My Gods Are With Me.

do you ever catch yourself thinking of something so weird and fucked up that you have to stop mid-thought and your face is

Cold or Warm, Thorny or Soft

So my sister and I have some made up personality types we measure people through. You can be either warm or cold, and thorny or soft, so for example, someone can be cold and thorny, cold and soft, warm and thorny or warm and soft ; those are the 4 types we classify people in.

Now that that’s explained, I decided it would be fun to put each sign in one category.

For this post you should check your Sun, Moon and rising sign. Your Sun would be closer to how you truly are and percieve yourself to be, your Moon would point towards how you are when people know you better and how you behave towards those you care about, while your rising is more about how people percieve you and how you consciously make yourself appear as.

Really you could check any planet and it would talk about how you express those energies.

So first things first, I’ll explain each variable:

Cold: these people don’t get attached easily, they can be quite distant and reserved, not liking to be too close to people, especially those they don’t know well. They avoid showing their emotions to others and have a hard time expressing them, so they can be percieved as indifferent or inexpressive, they may be feeling enormously but from the outside seem emotionless to those who don’t know them well. Not necessarily rude, but distantly polite. Not very big on affection.

Warm: very expressive, even bubbly, they probably want people to feel comfortable and at home given their caring nature. Can get attached easily and have an outwardly loving nature. Their emotions can be seen all over their demeanor and they may share how they feel quite often. If they are shy, they may not be as overbearing as they appear in this description, but still have no qualms about expressing themselves when prompted by others. Very giving and affectionate nature.

Thorny: hard to get to know, they dislike interacting with people and can even be a bit hostile when you first meet them (and let’s be honest, afterwards as well). They show they care in a perhaps unconventional way, since they are not very good at sharing how they feel, so maybe they are more about actions than words. Trust issues wouldn’t strange with this type, so you have to earn it. They may feel easily stiffled when given affection, so handle with care and measure. Will physically fight anyone for their loved ones or protecting the underdog. Annoyed most of the time.

Soft: the sweet cinnamon roll archetype, they can trust others a bit too much, they open their hearts to those they care about and can even be a bot clingy at times. Will probably never hurt you on purpose and can often let people walk over them a bit because of their humble and understanding nature. While they do love affection, they may not actively seek it, since these people are prone to be pretty shy and quiet. Can worry a lot. Probably very moved by art and really creative souls.

Now, the signs:

Warm and Thorny: Aries, Gemini, Leo 

Very caring but can appear a bit hostile at first and be that way without realizing it at times. Easily become defensive when they feel threatened or hurt, doing and saying things they probably could’ve said much more gently or done differently. Will fight for what they believe is right and can be a bit aggressive and blunt at times. Care about everyone but not enough about anyone. Would help anyone in need but also could betray anyone if they can have something they want.

Cold and Soft: Taurus, Virgo, Libra 

People often feel drawn to these signs, mostly for their charm and class (taurus, libra), or their intelligence and simplicity (virgo). However, if you watch closely, you can see they never become too involved and always keep their distance emotionally speaking. They are people pleasers, and to please everyone you can’t care about anyone too much. They can try to make others feel comfortable, but mostly because they tend to absorb others emotions, so someone being uncomfortable around them can make them feel uncomfortable as well. Nevertheless, when they do care about someone they are affectionate, caring and, well, soft. They don’t care about someone easily, but when they do, their loved ones become their world. 

Cold and Thorny: Scorpio, Capricorn, Aquarius

Struggle getting close to people, for they value their freedom and alone time a lot. They show they care in their own way, which may not always be noticed by their loved ones. Can be a bit rough around the edges and hide their feelings and emotions in fear of being hurt or taken advantage of. Very hard to get to know, but very loyal once they care about you. Can be passive to injustice or insensitive to pain because they often mind their own bussiness a bit too much.

Prone to feeling lonely and misunderstood.

Warm and Soft: Cancer, Sagittarius, Pisces

Very caring, very gentle, very shy (except sagittarius, probably.) Can often live in their emotions, their hearts are too big for their own good. Easily hurt and unfortunately struggle hiding it. Struggle to let go of people, even after they’ve hurt them. Rich inner world and very moved by human emotion. Probably quite idealistic. Giving, generous and affectionate, understanding to an almost annoying degree and the best when it comes to comforting others.

Sagittarius is perhaps the one that lets go and becomes detached more easily.

**I’m not a psychologist or anything, so take this with a grain of salt and remember it’s just a hobby for me, I’m not a professional.

APPRECIATION POST FOR HERMES BC HE’S SO WONDERFUL AND IM SO THANKFUL FOR THE GOOD FORTUNE HE BRINGS ME!!!

Weird how opening spotify in a web browser with a decent ad blocker allows you to skip ads just like would happen if you had premium. Sure hope no one takes advantage of that.

Centering, Grounding, and Shielding

- From my Grimoire

A Preface

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. 

baby witches:

while it can definitely be a fun and motivating way to get in touch with your craft, your grimoire does not have to be full of watercolors or biologically correct doodles of herbs. for a long time i was ripping pages out of my grimoire because they didn’t look perfect, rebloggable - and it kept me from the grimoire’s true purpose, to record information for later reference and use. your grimoire is yours for the making. it can be a word document, a collection of quick notes on the backs of receipts, a notebook previously used for science class, a full-scale art book. as long as it helps you learn and grow closer to your practice, it is the perfect grimoire.

Exhibition quality German hunting knife with chiseled silver mountings and sheath, stag handle. Late 19th or early 20th century.

from Rock Island Auctions

need a cheat sheet for the astrological symbols? here’s one!

Imagine the bat kids all living together. But instead of the manor, they all share the same Gotham City apartment.

Like, they all collectively decided that they didn’t want to rely on Bruce’s money anymore so they rent out a penthouse apartment. (Everyone contributes but let’s be real, most of the money is from trust-fund baby Timothy Jackson Drake).

It’s nice, but certainly not Wayne Manor. It’s spacious, but not too much for 7 (+Damian who sleeps over when he fights with Bruce) adult vigilantes. The place has four bedrooms, one of which is used as an arsenal/costume storage room. Which, consequently, means that sharing rooms is a necessity.

So:

Dick and Jason

Barbara, Cassandra, and Stephanie

And Tim and Duke are the room set ups.

But just imagine the possibilities.

Sunday dinners consisting of various takeout joints that always devolve into Bruce Wayne roasting sessions

Roommate / sibling bonding time

There’s a huge uproar in teasing when someone brings a friend/partner up to the apartment

Alfred calls regularly to see if the place hasn’t burned down

A chore scheduling wheel in the living room

Board game nights

Listening to pump up music together before patrol

Making Instagram and YouTube videos regularly in the house which are immensely popular

Using post it notes to spell out messages on the windows (“FUCK THE JOKER” is a popular one)

Ugh I know this is my own AU but honestly it’s my favorite thing just let me have this DC

feel free to comment / add on! I’d love to see your guys’ takes!!