To Fall Asleep In A Hat On A Bed Of Peppermint Sounds Heavenly.

There is a method of growing rhubarb known as “forcing” where the plant grows in complete darkness and is tended to in candlelight. It grows so quickly during this process that you can hear it grow. [1, 2]

2013 Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) and Witch’s Hair (Cuscuta)

Jewelweed: we found this growing wild on our property, down by the river. A lovely, carefree native annual. It had a bigger year in 2013 than in 2014, but hopefully it will do well in 2015. There is scant and not-particularly robust research to support the tradition of using these to soothe poison ivy and other skin ailments. 

The second photo shows Witch’s Hair aka Cuscuta (the orange twining stuff), literally sucking the life out of some Jewelweed b/c it’s a true parasitic plant. It communicates with the host plant (there’s a great exchange of mRNA between the two), and ends up sucking water and nutrients, while giving nothing back in exchange. At least, not that we know of now. I’d make a wild guess that this is Cuscuta gronovii, but I really have no idea. Anyone know?

Did you know? You can buy wild rice direct from Native folks!

Wild rice isn’t actually rice-it’s a grass seed that grows naturally in lakes in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and it’s been an indigenous staple food for many, many centuries. Although some corporations have taken and grown “wild rice” in paddies, it is not the same thing- it is actually a hybrid seed that is not the same quality and often sold for a higher price anyways.

Not only is the wild rice a sacred food, but is a form of Indigenous science that lets you know how healthy the water is (or isn’t), because water is life and affects the health of all people, plants, and animals that live with it. This has been belatedly acknowledged by very recent research from the University of Minnesota that the health of the wild rice can predict all health of lakes and streams.

I buy my wild rice from the Red Lake Nation and the White Earth Nation.

The cool thing about buying from the White Earth Nation is that they also have videos showing the traditional processes involved in harvesting and parching the rice, and they offer stuff like gift baskets, chokecherry preserves, maple candy, soup & pancake mix, and cookbooks which make great gifts!

What I like about buying from the Red Lake Nation is there is a massive variety and quantity of different wild rice products at many different prices! They are aware that the broken grains are not as quality, but it doesn’t go to waste-you can buy the broken grains for “Soup Bits” ($3.49) which are an inexpensive way to add flavor & nutrition to soups and stews. They also offer “Quick Cook” wild rice ($5.69), which is prepared from a lighter roast/parch process that allows the grains to cook in a shorter amount of time and has a rich, traditional flavor.

You can also buy syrups and jellies made from hand harvested hawthorn, chokecherry, and highbush cranberry there.

BUT! If you’re worried about shipping costs or like me, are disabled/have limited mobility and can’t always get to the store like you might prefer,Red Lake Nation also sells their rice through Amazon, eligible for Prime shipping. This is also good for those, Native or not, who are struggling in the community and share their wishlists for help purchasing food.(Also please know this post is only meant to share information, not to make anyone feel bad or imply they’re eating “inferior” food.)

If you’re interested in finding out what other nations cultivate and sell/trade wild rice, there’s a partial list here of where you can buy hand-harvested wild rice from native people in the Great Lakes region

Reblog if you’re a cottagecore blog that:

-is anti fascist and anti racist

-is into this to support locally sourced food, better farming practices, etc.

-is NOT into this for some “manifest destiny” bullshit

-is NOT an ecofascist

-supports indigenous land rights and supports paying reparations to bipoc

-supports labor unions

-supports better conditions, pay, and protections for all agricultural workers including undocumented workers

-is LGBTQ friendly

Because cottagecore is a sweet and lovely aesthetic but we cannot be silent about the racism and facism that this community promotes with its “traditional values” crap. I like fresh picked flowers on my table, I like honey lemon tea, I like pictures of baby goats. But if you disagree with the above list then your “cottagecore” blog is trash.

It’s a journey. It wasn’t until I loved myself exactly as I was, that my body began to blossom and manifest to show a reflection of all the self love and self care I put into it. Eliminating the junk- not just junk food, but negative relationships and situations. By being true to myself and doing what I felt was best- I was able to make a new best friend- Me.

Y’all, I’m over here DYING cuz Google suggested me this article about the crisis of backyard chicken keepers– which is that they love having chickens so much that they keep getting more, and then don’t know what to do with all the eggs.

Which I can see how this would be a problem, but it’s just so funny to me because they had interviewed this one guy who started off with 3 chickens, and then kept adding more and more, and eventually started donating the eggs to a local food bank, and at the end of the year when they wrote him a tax receipt, he discovered he’d donated over 400 dozen eggs.

Seriously, it was a whole article talking very seriously about how people are so into chickens that they just keep collecting them like pokemon and then have to “scramble” (their words not mine) to get rid of the eggs, because they weren’t even thinking of egg production, they just loved having chickens.

And while I may be over here laughing a bit too hard, honestly? Big Mood.

Types of Witches & Witchcraft

What is a Witch? A witch can never be truly defined. It is a broad term used to describe a variety of people each of which follow their own paths with no two truly alike. 

Types of Witches

Kitchen Witch: (Cottage witch, Hearth witch) Works mainly within the home. Cares for the house and the family inside it. Prepares the meals and adds there own special magick to it. Provides the home with protection and keeps the house clean. 

Green Witch: Works with nature. Includes working with plants, nature deities, herbal remedies, earth, crystals, and faeries. Incorporates nature deities in their craft such as Pan, Demeter, Epona, Gaia etc.  

Eclectic Witch: Creates their own practice based on information and traditions borrowed from different practices and religions in. In order to create a path that works best for them. (Make sure you are not stealing from closed religions!)

Elemental Witch: A witch that works with the elements (water, earth, fire, air) in their day to day practices.   

Hereditary Witch: A witch that is born into a family of practitioners. They create and continue their families rituals and ceremonies. They commonly have a family grimoire or book of shadows that they pass down through generations. 

Sea Witch: A witch that uses the sea and its materials in their practice. Gets their power from the seas energy. Incorporates shells, salt, saltwater, driftwood, etc into their practices. Works with deities such as Poseidon, Njörðr, Neptune, etc. 

Solitary Witch: A witch who prefers to practice on their own.     

Faerie Witch: Someone who works in peace and harmony with the Fae. They take great care of their garden, place offerings out for the Faerie, and make them feel welcome and at peace.

Cosmic Witch: One who works with the stars, moon, sun, etc.  

Urban Witch: A witch that lives in the city and uses the objects they find for their practice. They come up with creative ways to garden on there small patio and store things in the little space they have. 

Pop Culture Witch: A witch who incorporates characters and ideas from movies, TV shows, and books into their practice. 

Science Witch:  Science witches are basically witches who incorporate the scientific method and ideology into their craft. In my experience no science witch is alike since each individual has their specific idea of how the relationship between science and magic works. A large part of being a science witch seems to be the belief in the placebo effect in relationship between the spellcaster and the spell. Science witchcraft is kind of a blurred line between the laws of science and the known universe and the realm of magic and the laws we can’t see. We believe in the possibility of a crossover between the two and embrace it and use it to our advantage in our craft. Taking into consideration the effect science has on the magic we are using and sometimes crediting the spell result partially to magic and partially to science - sometimes even considering the same thing. -This definition is from @drinkthemoonlight, Very appreciated, Thank you so much! - 

Druidism: A Celtic, nature based religion that works with Mother Earth. 

Wiccan: A  religion that follows it’s own set of rules and guidelines.  Such as the three fold law and “hurt none and do what ye will.”

Pagan: A religion that works closely with nature and it’s deities.

This list barely covers the different types of witches but it is all I can think of for the moment. I will be updating soon. 

May the moon light your path!

==Moonlight Academy==

My cat- Carlos the Kitty of Love. Getting his pats in the candle glow