them; some have reported the spirit of the land lives in the trees themselves and is a simple voice that speaks from an unknown source, while others say it takes the form of giants that make their residence in the mountaintops or the rocks by the rivers. Many of them are left without a name because, much like this work, they're too old for those things or anyone living today.

When you find where your roots are nourished, give an offering to the land. The Cherokee gave corn, tobacco, and blood. The Irish gave bread, butter, and sweet things. Today's Appalachian workers give tobacco, food, hard candy, whiskey, coins, and old cheap jewelry. Sit with the land and feel your surroundings. Walk about and familiarize yourself with the hills and rocks and trees.

Don't expect them to be accepting of you right away, or at all, really. As with any other friendship, it takes time to become familiar with each other and sometimes it will never grow. Some of these land spirits simply wish to be left alone and unbothered by humans. Who could blame them, after the blooddrenched history they have witnessed in these hills? The spirit of a place is simply someone who has taken up residence on that land, meaning it could be a little person, or a haint, or it could simply be made up of the events that occurred there. For example, a bridge known for suicides wouldn't be a good place to start, as it would contain the spiritual traits of its distinguished events.

It will take many times of showing up, giving an offering, and simply presenting yourself before any presence will be shown. Because not all spirits have your best interest in mind, I'd reckon you ought to carry three used horseshoe nails on you: one around your neck and two under the soles of your shoes. It's quite an odd thing to try and do, but with a handy pocketknife you can pry the soles up just enough to slide a nail under it right at the heels. It may be a bit uncomfortable, but horses have always been regarded in Appalachia as being able to see and protect from haints.”

—

3: ‘Barefoot Wandering’

Backwoods Witchcraft:

Conjure & Folk Magic from Appalachia

by Jake Richards

Ok but Camila’s talk with Luz in For the Future, and Eda’s talk with her in Separate Tides?

They’re pretty similar. In that both mothers are telling Luz

“I don’t give a shit that you messed up, I love you a lot”

Hell, the scenes have similar lighting!

But then again, Camila’s talk also parallels the talk at the end of O Titan Where Art Thou, in that it also ends with the beginning of Stringbean’s creation.

The whole "Disney villain hates something because of trauma" meme that started with Cruella makes me kinda angry because it's one of the earliest examples of people either not understanding what actually happened, or worse, people not bothering to actually see the movie in question and just basing their thoughts on reviews they've seen.

Estella/Cruella never shows any kind of real hatred towards the Dalmatians themselves. She steals them as revenge, but they're shown to be taken care of and never actually harmed. Most she does is make a bad joke about maybe turning them into a coat, but that never actually happens.

And she never blames the dogs for her mother's death. First, she blames herself, in a similar way to how Simba blamed himself for his father's death - assuming that her mother just got caught in the crossfire, since the dogs had been chasing her daughter and she got caught in the middle. And when she learns her mother was targetted, she turns her anger towards the person who sent the dogs after her mother, not the dogs themselves.

This is probably related to my personality, state of mind and core values, but I view Lord Ares' energy a bit different than what I see here.

To me, Lord Ares is calm. He is the motto "It is scary because it's unfamiliar, not because you're incapable." He reminds me that I can do it scared. That I can be scared, be anxious, that I can tremble from fear and still do something. That courage is born when you are scared, and still make a step forward.

He is not my shield - He lets me face my challenges face-on, but He's always got my back. Maybe that's a reflection of myself, my life story and shit I've been through: I am scared of having my back turned to someone, but with Him having my back, I am safe. I can do it, no matter how scared I am.

He is also the reminder that sometimes acting will only hurt me. That there are situations where all I can do is wait. He pats my back and says "I know it's hard, but you will make it," while I shed my tears of helplessness and longing.

He is calm, and firm. He teaches me when to say "I see you, I see your feelings, but I won't let you treat me like this." He teaches me that anger is good. Anger is often self-love. But being angry does not entitle me to act in ways I do not like. He is the hand on my shoulder, the silent "Stop, breathe, and then act."

He is gentle. He is calm. But He takes no shit from me. He understands how I feel. He understands that some things are better to leave alone for a while. He understands that sometimes the best thing I can do is not to fight. To wait things through.

He pushes me forward. He shows me I can do more. When I think I can't do any more reps of some exercise, He tells me "Just 10 more. I know you can." When I think I can't keep going, He is there to tell me I can.

I am grateful to worship Lord Ares.

Baneful Ingredients

Part 1

Ague Weed- causes confusion

Balmony/White Turtlehead - overall hexes

Black peppercorn- make the unwanted/unwelcome flee

Foxglove- use ashes in curses/hexes (associated with time, love, and money aka the planets of Saturn and Venus )

Hemlock- destructive work (pair with olive leaves for peaceful disposal of an enemy)

Mustard Seed- sew discord and strife (disconnections and misunderstandings)

Patchouli- bring medical sickness

Poppy seed- couples will argue

Red pepper- banish people from your life with bad intentions

Spanish moss- used for cursing, can be put in war water, jinxes and brings bad luck

Vetivert- silences those that speak ill of you

Wormwood- use to send harmful black magic back on its sender, good for vengeance

Yew- associated with death and necromancy; commune with the dead or seek prophecy; curse enemies and bring bad luck and illness