Bindrune

Celebrate Yule

Outside:

Leave out birdseed ornaments as offerings to the season

If snowing, play in the snowfall to appreciate the changing season or collect some for snow water

After the sun has gone down, burn a yule log in a bonfire

Take some friends and go wassailing! 

In the Home:

Make stovetop potpourri as an alternative to incense 

DIY gifts with your witch skills for your friends and family 

Read a winter solstice tarot spread for yourself

Decorate your holiday tree, blessing the ornaments with good energy

Hang mistletoe for protection and (consensual!) kisses

In the Kitchen:

Make one of these Celtic Yule recipes

Prepare some traditional or non-traditional wassail for any adults

Bake mini yule logs to share with family and friends 

Make Swedish Lussekatter rolls or Norwegian Julekake bread 

In the Bath:

Bathe with fresh orange slices and frankincense and myrrh essential oils for a prosperity ritual bath

Take a lazy witch holiday LUSH bath (our suggestions here) 

Do a pre-solstice ritual bath with essential oils

Make winter spice bath bombs and enchant them for prosperity

On your Altar:

Use colors like reds, greens, whites, and metallic colors

Add holly, pine, ivy, mistletoe, juniper, or cedar for some greenery

Decorate with a yule wish bottle to for some easy magic

Represent the seasonal harvest with oranges, pears, nuts, and berries

Incorporate snowflake obsidian, clear quartz, or bloodstone

Crystals that are NOT suitable for placing in water / making gem water

This list will explain common stones that are either toxic to use for drinking in gem water or stones that are soluble in water. :)

Alunite: Non toxic but soluble in water

Anglesite: Toxic and slightly soluble in water

Arsenopyrite: Potentially toxic

Azurite: Harmful

Azurite-Malachite: Harmful

Azurite-Pseudomalachite: Harmful

Bunsenite: Toxic; allergen; avoid skin contact

Calomel: Possibly hazardous to health

Cerussite: Toxic

Chalcanthite: Harmful; easily soluble in water

Cinnabar: Very toxic!

Cinnabar-Opal: The cinnabar stored in the opal is toxic

Crocoite: Toxic 

Cuprite: Harmful

Durangite: Potentially toxic

Eclipse Stone: Limestone with orpiment, toxic

Eilat Stone: Harmful

Erythrite: Potentially toxic

Fiedlerite: Toxic

Fluorite, Antozonite variety: Potentially harmful

Galenite: Toxic and slightly soluble in water

Gaspeite: Harmful; allergen; avoid skin contact

Greenockite: Toxic

Halite: Not toxic in small quantities, but dissolves easily in water

Iron-nickel Meteorite: Harmful; allergen; avoid skin contact

Jamesonite: Potentially toxic

Lemon Chrysoprase: Potentially harmful; allergen; avoid skin contact

Lopezite: Very toxic! Hazardous even through skin contact

Malachite: Harmful

Millerite: Toxic; allergen; avoid skin contact

Minium: Toxic

Nickeline: Toxic; allergen; avoid skin contact

Olivenite: Potentially toxic

Orpiment: Toxic

Proustite: Potentially toxic

Psilomelane and Pyrolusite: Harmful

Pyromorphite: Potentially toxic

Rauenthalite: Toxic

Realgar: Toxic. Store in dark, securely locked place.

Scorodite: Potentially toxic

Sphaerocobaltite: Harmful; allergen; avoid skin contact

Stibnite: Harmful

Tetrahedrite: Potentially harmful

Ulexite: Non toxic but slightly soluble in warm water

Valentinite and Senarmontite: Harmful

Vanadinite: Toxic

Wulfentie: Potentially toxic

Your Life Isn't Over Because You Have Misophonia (Surprise!)

I wanted to write a post about you specifically. Yes, you, not someone else, you. I want you to know that your life is not over because you have misophonia, and that you’re important to the world. You have a lot of options as a diagnosed misophonic! Here is sort of a mega-post of information to maybe help you to succeed in life and explore opportunities you may not have known existed :) I’ll also put some photos in between so that you might feel more inspired. 

The Importance of Getting a Diagnosis & Your Legal Rights: First off, I think the first step you have to take in making your life easier if you’re still in school is getting a diagnosis from a certified doctor. I know that not every state or region has an audiologist that can diagnose you, but I certainly think that a trip to the nearest one, however long it would take, is completely worth it. Why? Because, as far as I am aware of, if you live in the United States, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Ireland or Australia, you have anti-discriminatory rights as a disabled citizen. (I know there are laws in other countries, but we’d be here all night if I covered them all!) Here are government links that explain your civil rights in the U.S., the U.K., New Zealand, Ireland and in Australia. Also, I checked with Canada, and they don’t have a law yet, but they’re currently campaigning towards one!) Here are two lists of practitioners who treat misophonia: (Just the United States) and (The U.S. and several other countries). Some of the doctors on the second link might only treat tinnitus, so email them first or look them up! The doctor in London and the doctor in Victoria, Australia do treat misophonia for sure, so do not fret! 

Your Legal Rights to Equal Education in These Same Countries: Because there are anti-discriminatory laws in the countries I named, you have an equal right to attain an education as any other non-disabled student. If you are officially diagnosed with misophonia from a certified doctor, these rights legally apply to you, as long as your doctor can explain in a letter exactly why misophonia is a disability for you. In the United States, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 basically says that federally funded schools cannot discriminate or deny a student the same access to education because of their disability, and it specifically covers neurological disorders - which misophonia actually is. Because of this law, I was able to get accommodations at the University of Colorado Denver to make my education attainable. (I am one of two students there with misophonia accommodations!) I am allowed a note-taker, I may leave or skip class without being counted absent (so long as my excuse is misophonia-related), my professors are not allowed to discriminate against me in class because of my disability, I get preferred seating, I can take tests and quizzes in a room by myself (yay!!!), and I am allowed an FM system (an auditory system consisting of earphones for me with a receiver and a microphone for my teacher, so I can’t hear other people!), which my professor is legally required to wear and help me with. I mean, how cool is that?! These are the sorts of accommodations you can ask for when you try to make your case! For a while I had been thinking about dropping out because going to class was so hard, but man, nothing is stopping me now! PhD., here I come! 

Those of You Who Are Home-Bound: Even if you can’t stand being in a classroom for any reason, there are many options as far as online school go. Here are 50 online high schools and 542 online colleges and universities! Here are some online programs for those in the UK needing to complete sixth form. I personally know at least one girl with misophonia who is doing online school here in the U.S., and it seems to be working for her :)

Rights As An Employee: Disability laws also protect us in the work space! As far as Section 504 in the U.S. is concerned, an employer is required to accommodate a disabled employee within reasonable means. In the U.K., the Equality Act of 2010 says, that an employer has to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to avoid you being put at a disadvantage compared to those in your work space who do not have disabilities. In Australia, their anti-discriminatory law says that it is against the law for an employer to act in a discriminatory way towards your disability. Ireland’s Disability Discrimination Act says it is illegal for employers to discriminate against people with disabilities for any reason related to their disability, in all aspects of employment, unless it can be justified. I didn’t quite understand New Zealand’s Disabled Persons Employment Promotion (Repeal and Related Matters) Bill, but you can visit this page for more information if it would be helpful to you!

Ideal Jobs: Basically, I’ve learned that if you have a job where you can control your environment or work alone, it is possible for you to work a job as a professional. Ideal jobs would be things like being a teacher, working from home, owning a business, being a doctor or a counselor, being an electrician, doing work in the field, working in a controlled office, ect. I currently work at my dad’s office, where I am mostly on my own. The secretary I work with knows about my condition and helps me out in any way I need! To be honest, I’m kind of scared to get a job working in customer service because my triggers are so bad, so I additionally raise cows, whom for the most part, don’t bother me yet. Plus, they pay for my textbooks! 

Places to Find Online Support: These blogs: confessions-of-a-misophonic, adventures-in-misophonia, misophonia–sucks, misophonia-isnt-fun, living-with-miso, misophoniachicago, misophoniaadailyhell, and misophoniaandme! 

These Facebook groups: “Misophonia Coping and Solutions”, “Misophonia: Selective Sound Sensitivity Syndrome (4S)”, and “Misophonia-Parents of children with misophonia”.

Websites:  Misophonia Online, the Misophonia Association, and Haunted by everyday noises. 

Conclusions: I really stand by the fact that even while you have misophonia, you are still able to live and interact with the world, and you are also able to make a difference! The Internet, in this way, is a beautiful and wondrous tool that allows us to come together as a community, share ideas with one another, and encourage each other. I don’t know where I’d be if I didn’t have you all for support! I’d encourage you all to think of the talents you have been gifted with and maybe think of ways you can use them to further raise awareness and help other misophonics in our community. Like, if you’re going to be a misophoniac, be a damn good one, right? If you’re a musician, maybe write songs; or if you’re an artist, create ways for others to visualize what we have; if you’re confident, make videos, talk about what you have, and share them with the world; and if you’re not too bad at writing, speak out and communicate! I mean, that’s how this ridiculous blog got started. I just thought I’d share a few ideas and then it kind of bubbled over and came to life! It’s one of the best decisions I ever made.

You all have voices and are important to the world, make something of yourself that you can be proud of! You won’t regret it.

I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that, I’m going to go bleach my eyes. 

Dear fellow misophonia sufferers...

⚠️⚠️TW:DRUGS/ALCOHOL⚠️⚠️

Do any of you notice a significant difference in your trigger tolerance depending on the..substances...you’ve taken? Personally, I can handle a lot more when I’ve had a good few drinks but I’m much more sensitive after smoking

Imma show off my aggressive pride flags before pride month ends.

My Biggest Problem

Miso isn’t my biggest problem anymore. I know you’re gonna be like, 

“Bullh*ck, misophonia is the worst thing that ever happened to me, it’s ruined everything, ect.!!” 

But, my young, young dudes, I have some news. Adulthood is surprising as h*ck and has a lot of bumps and turns and I never anticipated in my whole of angsteenager existence that there would be life after miso.

For example, if anyone’s watched the video (x) I posted a hot while ago, they’d see that I’ve come out as ftm transgender and I’ve left home. I got engaged in December to @living-with-miso, my longtime Tumblr crush and we’re getting married next month.

 My type 3 Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) exploded into wondering each day if I can walk or use my hands. 

My computer broke. I need to buy socks. The milk in the fridge is expired.

And I know that mostly sounds like, 

“Gee, thanks Stephan, so you’re saying everything gets worse?” 

but man, I actually would say I’ve never been happier. 

You see, when you move out, you move away from the people who trigger you the most in the world: your family. You may have new people who trigger you, like a roommate, but eventually, you’re gonna be in a situation where you can more or less have total control over your environment. Make sure you choose a life partner that accepts every inch of you, and don’t settle for anything less.

When you grow up, you’ll be able to manage your life in a way you can control, to an extent. You literally don’t even have to attend classes in person anymore, almost anything is available online! Yeah, you’ll have days where you just want to rip your ears off and replace your hands with chainsaws because you need to attend job training, attend a family BBQ, or hurriedly make an Irish exit to said BBQ, but that’s not going to be the majority of your life anymore.

And that’s where I’m at. I’m out from the influence of more “adult” adults at the age of 22 and am finally the captain of my own life. 

Which is terrifying, but empowering. I decide if I can attend gatherings, I decide if I want to leave, I decide if I want to stay inside and live on the internet, I decide if I can live with my partner, and I decide if I want to eat cookies for breakfast unless Ashley is home and and tells me no cookies for breakfast (#marriage). 

And if anyone (other than my future wife) has a problem with the way I live my life or make decisions, guess what? I can decide to take my Scissors of H*ck You and cut them right the h*ck out of my beautiful rainbow life.

I may not have the power to decide whether or not I have misophonia, whether my hands work on any given day, or whether or not I have sensory meltdowns, but I can decide how I handle these things.

So I guess my point today is that miso life gets better once you’ve grown up. If you can make it that far, you’ll be happier. And god, I wish my teenage self had known how happy I would one day be. Thank god I decided to stick around.

So stick around, guys. Your life may look like shooty macaroni art, but it’s just practice at this point. One day, you’ll be Bob Ross and decide when and where your next happy little tree goes.

Stay Brave Out There, Stephan [soon-to-be] Vomacka

reblog and make a wish! this was removed from tumbrl due to “violating one or more of Tumblr’s Community Guidelines”, but since my wish came true the first time, I’m putting it back. :)

Any other witches use lavender for literally everything?

Ah, yes, everyone’s go to calmer and de-stresser: Lavender. I burn it and use the oil and have it in a perfume and drink it in tea. But why Is it so great for literally everything?

Lavender is a very useful antidepressant and anti-anxiety herb. I drink it almost every night in a tea to calm myself. For those of us who stress all the time (especially students who tend to work themselves too much!!) it’s a great go-to when you really aren’t feeling it. Plus, it’s great for those who suffer from insomnia or people who just have trouble getting tired at night.

A great combo for stress relief for your diffuser:

5 drops Grapefruit essential oil

5 drops Lavender essential oil

But not only can it help your mental state, it also helps digestion and IBS! It’s soothing for your stomach and has a sweet taste, which can make any tea smell and taste amazing.

Lavender tea blends well with:

Green tea (De-stressing and digestion)

Hibiscus (Cramps, helps regulate digestive/resprastory tract) [[only add a little though, it’s super strong!!]]

Chamomile (nausea, athsma)

Look for shampoos with lavender in them because it is amazing for getting rid of dandruff! If you have a sensitive scalp, don’t fret – it’s very soothing on the skin.

Hey witches!!!

I’m sure we all know that lavender is amazing in witchcraft, too, but what can you do with it?

It’s been used as a placeholder for calmness and peace in ancient magicks for hundreds of years. It’s attractive scent makes it favorable in love spells, as well as its heavily used property to induce happiness.

It is bound to Mercury and the element air.

Little things to do with lavender:

Keep a satchet of lavender with you to promote happiness and good health

Rub the flowers on you to attract love

Burn stalks of dried lavender to attract money, love, happiness, good health, passion, protection and sucess

Put lavender under your pillow and think about something you desire. If your dream contains something related, you’ll get said desire

Grow it in your garden to bring good luck

It has been said to attract Fae because of its beautiful scent!

It can make a great offering to many deities as it is such a wide-variety herb. You can make it into a potion, burn it on charcoals, or just sprinkle it around an effigy to show how much you love them!

Just thought I would pay tribute to my favorite herb of all times. I use it in lterally every spell for different things, sometimes like a signature. I hope you guys can find a lot of help from it, too!

-Damien

Source: (x)(x)(x)(x)(img1)(img2)

WITCH’S SIGIL WHEEL

Decide on a word that resembles what you want to accomplish, such as LOVE, HEALTH, or PROTECTION. Then, starting from the first letter trace the letters of your word in a straight line from one to another, ending with the last letter of your word. If you want, you can connect the last line back to the first to create a closed shape, or leave it as an open one.

When you’re finished, you have a simple sigil then can be etched into a candle and burnt down, or you can write it down on paper and add it to a small bottle or pouch with herbs.

Animal Release Spell

You will need the following items for this spell:

Sandalwood incense

1 Brown candle

2 Black candle

1 White Candle

Picture of your lost pet

Quartz Crystal

White sage

Bowl of Water

Bowl of animal food

Set up your altar as you see fit, in the case of this rite, it should be mellow as for a proper funeral. When ready invoke the gods of your pantheon. In this case, gods of the afterworld and gods of animal protection. (Never invoke gods that are not of your faith nor gods you know nothing about) Light any candles you wish to use as illumination. Perform first prayers and gift your offerings and then the white sage. Take up the brown candle and hold it tight. Infuse the candle with images of the pet you lost. As you do say the following:

__(Pet name)__, I love you so much And I miss you so much Know that even though you are gone, You will always be in my heart. This candle I light is a part of you. As this candle burns slowly away, I set you free from the mortal world And yet, we will always be together

Rest a minute and when read light the two black candles and say the following:

My lord and Lady of the afterworld, may you make the journey of __(Pets Name)__ to the Isles of the Blessed swift and sure. I ask that the blessing of the Spirits of the Ancestors, of Time and of Place, and of the journey be blessed. I ask that the Blessing of the Spirits of North and South, East and West be with you. I ask that __(Pet name)__ be blessed with Fire and with Water, with Earth, with Air, with Soul, with Spirit and with Balance. I ask for the blessing of the Lord and Lady of the Animals and the Woods, the Mountains and the Streams. I ask that the Blessing of the Lord and Lady of the Wildwood may always be with you.

Take a minute and light the white candle and say the following:

By the beauty of the fields, the woods and the sea, by the splendor that is set up on all that is, we send you our own love and blessings, dear __(Pet Name)__. As the sun rises in the East and sets in the West, so too are each of us born and so too do each of us die. But as the sun returns anew each day, so too do we return to earth, refreshed and renewed.

Now take a moment and relax. Play some music for a minute. When ready say the following:

You’re free to go now, Little One. Rejoice and play the time has come For your spirit to be on its way. Have fun, be happy your love will stay!

Pick up the stone and say the following

So long as this stone is close to me, together we shall always be. And though I may gain another pet in time to come you can never be replace, you hold a special place in my heart. And when it is time for me to step on the shores of evermore, We will once again be together…for-ever-more.“ Seven days, Seven days the gods have allotted all spirits and souls, to travel the world and say goodbye to those we loved in life. I open my windows and open my door for these seven days that we may be together one last time, for one last kiss.

Let the brown and white candle burn out on its own. Blow out the black candles only afterwards speaking “With loves sweet kiss.” Never pinch out a candle, as it is dangerous and rude. Whatever is left of the wax place in a jar with the picture and a pinch left of the white sage. Burn it in the hole along with the bowl of food and water. (Use a old tin for the food and water.) Then bury them all and if possible with your pet.