3 years of restoration work in the making to bring this beauty the glory it has always deserved. Outside of my children () there has been no bigger time, energy, and money suck. There were so many nights spent awake + stressing or in tears of frustration; so many hours + days + weeks spent woodworking in the swamp heat with no a/c, travelling between Maine and Texas, exhaustion sinking into my marrow.
But she’s finished. She’s gorgeous. She was worth it.
And 16 year old me—who promised to someday buy the childhood house my family (and three others) were tossed out of by a slumlord and make it a thriving home once again; something that can’t be taken away from my community—is feeling proud.
“take me to the book that you wish you could reread for the first time”
[Video transcript:
Narrator: Take me to the book you wish you could reread for the first time.
Claire [white person with gray hair in purple jacket, pronouns she/her]: (laughs) I love that question!
Christine [black person with black bandana and orange shirt, pronouns they/them]: sure!
Rosie [white person in patterned dress with black cardigan, pronouns she/they]: oo…
Amy [white person in brown cardigan and blue shirt, pronouns she/her]: okay!
Claire: not done yet! [runs off to find another book].
Claire: (sighs) I loved both of these books so much. [holds up a book titled The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner] This is The Thief. You read the whole book, you love the whole book, and the author does this revelation at the end that you go: what?! How did she do that!
Claire: [holds up a book titled Code Name Verity by Elizabeth E. Wein] Code Name Verity, also a fabulous book, set in World War II. This is a person who’s been captured by the Nazi’s and forced to write out a confession. And she also handles that amazing trick where you get to the end and you’re like: “what??” And you have to go right back to the beginning and start over again. I so wish I could experience these revelations again for the first time.
Rosie: [holds up a book titled Stay and Fight by Madeline Ffitch] Alright, this is Stay and Fight by Madeline Ffitch. If you’re a queer person, you probably have at least three friends who want to start a commune in the woods. This book is about a group of queer women who actually start living off the grid in Appalachia. It has the most, like, fiercely tender writing about found family and subverting family structures that I’ve ever read. I read this book a few years ago, I’m still thinking about it.
Christine: [holds up a book titled More Than This by Patrick Ness] Ah, this book would have to be More Than This by Patrick Ness. Um, it’s really hard to explain without giving it all away, but it’s essentially a kid who accidentally dies and wakes up in a coffin in a desolate world, not knowing what’s going on, and it’s just - you’re in for a huge roller coaster, it’s so much fun.
Amy: [holds up a book titled Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood] I wish I could read Alias Grace again. Um,it’s about a girl who is accused and convicted of killing her employers, but she has no memory of what happened. And so she’s being interviewed to try to figure out what happened, and it’s just every time she starts the story it’s a little bit different and the facts don’t line up so it’s an unreliable narrator. Um and you just - you get to the end and you’re still, your - your brain is just, “what happened?” It’s fascinating, it’s amazing, and they made it into a Netflix series so you should definitely check it out.
Look to the dandelion, if you need guidance on how to live.
Be tenacious and full of sunshine, and don’t let it bother you a bit if your beauty pisses people off. Spread color with absurd fecundity. Turn into wishes when you die.
Made to organize my mind since the game itself is pretty vague on how Legion society is constructed and the roles they have. Fanfiction/Roleplaying resource.
Big image, open in a new tab.
This is still one of the best new resources out there for fallout fic writers.
A very simple guide of sorts, for the different Underworld and Death Deities from different pagan paths. This is as much for learning for me as everyone else, so feel free to point out anything I should add or fix, if there’s anything please let me know! Any suggestions for other deities/paths or types of deities are welcome! (I may also make an underworlds geography related guide later to follow this up :D) I’m also thinking of doing compare and contrast posts about these gods so watch out for that!
Hades (and Persephone); Greek; also known as Haides. The underworld God from Greek Mythology and the Hellenic Pantheon. He was the king of the underworld realm, also known as Hades. However, was not the actual personification of death itself. His wife, Persephone, ruled by his side for only part of each year before returning to her mother, Demeter. Hades was known to be a very passive God, compared to most, and was forgiving and calm. Persephone, surprisingly, was known to take her role as Queen of the Underworld very seriously, but was even more feared by ancient greeks than her husband due to her lack of pity. Because of this fear, Hades would be given ‘nicknames’ by the ancients. One such name was (The Roman version of him) ‘Pluto’ or ‘Pluton’, from the Greek word, Plouton, meaning wealth. This is because Hades was also the God of Wealth, referring to the precious metals mined from the ground.
Thanatos; Greek; The literal God of Death in Greek mythology. He was tasked with overseeing the death of those who died in a non-violent way, compared to his twin brother, Hypnos, who was the God of sleep. He is depicted very often with wings, like that in biblical mythology with angles. His sisters, the Keres, were spirits that oversaw violent death; including everything from battle, murder, accidents or disease. They worked specifically for the Fates, those tasked with determining one’s fate/life span, and were depicted to swarm like vultures around battlefields and feed upon the fresh souls before they sent them to Hades. Some were even personified into specific deaths, such as the plague/illness, evils and banes. “The Keres were depicted as fanged, taloned women dressed in bloody garments.”
Hermes; Greek; God of travel, trade, language, cunning wiles, astrology and more. Though not an actual god of death or the underworld, he played a large part in death Greek Mythology. He was the one who guided the souls of the dead to Hades, where they would be judged by Minos, Rhadamanthus, and Aeacus, each originally mortal men, fathered by Zeus, turned into demigods of the underworld to weigh the morality and worth of each individual.
Hel; Norse; Goddess of the Underworld, Helheim (or sometimes referred to as Hel too). A child of the trickster God Loki and a giantess named Angrboða, Hel is said to be half alive and half dead. She is often depicted with the beautiful face of a maiden (or an old hag, in some) on one side, and a rotten corpse or skeleton on the other half, however, some sources say her entire top half was alive and her lower half was the dead part. She is usually seen as one who takes her job very seriously, though doesn’t care much for the concerns of the living, humans and gods alike, but is greedy, especially when it comes to collecting the dead. This makes sense, considering Helheim was not the only afterlife ancient norse people had. Helheim was the world for those who died of more normal things, like old age or sickness; Valhalla, ruled by Odin, and Fólkvangr, ruled by Freyja, were both reserved for those who died in battle.
Osiris; Egyptian; God of the Earth and Vegetation, as well as Lord of the Dead. He is the first son born from Geb, the original King and god of the earth and guide of the dead. It is said that before he inherited his father’s role, Egypt was not civilized and was cannibalistic. Osiris sought to change this, disguising himself as a human, he thought the mortals morality, architecture, and agriculture. He also gave them laws, the arts and science, and is credited in Egypt’s development into civilization. He’s known to have been called ‘Egypt’s greatest king who ruled through kindness and persuasion.’ However, it is his role in death that gained him real popularity. He was very flexible and forgiving, allowing many into the Underworld, Duat, a gentle, fertile land, as long as they had been moral while they lived and were buried with the correct rituals.
Anubis; Egyptian; The Jackal-God of mummification and guide of the dead. He was the son of Osiris, and had three main jobs in Egyptian mythology; he supervised the mummification/embalming process, he exercised the rites of the dead with the Opening of the Mouth ceremony and conducted the soul in the Field of Celestial Offerings. The Opening of the Mouth ceremony was to ensure that the deceased could eat and drink in the afterlife, while the Field of Celestial Offerings gave offerings to Osiris’s paradise in Duat. But his most important job was monitoring the Scales of Truth, which protected the dead from deception and eternal death (Egyptians believed in eventual resurrection of the dead).
Baron Samedi; Haitian Vodou/Voodoo; Often depicted in a top hat, the God of resurrection, he is the giver of death and life. Though master of the dead, Baron also has the power to cure and heal any mortal ailment. He is often called upon, not only by people on their deathbed, but in need of help with a physical malady. Though he won’t come for free, some sort of ceremony or offering must be given in honor of him, and even then he is picky on who he saves. He is also, however, almost always shown as rude, a lover of debauchery, dirty jokes and swearing. He is also associated with magic, especially black magic and curses. He is, though, the only one capable of allowing souls into the realm of the dead.
Manannan mac Lir; Celtic; also sometimes named Oirbsiu or Oirbsen, he was the Celtic God of the Sea, but also the guide of the dead who led the recently deceased to the Otherworld, the domain of Manannan himself, though he was not said to be the God of the Dead. The Otherworld was a paradise for the deceased, in that it was free of disease, hunger, and pain. Mag Mell is a specifically named island that has a similar description, but only a selected few were allowed to go here in their after life.
Donn; Celtic; Lord of the Dead. Said to have been a mortal man who drowned after seeing the goddess Ériu and set up his home on a near by island as an assembly place for the dead before they made their way to the Otherworld. He named this place Teach Duinn and in some versions, he would periodically sound a horn and the sound would echo across the Earth as a guide for the wandering souls to follow so to eventually make their way to Teach Duinn where they could pass on to the Otherworld.
That’s it for now! More to be added later, requests are welcome! If you could reblog, it would be very helpful, to get as many people helping as possible!
~Anise- protection, psychic awareness ~Bay oil- manifests spirits ~Basil- emotional healing, peace, manifests spirits ~Black Pepper- protection ~Carnation- eases grief ~Cinnamon- spirit communication and connection ~Cinnamon Bark- psychic awareness ~Cyprus- protection ~Cypress- eases grief ~Dragon’s Blood- protection ~Frankincense- protection, spiritual connection ~Iris- courage ~Jasmine- psychic awareness ~Lavender- eases grief, grounding, psychic enhancement ~Lemon Grass- psychic awareness, anointing tools and offerings; especially necromancy tools. (Make sure to dilute it as it is not good for your skin; use with caution) ~Lilac- healing, peace ~Lotus- eases grief, heartbreak ~Musk- courage ~Myrrh- ease grief, protection ~Narcissus- eases grief ~Orange- eases grief and sadness ~Patchouli- grounding, protection spells and inks. (Associated with the Earth and Underworld) ~Peppermint- spiritual connection ~Roman Chamomile- grounding ~Rose- courage, protection, helping a spirit pass ~Rosemary- ease grief ~Rue- protection ~Sage- grounding, protection, helping a spirit pass ~Sandalwood- spirit communication, helping a spirit pass ~Thieves- grounding, spirit communication ~Vetiver- grounding ~Violet- protection ~Wormwood- can be used to help spirits manifest. (Caution when using this oil!! It is slightly hallucinogenic) ~Ylang Ylang- eases heartbreak So this is my list of essential oils in my correspondences (With the help of death-witch-envy!!) Feel free to add to the list or change some correspondences to your liking. Remember, some correspondences work for different people. I hope this helps!!
Something that I don’t think enough people cover when it comes to The Craft, is how to keep yourself protected when doing spells and rituals, or communicating with spirits. This is a very basic aspect of witchcraft, so I’d like to take a moment to go in depth on the topic to make sure that as many people as possible, can find something that will work for them! Of course though, there will be some methods that I either don’t have experience with or may have simply forgot to mention. Find what works best for you and your practice, and look at some other articles or books as well!
Centering
First off, what is centering? This is basically you preparing yourself and getting in the mindset of doing a spell/ritual. This is taking a moment to yourself to make sure you’re intentions are in the right place, and everything is set up and ready to go. Centering isn’t too difficult to do, so there’s honestly not too much to say on the topic.
Method I like to begin centering with meditation. Relax yourself and get into the “witch headspace”, if you will. Cleanse yourself, and maybe even take a shower or a bath. Next thing is to gather your thoughts, write some questions down on a piece of paper or on your computer and answer them. Things like “What is my motivation?” “What outcome do I want” “How do I want to do this?” If you really take a moment to understand what you’re doing and where your heart lies, your spell will be at it’s most effective.
Grounding
Grounding is an important thing to do after any spell you perform. While it doesn’t necessarily hurt to do before a spell, it can limit your meta-physical performance. Grounding is connecting you back to the earth and bringing you back to your physical body, getting your head out of the clouds if you will, and sometimes when performing a spell that’s where you want your head to be. If you’re working with any earth based magick though, this can greatly help, so just figure out what works best for the kind of spell you’re doing.
Methods
Roots - This is my covens favorite method to ground. This is basically where you have a meditative moment, plant your feet on the ground, and “sink your roots in”. First thing you wanna do is get in some kind of contact with the ground or floor, just anything that is a solid foundation. Plant your hands or feet flat and start by breathing deeply. You wanna really take in the energy from the earth, pay attention to all of your surroundings and take in the moment. Next close your eyes and start focusing your energy at your hands or feet. (You may feel your hands start to tingle or even go mildly numb) Lastly, release that energy and push it into the earth. Let it soak in deep, and if visualization helps, imagine your roots growing down.
Going outside is another very good method to reconnect with the Earth. If at all possible, I like to go outside barefoot and feel the grass on my feet. Really connect to the earth, take in your surroundings and walk around as much as you feel comfortable.
A Dump Stone - Just about any stone will work, but generally stone that come from bodies of water, have holes, or are green or black tend to work the best. Basically just hold the stone in your hand and let any and all negative energy flow out from you into the stone. Stones can handle quite a bit of negative energy so don’t be afraid to let it all come out. After you’re done though, you’re immediately going to want to cleanse your crystal with whichever method works best for you. I prefer to let mine sit in salt overnight, or until the feel done.
Drinking a cold glass of water, splashing cold water on your face, or even taking a really quick cold shower is also a really good way to ground yourself. It’s all about being present in your body, and nothing can bring you back into the now like some cold water can.
Shielding and Wards
Shielding yourself is important when it comes to any kind of magick, because there truly are negative entities and energies out there that like to take advantage of people. It’s a sad truth, but this is why we learn to protect ourselves spiritually. Putting up a shield or ward isn’t difficult, and sometimes you do it without even realizing!
Shielding Methods
Visualization - This is my favorite method to teach beginners because it doesn’t require any tools just you, and yourself. The begin, start by getting into a calm relaxed state, maybe even meditate before hand. Next, imagine a ring of light around yourself starting at your feet. This light can look like anything, be any color, and be any shape so the only limit is your imagination. Once you have the ring of light, imagine it slowly coming up around your body, let it fill your heart with warmth and let it remind you that you are safe spiritually and no negative entity can harm you. Once it has made a complete bubble around yourself, say some affirmations and remind yourself that you’re strong and can handle anything. The more you believe in yourself, then the stronger this shield will become.
Smoky Quartz or any other black stone, when kept on the person or placed at the feet can create a ward as well. For those less imaginative, this is a very good alternative because you have the crystal to support you as well.
Magick Circle - There are many ways to open a magick circle, but heres a really simple method. Hold one of your hands out, palm up and focus your energy in your hand. (You may get that warm, tingly, or numb feeling, if not though thats okay!) Really let it bubble up into your fingertips, and once there, point a finger out and draw a circle around yourself and say some simple affirmations of safety and peace. Just like the visualization method, this works best the more you have faith and believe in yourself.
Simply stating that you are, or feel safe is another way to shield yourself spiritually. You remember how when you were little and alone in your room at night and you thought you heard something scary? You covered your head up with a blanket right? Do you remember how safe you felt after doing that, like how nothing could get you? That was quite literally you putting up a shield. Remember your intentions and feelings are the most important thing in magick, always keep that in mind!
Warding Methods Wards are another variation of shields, but these are things you put on the physical plane rather than a spiritual one.
Runes/Sigils - A really good way to set up a ward is to carve or draw some runes either into the side of a doorframe, a candle, or even on a piece of paper to burn later! If you’re going to carve them into wood or draw them, charge the tool you’re going to be doing it with. If your going to use a candle, burn the candle whenever you feel like you need it most! And as for burning paper, keep the ashed around and maybe even sprinkle them into every corner of the room.
Salt - Put lines of salt on the top of your door and window frames, and sprinkle some in every corner of the room.
Stones - Certain stones are said to be warning stones and will break if danger is near by. Malachite is one of these stones, and is fairly easy to get your hands on. Place this stone above door and window frames as well.
Holy/Blessed Water - A drop placed in every corner of the room creates a barrier around the room.
Brooms/Staffs - Place in the corners of rooms, and said to fall over if danger is near by.
Black Candles - Burning a black candle is said to bring protection and keep a room hidden from spirits.
RG @okiroi_s.a: Δυναμική εκπρόσωπος του άλλωτε «ασθενούς» φύλου αναλύει δημιουργικά μέσα απ’ τη γραφή της, την ψυχοσύνθεσή, τις αντιδράσεις και τη συμπεριφορά των σύγχρονων γυναικών. Απέκτησε φανατικούς αναγνώστες και έχει χαρακτηριστεί από το “συνάφι” ως μια ιδιαίτερη «φωνή» μέσα από σύγχρονη θεματολογία. Επιχειρώντας να τη γνωρίσουμε καλύτερα και να εντοπίσουμε κοινές αναφορές, αναγνωρίσαμε στο πρόσωπο της Εύης Τσανάκα @evis_beauty_lab και αξιώσεις που συμπλέουν και εξελίσσονται αρμονικά. Την ευχαριστούμε θερμά και προτρέπουμε να την ακολουθήσετε. Dynamic representative of the former so called “weak” sex, she creatively analyzes through her writing, the mentality, #reactions and #behavior of modern #women. She has acquired fanatic readers and has been characterized by those “related” as a special “voice” through #contemporary themes. In an attempt to get to know her and to identify common #references, we recognized on the face of Evi Tsanaka @evis_beauty_lab and claims which coexist and evolve in #harmony. We kindly thank her and encourage you to #follow her. #regramapp
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