“Those Candle Flames Were Like The Lives Of Men. So Fragile. So Deadly. Left Alone, They Lit And Warmed.

Marion Jones

Look. Even if you don’t like the horror in crimson peak, you have to admit the movie looks great and the costumes are fabulous. That moth vs butterfly symbolism?? Amazing.

those dresses ate. that’s it. send post

“I’m Not Getting Sick!” Broth

Whenever I have a day where I wake up feeling gross and I feel off all day, but I’m DEFINITELY NOT GETTING SICK!!! this broth is my go-to. It’s got immune boosting ingredients to help you fight off whatever you’re definitely not coming down with. It’s also comforting and helps relieve cold & flu symptoms, so if a couple days later, you’re like “Bleh, I’m sick” it’ll still help.

Ingredients: 3 cloves garlic 1 inch ginger 1 cup garlic paper & skins (if you’ve got it, if not add 3 more cloves garlic) 1 cup onion peels & trimmings 1 cup carrot peels and trimmings 3 dried hot chilis a bunch of peppercorns a generous pinch of salt

Take the ginger and cut it through the skin almost to the middle in a slit down the side. Repeat this all the way around so it’s still one piece but has a lot of cuts around the sides. Put everything in a pot or pressure cooker with 6 cups of water. On the stove, simmer it for about 30 minutes, in a pressure cooker cook at pressure for 10 minutes. Let it cool, strain it, and store it in the fridge.

To use it, I’ll throw some sliced carrots, tofu cubes, green onions, or whatever I’ve got in this and bring it just up to a simmer. Sometimes I’ll add miso paste or gochujang and stir it to dissolve. Drink it while it’s hot and you’ll feel your sinuses draining. You can also add a dash of vinegar (rice or cider) to help it clear any throat congestion.

An alternate version, if you don’t have ginger on hand or plan on using it for more European cuisine is to leave out the ginger and add a teaspoon of thyme and a teaspoon of oregano (maybe rosemary or sage, if you’ve got it). You can also add some mushroom (fresh or dried) and tomato before you cook it to make it feel a bit richer.

Garlic and ginger are great for your immune system, and thyme and oregano can help to clear up infections. Vinegar (or lemon juice or what have you) can help to push congestion out of your throat, and the chilis + steam from drinking it hot will help clear & soothe your sinuses.

Feel better! Not that you’re sick, of course…

To be a Local Witch

Throughout history and our legends, Witches and Wizards were the crazy men and women that lived on the outskirts of the village. Their craft was wild and strange to those that lived in the village, but, nonetheless, people would seek after their wisdom of the land, the plants, the local spirits, and for wisdom or guidance in their path. These men and women, often bachelors, would know the ins and outs of the region and often went walking alone. 

Today, our villages are less rustic and more like local towns, and suburbs. But one can still be a Local Witch, and develop special connections with the land you call home. 

Become a Local Witch: 

Learn Local Lore Folktales, legends, and even tall tales develop the culture of a town or area. Learn these. Retell them over summer campfires, and over drinks with friends. People will start to LOVE your stories. 

Start Frequenting locally owned shops and stores Develop connections and relationships with the owners and those that work there every day. Learn their names, and introduce yourself after visiting more often. Supporting locally owned shops helps small business owners and provides nourishment to your community. This is putting down roots, and develops your connection with the people that shape your town.

Find a Local Bookstore This is an extension of 1 and 2. Locally owned bookstores always have a Local Writers, Local Plants, and Local History sections. Ask inside where these sections are, and start devouring these books. Not only will you be supporting a local shop, but you have a direct source of helpful information. Oftentimes, employees and owners also know a lot of Lore. Talk to them about what you’re interested in learning. They probably have some hidden gems of information. 

Learn about your Indigenous Plants Start researching and learning about the flora that grows locally, learn their lore, their uses, and magical or folklore associations. If Natives from your area used these plants, find out how. Learn where these plants grow and research local foraging. If you’ve never foraged, see if you can find a local group that can serve as helpful guides to stay safe. Never ingest anything unless you are SURE. 

Start a local Plant Grimoire Keep dried presses of flowers and plants in it, draw and diagram to help you remember what they look like. 

Learn about the indigenous animals Research their folklore and mythology. Start finding out what they eat, and what their habitats are. (Safely) Do your part to help foster their growth and health. This could be making insect houses to help local endangered pollinators, or leaving out special birdseed for endangered bird species in the area. (Safely) Start interacting with the non-aggressive species and leave them treats. This is great for birds, deer, rabbits, moles, chipmunks, hedgehogs, etc 

Join local Conservation Projects  Getting directly involved in wildlife conservation strengthens our spiritual and natural ties to the land we call our home. Taking personal responsibility and interest in it’s stewardship is honoring the spirits of the land, and the Gods. 

Use Google Maps while exploring parks, or protected open spaces to drop pins and places where you find animal habitats or useful plants for foraging. 

That’s all for now. More will come later I’m sure. Now go be the best local Witch or Druid you can be! 

Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (2000) 🍷🩸

'cause i don't care if i loose my mind, i'm already cursed

cows!!🐮🌱🌸🍄🦋

Cultural Dark Academia

After my last post about the lack of representation in academia, I felt it neccessary to provide some examples of what I’m talking about. Obviously there are more countries in the world than I can list and provide books for, so for a quick list this is what I got. !! Keep researching !! If you have any more books by POC please reply them !! If a country isn’t listed, that doesn’t mean it’s not important, this is just what I could get together real quick. If I made any mistakes, please let me know, we’re all learning. We need to help each other end eurocentrism in academia, so value representation and educate yourselves 💓💓💓

Chinese:

The Art of War by Sun Tzu

The Dream of the Red Chamber

The Water Margin

Romance of the Three Kingdoms

The Journey to the West

The Scholars

The Peony Pavilion

Border Town by Congwen Shen

Half of Man is Woman by Zhang Xianliang

To Live by Yu Hua

Ten Years of Madness by agent Jicai

The Field of Life and Death & Tales of Hulan River by Xiao Hong

Japanese:

A Personal Matter by Kenzaburo Oë

Pakistani:

Moth Smoke by Mohsin Hamid

How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid

Ghulam Bagh by Mirza Athar Baig

Masterpieces of Urdu Nazm by K. C. Kanda

Irani/Persian:

Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji

Savushun by Simin Daneshvar

Anything by Rumi

The Book of Kings by Ferdowsi

The Rubiyat by Omar Khayyam

Shahnameh (translation by Dick Davis)

Afghan:

Earth and Ashes by Atiq Rahimi

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

Indian:

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

Aithihyamala, Garland of Legends by Kottarathil Sankunni

The Gameworld Trilogy by Samir Basu

Filipino:

Twice Blessed by Ninotchka Rosca

The Last Time I Saw Mother by Arlene J. Chai

Brazilian:

Night at the Tavern by Álvares de Azevedo

The Seven by André Vianco

Don Casmurro by Machado de Assis

Colombian:

Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Delirio by Laura Restrepo

¡Que viva la música! by Andrés Caicedo

The Sound of Things Falling by Jim Gabriel Vásquez

Mexican:

Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolf Anaya

Adonis Garcia/El Vampiro de la Colonia Roma by Luis Zapata

El Complot Mongol by Rafael Bernal

Egyptian:

The Cairo Trilogy by Nahuib Mahfouz

The Book of the Dead

Nigerian:

Rosewater by Tade Thompson

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Malian:

The Epic of Sundiata

Senegalese:

Poetry of Senghor

Native American:

The Inconvenient Indian by Thomas King

Starlight by Richard Wagamese

Almanac of the Dead by L. Silko

Fools Crow by James Welch

Australian Aborigine:

Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe

First Footprints by Scott Cane

My Place by Sally Morgan

American//Modern:

Real Life by Brandon Taylor

Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

Internment by Samir’s Ahmed

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurtson

Rivers of London Series by Ben Aaronovitch