Nina Simone Performing On A TV Show Filmed At BBC Television Centre In London, 1966. 

I don’t know what is more, hopeless,

Having a static mood, that nothing happening in the world can change what is happening inside you and you dont have the strength to pretend, and are in that constant state of melancholy.

Or

Having a dynamic mood, that anything can change your mood instantly a song you listen to makes you cry and then you watch a cat video and makes you laugh, the next moment, like you have surrendered yourself to the world, tired of feeling a type of way, that you dont care anymore,

The saddest moment is going to self harm and realising you have to look for clean skin to cut...

Musical vibes

Jack Stauber’s full albums: Night drive music or abstract tunes that make you feel like you’re floating. Jack Stauber’s unextended Micropop songs: Vaguely familiar childhood memory. Jack Stauber’s extended Micropop songs: A combination of the previous two. Lemon Demon: If you took the general feel of the songs from Phineas and Ferb and then made it mad scientist rock perfect for listening to while violating the laws of nature. I DON’T KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME: A demon of the arts tormenting an immoral and backstabbing rock star for his hubris. The Oh Hellos: You ate a plant that looked pretty and now suddenly you’re in golden fields in a high fantasy world as two extradimensional bards narrate your tales. Cosmo Sheldrake: You ate a plant that looked pretty and ended up in a dreamland where a spirit is guiding you without explicit care for your safety and only a focus on making sure you follow the letter of the land’s laws. Superorganism: I have no clue how it happened but liquid got turned into music and I’m not complaining. Porter Robinson(in Worlds and past it): Someone assembled a bunch of corrupted files of human memories back into an understandable form as songs. (Madeon but less happy) Madeon: The sun and fast moving winds. Like if high fantasy was modernized to the 21st century. (Porter Robinson but less sad) Miracle Musical: Fell into a box of old film reels and now you’re in a nightmare that you aren’t scared of, until you reach The Mind Electric and you are absolutely 100% horrified. Lemaitre: If Porter Robinson made pop and was more than one person. (also tfw you’re a band from norway with a french name and song lyrics in english. mr. worldwide) Half Alive: AJR but orange and less memory based. AJR: Half Alive but brown and less abstract. Caravan Palace prior to Chronologic: The mafia is pissed at you(or you ARE the mafia?) and nobody speaks in full sentences. Caravan Palace after Chronologic: Somebody dipped my electro swing band in a new coat of paint. Cavetown: Not everybody has a guitar and experience with writing good lyrics so somebody’s gotta be the one to say what everybody wants to communicate if only they could make music. Glass Animals in ZABA: Forest spirit teaches you about the wilderness until you piss him off bigtime and and he chases you out. Glass Animals in How To Be A Human Being: Who gave the forest spirit access to the personal lives of several troubled people and WHO GAVE HIM THE RIGHT TO BE SO ON-POINT WITH HIS TAKES ON THEM???

five things that made me fall in love with you. or maybe even more...

this awkward joke, my favorite first awkward joke. it was so strange, but it was the first time you made me feel special, even in this strange and sarcastic way

our friendship. it was so warm, so familiar, so close. just like rainy summer day when something is not supposed to be happening, but still happens, yet feels really really good, our friendship was the most interesting interaction with anyone in this world

trust. it is not even the fact that i can tell you anything as much as the fact that i really want to. Or maybe it is a mixture of both that makes me feel so secure with you

mutuality that never in my life i felt so much, before you. those meaningless fights on who loves more are fun, but honestly i feel like we both give out full 100% into this relationships which makes me extremely grateful.

it feels like it was yesterday. first time i realized that i’m falling for you, first kiss, first i love you, first time that i saw you in my future. It is just doesn’t feel like burden, and i don’t feel like it ever will. It is so easy to be with you, because it just feels right. there are challenges and struggles, but i don’t feel like they matter at all. nothing ever makes me feel like giving up, because whatever it is, just having you in my life is so god damn worth it.

you are not like other people. you look at things in this different but also interesting way that always made me wonder and made me want to explore them. I can’t get tired talking to you, because even though we are same, yet manage to be so different. I know everything i need to know about you, while actually i don’t know anything at all, because you are too much to explore, and i’m willing to test my luck until our last talk.

hey lovies!!

even with the current socioeconomic crisis, the prospect of moving from high shool to college or sixth form is still looming over many of us.

so i've compiled a list of things i've learnt and some advice that would've been so handy if someone had told me before hand!

it's divided into three sections for easy reading. if anyone want to add anything, feel free!! i'll update this at the end of second year!!

before college

if you're going to get folders for your subjects, a sturdy totebag (like from lush) is a shout. but a backpack is an even bigger shout.

before sixth form/ college starts, buy a planner or a journal. i have one that i got in october and omg guys. i have used almost every page and i'll probably only have to buy a second one in december. it's sturdy, i can set my own layout and!! it's got about 256 pages!

unless your teacher specifies otherwise, get a day folder!! it'll just be a smaller folder which you can take what you've done from that day or that week and move into your home folders. plus, it's just so much easier and more convenient.

you don't need to complete every single book on the reading list before you go back. try to become familiar with the ones that interest you the most or all of them, whatever floats your boat. just enjoy your summer!

hydroflask. hydroflask. hydroflask. you know, for water, tea ect.

find out what you like for breakfast. if you're like me, you never had breakfast before school at high school. that won't fly now! i love porridge to go so i can sort that out before my morning shower and then by the time i leave the house, it'll be the right temperature for my half an hour walk.

get yourself a little toiletries bag. put in tissues, hand sanitiser, makeup if you wear it, deodorant, body spray/perfume, hand cream, lip balm. you can even go as far as to get portable floss thingies

portable chargers are a life saver!

during college

the first week should be spent getting used to your learning centre. figure out the quickest route to your classes.

take a picture of your timetable and keep it as a lockscreen for like 2 weeks or until you get the hang of it

and most importantly!! learn everything you can about your library's loaning, returning and reserving process. if they also have recourses like flashcards, hefty amounts of paper, now is a good time to learn that for the future

if you have a personal tutor, try and stay on their good side as much as possible! they'll be your hypeman, your point of access and hell they might even become a great source of laughter and relief during the week.

you'll meet people in your classes that you don't vibe with. you'll meet people that you do. maybe, this is your chance to get away from past school friends/ acquaintances. whatever your case, try and stay grounded. don't sacrifice any part of yourself to fit in and definitely do not feel bad if people begin to drift away. everyone has different schedules and are at different stages, it's normal

during the school breaks (easter, christmas ect.) relax! obviously, complete the homework you've been given but take an actual break too!! trust me on this one

the balance of your work life, social life and sleep will be hectic and confusing and at some times, frustrating. you'll be able to do it, i can assure you. just never sacrifice your work life or your sleep for your social life!

relating to the above one, if you do get invited to events or your friends want to do something after college for fun, go have fun! at the end of the day, as long as you're caught up, your free time is yours.

also christmas time? if you want to get presents for your new college friends, by all means go ahead. but i would go by the rule to not get christmas presents during the first year of friendship unless you know 100% what to get them!

decide whether or not you're going to go paperless, have some paper documents for some subjects or just use printed documents and folders by about november time. that way, you know that your organisation system is consistent and you're not stressing out

condense your notes as you go along. the majority/all key words, key diagrams, and key concepts should be condensed or on flashcards by the time summer comes around

this is something i wish i knew beforehand. anki!! is an absolute life saver. if you're like me, you recently found out about the gem that is spaced repetition. anki does the work for you as long as you insert the info and remember to visit it everyday!

if you need support (academic, emotional ect.), it is perfectly fine to admit that and utilise the resources at your centre. hell, i strongly advise that you do so just for peace of mind

for my philosophy class, i'd advise doing this for any essay based subject, the day or two before an in class assessment, do some practise essays or answers with one or two of your classmates. you'll learn from each other and you can even turn it into a little study date as long as you do the work!

jstor, massolit, cambridge companions, emag, subject reviews (law review ect. by hodder education), podcasts, youtube videos and crash course will make your life so much easier!

try to go to some university lectures/taster days (i know it'll be hard but there are also online options)

whiteboards. whiteboards. whiteboards!! that's all i have to say

remember to have fun!! i know people say that these two years will be the best two years of your life but they kinda will be. the freedom is unmatched and the friends you may make will really help in stressful situations

now is the time to learn how to budget effectively. sixth form can cost a pretty penny if you're not diligent

if you have a part time job- ensure that you're being treated fairly. if you're not, leave. the weekend stress on top of your shool work will not be helpful and it won't benefit you in anyway!

after first year

if you haven't condensed all of your notes for the past year, complete it during the summer. you'll be at much more ease than you think

if you're doing any extra work (EPQ, medicine admissions test prep or law admissions test prep, coursework), do it during summer or at least have the bulk of it done. it will save you so much time and stress! the same with UCAS applications

there you go my loves! if you've got any questions, my inbox is always open!

when some people ask me why i am not opening up, well LUV maybe because my closest friends tell me to go watch netflix or to just forget about my problems and chill , when i try to reach out for help? have you thought about that? and those who would actually listen, live a shitty life themselves so u k i don’t really have anyone))

I’m broken and I can’t be fixed...

Witchcraft 101: Core concepts (energy work)

You’ve probably heard “energy work” mentioned, or at least one of the following terms: grounding, shielding, cleansing, raising, charging, visualising, casting. You’ll see these terms in spells and rituals as well as textbooks and theoretical discussions. There are other posts for theory; this post aims to give a rundown of multiple basic concepts of energy work to get you up and running. (Or at least, to help you understand other posts.) Bear in mind that much of this is personal opinion. Since everyone sees energy differently, in my “how-tos” I’ll refer to energy generally - fill in your own views. 

Also, in my methods, I mention “get comfortable” a lot - exactly what that means varies, depending on what I’m doing and wearing, but generally, stop fiddling with anything, and make sure you’re in a comfortable position, whatever the position is. You could be standing, sitting, lying down, moving, dancing - whatever, so long as you’re comfortable. 

Visualising

What is visualisation?

I consider visualisation to be a core concept to energy work in general. Visualisation is, essentially, thought. It’s imagination and memory and emotions all rolled up into one. (This is heavy on personal opinion, by the way.) Visualisation is what makes your intent for a spell come to fruition; if you aren’t holding your intent (i.e. thinking about/visualising it) while casting it, you can’t expect your spell to work the way you intended it to. 

How do you visualise?

As mentioned above, everyone sees energy differently, and your way may not be the same as mine. My basic visualisation method can be seen in the way I do any time of energy work: I get comfortable, close my eyes and steady my breath, and I focus on feeling and “seeing” the energy around me (I view all energy as white, incidentally). Say I’m cleansing something, my first step is to hold the object, focus on how it feels (is it cold, smooth, rough?) and “see” it glowing with a white light (energy). Then I’ll move onto cleansing it (see below). 

Your method will be different, but you could start with this or look through other posts for ideas. 

Grounding

What is grounding?

Grounding, basically, is all about ridding yourself of unwanted energy/getting your energy in balance. I kind of view it as a warm-up: you’re getting yourself in the right frame of mind and the right physical state before a workout (or spell). 

How do you ground yourself?

Everyone has their own techniques, and in time, you’ll develop yours. This is my routine:

Get comfortable.

Close your eyes and focus on your breathing. 

As you exhale, imagine unwanted energy leaving your body.

As you inhale, imagine the energy you want and need pulling comfortably around you. 

Continue for as long as you like. 

Many people like to visualise different places, or contact with nature. Try different techniques and take what you like from them, and just go with what works for you. 

Cleansing

What is cleansing?

Cleansing is like setting a device back to factory settings, or washing the dishes so they can be used again. You cleanse something to rid it of any unwanted energies - kind of like grounding, but for something that isn’t you. You could cleanse spaces and objects, and it’s generally a good idea to cleanse any items you’ve used before as well as the space you’re using before beginning a spell. It’s also generally a good idea to cleanse anything you use for divination, like tarot cards and pendulums (but I totally don’t cleanse them as often as I should). You can use just visualisation, or you can use tools - water, salt, incense and sage are all pretty common tools for cleansing. 

How do you cleanse?

My method for objects that you can hold:

Get comfortable.

Close your eyes and focus on your breathing.

Hold the item and focus on how it feels - its shape, size, temperature, texture, and scent. 

While holding the item, now focus on how it looks (with or without opening your eyes) - its colour, decorations, the way the light falls/reflects on it.

Still holding the item, visualise energy glowing/pulsing around the object.

Still holding the item, visualise the energy flowing away from the object, leaving it without any glowing energy.

Continue until you feel like the object is cleansed. 

My method for a space, area, or room:

Clear the space you plan on using (physically - move unwanted objects out of the way, pick up any rubbish etc).

Get comfortable.

Close your eyes and focus on your breathing.

Mark the parameters of the space you’re going to use (this can be a whole room or just part of one - just mentally or physically figure out where the “ends” of your spell space are). I generally walk around the edges of my space.

Focus on how the space around you feels and looks - temperature, light, textures etc. 

Visualise energy glowing/pulsing within the boundaries of your space.

Visualise energy flowing away from the space - if you have a broom, you could sweep the area while visualising the energy moving away as you sweep. You could also use incense or herb bundles while visualising energy moving away from the smoke as you move through the space.

Continue until you feel like the space is cleansed.

Warding

What is warding?

Basically, warding is putting up a shield to stop anything unwanted interfering with your spell, tools, ingredients, intent, belongings, etc.. It’s like an antivirus on a device, or a lock on a door. You could put up wards around your spell space, your home, yourself, anything you own, other people (with their consent) - pretty much anything.  

How do you put up wards?

My method for putting up wards:

Get comfortable.

Close your eyes and focus on your breathing.

Mark the parameters of the space or thing you’re putting up wards around (this could be running your finger around a crystal, walking around an area, stretching your arms and legs out to mark the parameters of your body, etc.)

Focus on how the space or thing feels and looks - temperature, light, textures etc.

Visualise energy glowing/pulsing within the space or thing.

Visualise unwanted energy flowing away from the space - like with cleansing, you could use incense or a broom to aid your visualisation.

Visualise “walls” growing up, over and under the space or object. It’s important that the walls connect, and there aren’t any gaps (unless you want to visualise, say, a door that you can enter and leave from). 

Continue until you feel like the space or thing is warded.

Raising

What is raising energy?

Raising energy is like creating or compiling energy with a specific purpose (intent). Up until now, we’ve been looking at ways of using energy to prepare yourself, your environment and your tools for spells - raising energy is a bit different. The energy that we raise has a specific intent, and generally, we want to use that intent somehow - like in a spell. 

How do you raise energy?

There are so, so many different ways to raise energy - such as music, chanting, dancing, walking, laughing, exercising, and a whole bunch of others. You can also raise energy by visualisation alone - as I describe here.

My method for raising energy:

Get comfortable.

Close your eyes and focus on your breathing.

If they aren’t already, position your hands so that your palms are open.

Focus on what you want to happen - your intent.

Visualise energy pulsing from your fingertips. The energy moves over your fingers and towards your palm, where it collects. As you do this, keep focusing on your intent.

Visualise the energy, now in your palm, growing larger and larger. As you do this, keep focusing on your intent.

Continue until you feel you have the energy you wanted, or for as long as you like. 

If you’re raising energy from, say, dancing, you might visualise the energy coming from your feet or body instead - I adapt this depending on the activity, but I always like to have a way to “gather” energy in one area. This could be your whole spell area, or it could be an area like the palm of your hand - whatever works for you and the activity. 

Charging

What is charging?

Charging is drawing on energy from elsewhere and putting it into an object to give that object intent. Think charging your phone, or laptop. You can also take energy you’ve raised and put it into an object - the energy can come from anywhere. People often have specific correspondences for different sources, however - so think about the source of the energy if you aren’t raising it yourself. 

How do you charge something?

Like with raising energy, there are entirely too many methods to list here. Some examples include leaving objects in sunlight or moonlight and bathing it in water or fire. You can pretty much do anything, so don’t be afraid to experiment. If you’re raising energy, you can just put it straight into the object (see the method below). If you’re charging something without raising energy yourself, then you can skip this and consider it charged after as much or as little time as you think works. 

My method for charging objects:

Get comfortable.

Close your eyes and focus on your breathing.

Visualise the energy, now in your palm, growing larger and larger. (This is the energy collected by raising energy, with a specific intent.)

Hold the object you want to charge (with one hand if you visualised the energy going to one palm, or with both hands if you visualised the energy going to both palms) and visualise the energy flowing into the object from your palm(s). Continue focusing on your intent as you do this. 

Continue until you feel that all the energy you raised is now in the object, or for as long as you like. 

Once you’ve charged an object, you can leave it indefinitely and use it in a later spell (though if you’re forgetful like me, you might want to put a post-it near it reminding you what you’re using it for).

Casting

What is casting?

Casting is guiding your energy towards the outcome you want. For me, this is the most important part of any spell - this is when you put all that work into making shit happen. So it’s important to be very, very specific. Don’t just focus on needing a job. Focus on finding a job that is right for you, will help you meet your professional goals (you can be specific about the goals, too) and will meet your needs (availability, hours, pay, travel time, benefits etc.), and finding that job at a time that suits you. This is also where you can really have fun with visualising! 

How do you cast?

My method for casting:

Get comfortable.

Close your eyes and focus on your breathing.

Hold the object(s) you’ve charged, or your spell (if it’s a tangible thing, like spell bags, candles, food etc.).

Visualise the situation you want to happen. As described, be specific. If you’re looking for a job, you could visualise a “you’re hired” email, dated at some point that suits you, with the above information that suits you - the hours you want, the pay you want, etc. Morph that situation into your first day, meeting friendly and efficient coworkers and management, then six months or a year into your new job. Visualise yourself feeling productive, happy, and relaxed. Visualise yourself at a review, hearing that you’re doing well and you’ve made great progress.

Now visualise the energy in your spell moving “towards” that situation. (I like to “keep” the situation in one part of my spell space, usually in the air in front of me, so I can “see” the energy from the spell I’m holding moving towards it. 

Continue until you feel that all the energy from your spell has “made it” to the situation, or for as long as you like.  

Bringing it all together

So, this looks like quite a lot. I promise it’s easier in practice, especially once you’ve done it a few times. Also, remember that this is a post that largely focuses on visualisation - you can minimise effort by charging objects in light or water (aka leaving them on a windowsill for a few hours) instead of by using visualisation to raise power and charge them. 

In practice, a routine for a spell might look like:

Ground yourself.

Cleanse your space, and any tools or ingredients you’re going to use.

Put up wards.

Raise power (you could raise power individually for individual ingredients, or all at once for all your ingredients).

Charge your ingredients (either individually, or all at once). 

Cast your spell. 

Personally, I can do the first 3 in about 5-10 minutes altogether. The last three are more time-consuming, and could take 5-10 minutes each, per item. So a quick, simple spell with no ingredients could be cast in 15 minutes (I would just skip charging and put the raised energy straight to casting). Let’s take an example of a kitchen spell, making soup:

Ground self.

Cleanse space, tools, ingredients.

Put up wards around the kitchen.

Raise power while doing food prep.

Put ingredients in pot.

Charge ingredients through stirring - energy goes into the soup through the wooden spoon.

Leave to simmer and continue charging.

Cast spell by eating. 

When I do kitchen magic, I’m already doing most of this just by cooking. I just add more visualisation in, and put some thought into the ingredients, and I have a spell! 

I hope this helps! You might find my other posts helpful:

The problem with correspondence lists

How to correspondence: food & herbs

How to correspondence: when to spell

What to use: food & herbs

When to spell: by moon phases

When to spell: by time of day

When to spell: by day of the week

When to spell: by month

I can never find the right words to tell people what I’m thinking. Telling them I’m tired doesn’t work, but I can’t seem to vocalize that I’m mentally exhausted and sick of existing. Telling them I’m sad doesn’t work either, but I can’t explain that I’m struggling not to kill myself and that the joy in everything in my life is gone and when I wake up to the sun in my eyes, I have to struggle to get myself out of bed because most of me didn’t even want to wake up at all. I can’t tell them I’m numb because what I’m feeling is so much more complex than numb and I don’t have the vocabulary to tell them that I feel like I’m drowning and it terrifies me that I feel nothing as it’s happening, and that my insides want to scream but I can’t even find it in me to shed a tear anymore, that every single aspect of my life feels like it’s shaded in grey because someone sucked out all the colors but I can hardly even remember what colors are because I can no longer remember a time I didn’t feel like this. No, I don’t know how to say that. So I just whisper “I’m fine.”

Alchemical substances

Cadmia, which was also called Tuttia or Tutty, was probably zinc carbonate. Philosophers’ Wool, or nix alba (white snow). Zinc oxide made by burning zinc in air. Called Zinc White and used as a pigment. White vitriol. Zinc Sulphate. Described by Basil Valentine. Made by lixiviating roasted zinc blende (zinc sulphide). Calamine. Zinc carbonate. Corrosive sublimate. Mercuric chloride. first mentioned by Geber, who prepared it  by subliming mercury, calcined green vitriol, common salt and nitre. Calomel. Mercurous chloride. Purgative, made by subliming a mixture of mercuric chloride and metallic mercury, triturated in a mortar. This was heated in a iron pot and the crust of calomel formed on the lid was ground to powder and boiled with water to remove the very poisonous mercuric chloride. Cinnabar. Mercuric sulphide. Turpeth mineral. A hydrolysed form of mercuric sulphate. Yellow crystalline powder, described by Basil Valentine. Mercurius praecipitatus. Red mercuric oxide. Described by Geber. Cinnabar or Vermillion. Mercuric sulphide. Mosaic gold. Golden-yellow glistening scales of crystalline stannic sulphide, made by heating a mixture of tin filings, sulphur and salammoniac. Tin salt. Hydrated stannous chloride. Spiritus fumans. Stannic chloride, discovered by Libavius in 1605, through distilling tin with corrosive sublimate. Butter of tin. Hydrated stannic chloride. Galena. Plumbic sulphide. Chief ore of lead. Lead fume. Lead oxide obtained from the flues at lead smelters. Massicot. Yellow powder form of lead monoxide. Litharge. Reddish-yellow crystalline form of lead monoxide, formed by fusing and powdering massicot. Minium or Red Lead. Triplumbic tetroxide. Formed by roasting litharge in air. Scarlet crystalline powder. Naples yellow, or Cassel yellow. An oxychloride of lead, made by heating litharge with sal ammoniac. Chrome yellow. Lead chromate. Sugar of Lead. Lead acetate, Made by dissolving lead oxide in vinegar. White lead. Basic carbonate of lead. Used as a pigment. Venetian White. Mixture of equal parts of white lead and barium sulphate. Dutch White. Mixture of one part of white lead to three of barium sulphate. Antimony. From latin ‘antimonium’ used by Constantinius Africanus (c. 1050) to refer to Stibnite. Glass of Antimony. Impure antimony tetroxide, obtained by roasting stibnite. Used as a yellow pigment for glass and porcelain. Butter of Antimony. White crystalline antimony trichloride. Made by Basil Valentine by distilling roasted stibnite with corrosive sublimate. Glauber later prepared it by dissolving stibnite in hot concentrated hydrochloric acid and distilling. Powder of Algaroth. A white powder of antimonious oxychloride, made by by precipitation when a solution of butter of antimony in spirit of salt is poured into water. Stibnite. Antimony trisulphide. Grey mineral ore of antimony. Wismuth. Bismuth. Pearl white. Basic nitrate of bismuth, used by Lemery as a cosmetic. Chrome green.  Chromic oxide. Chrome yellow. Lead chromate. Chrome red. Basic lead chromate. Chrome orange. Mixture of chrome yellow and chrome red. Green Vitriol. Ferrous sulphate. Rouge, Crocus, Colcothar. Red varieties of ferric oxide are formed by burning green vitriol in air. Marcasite. Mineral form of Iron disulphide. Oxidises in moist air to green vitriol. Pyrites. Mineral form of iron disulphide. Stable in air. Cobalt. Named by the copper miners of the Hartz Mountains after the evil spirits the 'kobolds’ which gave a false copper ore. Zaffre. Impure cobalt arsenate, left after roasting cobalt ore. Nickel. Named by the copper miners of Westphalia the 'kupfer-nickel’ or false copper. Copper glance. Cuprous sulphide ore. Aes cyprium. Cyprian brass or copper. Cuprite. Red cuprous oxide ore. Blue vitriol or bluestone. Cupric sulphate. Verdigris. The green substance formed by the atmospheric weathering of copper. This is a complex basic carbonate of copper. In more recent times the term 'verdigris’ is more correctly applied to copper acetate, made by the action of vinegar on copper. Resin of copper. Cuprous chloride. Made by Robert Boyle in 1664 by heating copper with corrosive sublimate. Lunar caustic, lapis infernalis. Silver nitrate. Fulminating silver. Silver nitride, very explosive when dry. Made by dissolving silver oxide in ammonia. Horn silver, argentum cornu. A glass like ore of silver chloride. Luna cornea. The soft colourless tough mass of silver chloride, made by heating horn silver till it forms a dark yellow liquid and then cooling. Described by Oswald Croll in 1608. Purple of Cassius. Made  by Andreas Cassius in 1685 by precipitating a mixture of gold, stannous and stannic chlorides, with alkali. Used for colouring glass. Fulminating gold. Made by adding ammonia to the auric hydroxide formed by precipitation by potash from metallic gold dissolved in aqua regis. Highly explosive when dry. Quicklime. Calcium oxide. Slaked lime. Calcium hydroxide. Chalk. Calcium carbonate. Gypsum. Calcium sulphate. Natron. Native sodium carbonate. Soda ash. Sodium carbonate formed by burning plants growing on the sea shore. Caustic marine alkali. Caustic soda. Sodium hydroxide. Made by adding lime to natron. Common salt. Sodium chloride. Glauber’s Salt. Sodium sulphate. Wood-ash or potash. Potassium carbonate made from the ashes of burnt wood. Caustic wood alkali. Caustic potash. Potassium hydroxide. Made by adding lime to potash. Liver of sulphur. Complex of polysulphides of potassium, made by fusing potash and sulphur. Sal Ammoniac. Ammonium Chloride. Described by Geber. Sal volatile, Spirit of Hartshorn. Volatile alkali. Ammonium carbonate made from distilling bones, horns, etc. Caustic volatile alkali. Ammonium hydroxide. Nitrum flammans. Ammonium nitrate made by Glauber. Brimstone (from German Brennstein 'burning stone’). Sulphur. Flowers of sulphur. light yellow crystalline powder, made by  distilling sulphur. Thion hudor (Zosimus refers to this as the 'divine water’ or 'the bile of the serpent’). A deep reddish-yellow liquid made by boiling flowers of sulphur with slaked lime. Milk of sulphur (lac sulphuris). White colloidal sulphur.  Geber made this by adding an acid to thion hudor. Oil of Vitriol. Sulphuric acid made by distilling green vitriol. Realgar. red ore of arsenic. Arsenic disulphide. Orpiment. Auri-pigmentum. Yellow ore of arsenic. Arsenic trisulphide. White arsenic. Arsenious oxide. Made from arsenical soot from the roasting ovens, purified by sublimation. Aqua tofani. Arsenious oxide. Extremely poisonous. Used by Paracelsus. King’s Yellow. A mixture of orpiment with white arsenic.