You Left Out The Best Part- They Named It Taquito.

I was dropping my sister off at Girl Scouts at the nearby elementary school, and as I’m leaving, I’m looking at all these cute little locker stickers with the kids’ names on them, you know, names like “Kyle”, “Mary”, and “Trevor”. Then I passed a locker and backtracked.

The locker said Eowyn, and I thought, “This girl is either going places or doing something stupid and reckless.”

what is the Worst fandom-reference baby name you’ve ever seen in the wild

I’ll get there. Soon…. :)

how evil are you

FUCK

combine your first real fandom with your current one to create a terrible, terrible au

Absolutely!

When your friend is a pagan witch and you're a christian but it's cool because tolkien is life

@maithewitch that sound about right?

The first 5 cards in my oracle deck, taken at 11pm- behold! The Silmarilion! I’ve already lore dropped on another post, so I won’t dump my nerdiness on y’all.

The last ones are completed; in the Major Arcana at any rate. These are 5 of the last 12: Justice, the Hermit, the Wheel, Strength, and the Chariot

Did he upset them, or did you convince him not to?

The Saga of my Witchy Friend vs the Fae

My Witchy Friend: Man I’m going to fight the Fae stealing my shit That’s RUDE I don’t steal their shit

Me, someone who has a good relationship with the Fae: Dude, honeymilk 

My Witchy Friend: I  will never  give them ANYTHING!!! NO THEIFS ALLOWED IM GETTING HORSESHOES FOR THE DOORS AND NAILS  AND SALT

Me: that’s just going to piss them off

My Witchy Friend:  me just pouring a bucket of salt onto the floor and putting nails on top

[Line breaks indicate a new message]  Yes he knows I post this he follows my blog

✨Faeries✨... and why you shouldn’t mess with them for now

I am an experienced faerie witch. I do not recommend faerie work for the beginners. It’s just not something you can dive headfirst into!

Faerie witchcraft is the path where you work with the fae to accomplish spells, divination, and other spirit work. However, unlike spirit work, the fae are extremely temperamental and should not be called upon for trivial matters.

When working with the fae, it’s important to keep manners in mind. Sometimes it’s unavoidable (glares at my dumbass parents who thought I was joking about the faeries in the yard), but unless you’re like me, and thought faeries were the coolest and learned literally everything about them even before starting witchcraft, then you probably have no clue of faerie etiquette.

Here’s a handy-dandy list of the basics!

Do not leave offerings only during spell work! This tells them this is payment and that you only want to use them. It irritates them, just like when someone goes up to you and goes “Here’s this thing, now do xyz for me!” No one likes that.

No thank yous or you’re welcomes. Also reads as part of a bargain. If you say thanks for doing something, then they will assume you are bringing them a thing in return and hassle you until you do so. Saying you’re welcome is like you’re graciously accepting this gift they’ve given you... when you haven’t given them anything...

If you bake something, try to leave them some. They like the tasty sweets.

All faeries are different. Some like red, some like blue. Some get incredibly offended if you give them lemon loaf cake and will kill your sage. Some do not have genders or pronouns, and will inflict bodily harm if you don’t call them by their names (In case you can’t tell, this is stuff that’s happened to me..). In any case, keep their preferences in mind.

No iron offerings.

No chocolate (generally; if they express interest in chocolate, make sure they can have it and then give it to them. One of the garden faerie is allergic to chocolate but eats it like a lactose intolerant person eats ice cream.)

When in doubt, ask! But be aware, faeries do lie. Like rugs, in fact. They lie by omission usually, but they do it often- the pixie called out the garden faerie about the chocolate allergy. *rage intensifies*

Anyways, that’s all I can think of for now! I’m always open to questions, so drop me an ask!

A Practical Guide to Herbology

Lesson One: Medicinal Teas

When I was first starting out with herbology, I was living in a small village in Croatia with a total population of less than 100 people. We depended on homemade teas, salves and medicines to heal us since the nearest hospital was two hours away. We treated ourselves with the power of herbs, gifted to us by the Earth.

These days, we can purchase all the tools we need to grow both common and exotic plants. Dried herbs are also another good option, especially for those that cannot grow their own. And with these tools, we can craft our own medicines. 

For the first lesson, I’m going to focus on something simple: the art of crafting medicinal tea. 

Creating Tea Blends

When starting out with creating medicinal teas, it’s important to understand how each ingredient interacts with our bodies. Be sure that you’re not allergic to any of your herbs and that they won’t interact poorly with any prescribed medications that you’re on. For example, those who are diabetic should not take angelica root; folks who are allergic to ragweed should avoid chamomile. 

Here’s a list of common herbs and their functions for the purposes of crafting medicinal teas:

Angelica Root: Soothes colds and flu, reduces phlegm and fever. (Do not use if you are diabetic)

Basil: Eases headaches, indigestion, muscle spasms, insomnia; reduces stress and tension

Blackberry Leaves or Roots: Reduces diarrhea

Catnip: Soothes teething pain, colic, diarrhea, indigestion, anxiety, insomnia. (May cause drowsiness. Avoid if on Lithium or sedatives)

Calendula (marigold): Reduces fevers, soothes indigestion, gastrointestinal cramps, flu; antiseptic. (May cause drowsiness. Avoid if on sedatives)

Cayenne Pepper: Soothes coughs, colds, arthritis (topical), nerve pain, fever, flu; expectorant. (Avoid taking with medications that contain Theophylline).

Chamomile: Reduces insomnia, anxiety, stress, fever, indigestion; aids with sleep and pain relief. (May decrease effectiveness of birth control pills and some cancer medications, may increase the effects of warfarin; avoid if you are taking medications for your liver)

Cinnamon Bark: Soothes sore throats and coughs; anti-inflammatory (Avoid taking with diabetes medications)

Dandelion Root: Detoxifying, aids digestion, relieves constipation, laxative. (Avoid if on antibiotics, lithium or water pills)

Dandelion Leaf: Mild diuretic, potassium-rich (Avoid if on medication for liver)

Elderberries: Wards off colds and flu

Ginger: Eases morning sickness, nausea, colic, indigestion, diarrhea, fever, sore throats. (Avoid taking with medications that slow blood clotting)

Ginkgo: Relieves anxiety, vertigo, tinnitus; improves circulation, helps concentration; helps PMS. (Avoid taking with ibuprofen or with medications that slow blood clotting; numerous medications have interactions with ginkgo so speak to your specialist before use)

Ginseng: Aphrodisiac, mild stimulant, boosts immune system. (Do not take with medications that slow blood clotting, and avoid taking with diabetes medications or with MAO inhibitors)

Goldenrod: Relieves gout and cramps

Lavender: Reduces anxiety, headaches, tension, stress, indigestion, IBS; antibacterial; antiseptic; disinfectant (May cause drowsiness; avoid if on sedatives)

Lemon balm: Relieves anxiety, cold sores, colic, insomnia, restlessness, indigestion; boosts memory (May cause drowsiness, avoid taking with sedatives)

Nettle: Reduces hay fever and arthritis; diuretic. (Avoid taking with diabetes medications, medications for high BP, sedatives, medications that slow blood clotting, and lithium)

Peppermint: Relieves nausea, anxiety, indigestion, IBS, colic, diarrhea, fever, coughs, colds; anesthetic (Avoid if you have acid-reflux disease; avoid taking with cyclosporine; avoid if on liver medications)

Pine Needles: Expectorant; antiseptic; relieves coughs, colds, fever and congestion

Rosemary: Improves focus, memory, concentration, BP, circulation; antiseptic; antidepressant; eases indigestion

Thyme: Antibacterial, antiseptic, eases coughs and colds, expectorant (Do not take with medications that slow blood clotting)

Recipes

For those starting out, here are a few recipes for common ailments. As you start making your own teas, you’ll learn which blends of herbs work best for your body. Keep track of which ingredients and combinations are successful - with each steep, you get closer and closer to crafting your perfect personalized medicine cabinet.

Anxiety Relief - ½ tsp chamomile - ½ tsp lemon balm Cold Relief - ½ tsp elderberry flower - ½ tsp thyme Mood Booster - ½ tsp lavender - ½ tsp catnip - ½ tsp rosemary Cramp Relief - ½ tsp basil - ½ tsp calendula (marigold) - ½ tsp goldenrod Indigestion Relief - ½ tsp ginger - ½ tsp lemon balm - ½ tsp peppermint Expectorant - ½ tsp pine needles - ½ tsp nettle leaf - ½ tsp angelica root Insomnia - ½ tsp chamomile - ½ tsp catnip - ½ tsp lavender Sore Throat Relief - ½ tsp cinnamon (or half a stick) - ½ tsp ginger - 1 tbsp honey Fever Break - ¼ tsp cayenne pepper - ½ tsp angelica root Flu Relief - ½ tsp calendula (marigold) - ½ tsp lemon balm

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Photographs are under the Creative Commons License. Content is from my grimoire and is embedded with information from a variety of sources over the years. 

Updated 7 March 2018 with relevant warnings and to be consistent with other posts in this series.

Warnings:  All plant material should be sourced appropriately and responsibly for your own safety and well-being. Be certain that you are purchasing food-grade ingredients from a reliable retailer or supplier. Along these lines, not all dried herbs are meant for consumption so please be on the lookout for “external use only” labels - you do not want those products for this.

Do your own research regarding medicinal plants and usage, especially if you are sensitive or have allergies of any kind. If you are on medication(s), consult a doctor before use.

Finally, medicinal teas are a health supplement and not a substitution for professional medical and psychiatric aid. If you are experiencing any prolonged health and/or mental health issues, SEE A DOCTOR.

I‘m a witch!

Are there any witches/Pagans out here in Tumblr Land? No one I know in real life is, and I'm feeling pretty alone in it.