𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓬𝓱𝔂 𝓪𝓬𝓪𝓭𝓮𝓶𝓲𝓪

awesome things to look forward to at college and university

strolling through the beautiful campuses

getting the opportunity to study what you want

being surrounded by inspiring academics with years or wisdom

speaking with these intellectuals as their equals and colleagues

meeting people from all different cultures and backgrounds

making friends with whoever you want

ditching the fakes and the bullies

relishing catch ups with special high school besties

intellectual discussions with people from all walks of life

commiserating together with everyone over the workload

flexible class timetables and days off

learning things that you’ll use everyday in your career

knowing that you’re investing in the future

having hundreds of clubs and societies to join

discovering that there’s someone in the same boat as you

experiencing dorm life and late night parties

experimenting with new styles

understanding what sort of citizen you want to become

being surrounded by people who are as passionate as you

learning to seek evidence and proof for all questions in life

motivating yourself by seeing your own hard-earned GPA/WAM

laughing with friends about the people who are still jerks even in uni

understanding things you’ve never thought you’d understand

learning concepts your way with your own study methods

studying in libraries that are several storeys high

utilising your bullet journal to its full potential to stay organised

joining the gym and reaching that level of fitness you’ve always aspired to

despite the hard work and long hours, there’s a lot to things to love! add things you love about uni and keep the comments positive! :)

Follow optomstudies for daily original posts and study masterposts! Links: all originals + langblr posts + 15-part college 101 series + web directory!

Update: Links fixed!

How to prepare for a new semester/year:

So as you all know I’ve been back to uni for about two weeks now and I was NOT feeling it (to say the very least). So here is what I did to get out of that crappy omg I can’t believe school’s back mood:

Clean your room: Back to school shopping is a huge deal for me but personally I like to start by cleaning my room, that includes closet, desk .. etc. Not only does this give you kind of a fresh start but also you end up figuring out exactly what you have and don’t have so you buy way less stuff (and save more money)

And while you’re at it stop hoarding: I’ve had books just sitting there for nearly four years that I haven’t touched (hello histology), same goes for clothes. Get rid of the things you know you don’t use. If you haven’t used them in a year chances are you won’t magically change your mind and start using them. You can sell them or give them away.

Don’t throw away half used notebooks: This annoys me soooo much. Cut out the pages you’ve written in and RECYCLE them. Less is more people. You don’t have to use them for school, I use those for writing down workouts or tracking what I eat, making shopping lists, goals or whatever I feel like writing (so people won’t see you with the same notebook from last year, they probably won’t notice anyway but if that’s your excuse here you go) ALSO: For clothes that you like but are too long, too big or whatever get them tailored! Don’t throw those away too.

Now that we’ve decluttered, make a list of what you need: Tailor this to your schedule as much as possible. If you have long days at uni with a significant amount of walking maybe invest in comfy shoes, if you feel like a certain notebook would work really well for a certain class get it, if you know you’ll be carrying a lot of stuff around and don’t have a proper backpack get one. Write down everything you need before you go to the store.

Figure out what you’ll do regarding your meals: Do you have enough good quality tupperware? Do you have all the groceries? Watch a few videos on meal prepping and have a set list of quick and healthy meals that suit you and your schedule and your diet.

Optimize your study space: I’m not saying make it all white and aesthetically pleasing (unless that’s your thing), just make sure it’s a good environment for you to be productive. Figure out if you need to make any changes to it before school starts.

If you can rearrange the furniture in your room: You’d be surprised at how much this affects your mood, you don’t have to buy new stuff to feel renovated for back to school.

Take a look at all of your classes and try to work out a daily (& study) routine: SUPER IMPORTANT, before school starts try to plan out what your weeks will look like, what you’ll do for certain gaps (for example do you have enough time to go study off campus or get a workout in), which resources you’ll use for every class, how are you going to commute, what kind of notes you’ll take for every class ..etc. Distribute your workload evenly throughout the week (so days when you go home early, allocate more study time and vice versa)

Lurk at studyblrs and studygrams: or even start one, this community is super motivating (pretty sure you already know that)

One last pampering session: This is very very optional and not for everyone but I personally get a hair treatment done before uni so that I don’t spend as much time doing my hair in the morning. Same goes for body hair removal, face masks …etc. It just makes me feel like a new woman 💁🏼‍♀️

Sometimes a family can be a witch’s twin, a young girl and a faceless spirit

How To Create Your Own Spells

Dedicated to @a–special–one​ Thank you so much for asking! I felt like this needed a post all it’s own ^u^

-from my grimoire

I’d like to say before anything else, and as I always say, this is not the only way to do this. There are many different ways to create your own spells, and this is simply the method that I find easiest when teaching beginners. And always remember that when it comes to crafting a spell, your intentions are whats most important.

Gathering Your Thoughts

The first step to creating any spell, is thinking about what kind of spell you want to perform, how you want to perform it, and how you want it to manifest.

Ask yourself some questions. “What kind of spell do I want to make?” “Does this need to be a very specific spell or a vague one?” “What method am I going to use to cast/create the spell?” “How do I want this spell to affect me or the person it’s aimed at?” “What kind of ingredients am I going to need?” “What time of day or moon phase would I like to perform this spell?” Anything along those lines are important questions to ask before you start working on your spell. Write the questions and answers down on paper that way you can keep track of everything!

Types of Spells

The next place you’re going to end up is choosing what kind of spell you want to do. Picking what type of spell you want to do is important because this is what decides how effective it is, how long it’s going to last, and when it’s effect will activate. This is not a list of all the types of spells out there, but simply the types that I do on a regular basis. And as another note, you can totally combine methods as well! This can easily enhance the power of your spells and make your intentions more clear and direct.

Prayer - This is the most simple form of a spell, and best to do if you’re only looking for a little aid rather than something major. A spell like this puts you in the universes hands completely.

Spoken Word - Differing from prayer because this has actual intentions in mind. This is usually a word, phrase, rhyme/lyric, or short paragraph spoken with energy. A spell like this can be very effective depending on how much energy you put into it and how much you actually believe in yourself. If you’re low on supplies and need something solid, spoken word is the way to go.

Incense Spell - An incense spell is usually directed at yourself rather than at another person, though that doesn’t mean it can’t work on another. But these are very temporary spells and only last as long as the burning incense. Usually this kind of spell is used to enhance focus.

Candle Spell - One of the most common types of spell you’re going to see are ones with candles. You can perform this spell on yourself or another person easily, and they’re very fast acting depending on the type of candle you use. When doing this kind of spell, take things like color and size in account.

Crystal Grid - A type of spell work that is done by placing specific crystals in a manner where their energies intermingle and work together to perform a task. This is a spell type that I use on a daily basis to set the mood for the day and keep me energies.

Sigil - A type of drawn magick that puts your intentions of paper. Usually these need to be charged and activated, but once that’s done, they have quite nice effects!

Bottle/Bag Spell - My personal favorite type of spell! These work well if you need a constant effect, and depending on the size of bag or bottle you use can easily be carried with you everywhere. These are very long lasting, don’t need to be charged often, and produce the best effect.

Energy Spell - Probably a more advanced technique, but this is the use of pure energy to put your will into motion. Doing energy spells takes lots of practice and in the early stages can be very unstable in whether they work or not, or whether they’ll completely backfire. This takes patience so don’t give up!

Picking Your Ingredients

Unless you’ve decided on spoken word or prayer alone, you’ll be looking for ingredients next. You don’t need expensive or fancy ingredients, and if you need to you can totally add spices and such from your kitchen ^u^ Think about correspondences carefully, and if you associate something with a feeling or ideal specifically then use it! Things that have personal meanings to yourself can be the most powerful ingredient in any spell.

Here are some of the correspondences I’ve posted about. (If tumblr wasn’t fiddly I would post links, but they’re on my blog in the “My Grimoire” and “My Tips” pages) Herbs and Spices Incense and Oils Common Crystals Colors Flowers Feathers (be mindful of the feathers you pick up, some could get you in legal trouble!)

When To Cast

Once you’ve got all your ingredients together, next thing you’re gonna wanna sit down and figure out when you want to cast your spell. This isn’t always a necessary part, and most spells can be done whenever you feel like, but taking things like Time of Day or the Current Moon Phase into account can really add to (or even take away from) the power of your spell

Here are some simple correspondences for Moon Phase and Time of Day. (I’ll go more in depth in a separate post if enough people show interest)

Moon Phases

New Moon (when there is only the tiniest sliver) - Good for sowing the seeds of new ideas

Waxing Moon - Good for healing, and growing ideas

Full Moon - Best time to perform any sort of spell

Waning Moon - Good for cutting things out of your life

Dark Moon (when the moon is not visible) - Take this time to rest and focus on yourself

Time of Day

1am-3am - Good for communicating with spirits

4am-6am - Good for planting new ideas and fertility

7am-9am - Best time to make offerings to deities or local spirits

10am-12pm - Best time for positivity and growth

1pm-3pm - Good to focus on yourself and your studies

4pm-6pm - Time to harvest and be with family

7pm-9pm - Best time to cut things out of your life

10pm-12am - Good for any magickal workings

Like I said earlier, this stuff isn’t necessary unless you really want that extra ‘umph’ in your magick, so don’t feel like you have to plan it down to a T especially if you’re in a hurry. Only plan if you want to and have the time to.

Organizing and Casting

How are you going to cast the spell? That’s probably one of the hardest parts you’re going to come across if you’re new to spell crafting. You want to think about this part carefully so you get maximum results. I can give some tips ^u^

If you’re combining methods, think about what order you want to put them in. Organize them in a way that flows naturally.

Practice your spell! Set up a play scenario and rehearse your spell a few times to make sure you get it right, and the whole process goes smoothly.

Don’t be afraid to make a mistake though, mistakes are part of life and they always tend to happen when you want them to the least. If your spell doesn’t go perfectly the way you imagined, that’s okay. Intention is what matters.

Keep all your spells in a file or in a book. Keeping records of spells is important if you ever intend to use them again, write everything down from ingredients to how you cast

Dont be afraid to experiment! Especially with random things, that’s how you make your own associations. Making your own associations is how you make a spell even stronger!

Lastly, don’t feel obligated to get fancy or over the top. Spoken word spells can be just as effective as a bottle spell, especially if it’s said every day.

✨Collars✨

by Karen Leopold

The classes you wish you were taking this semester

Studio Ghibli tributes by Bill Mudron.