Reading On The Garden Path (1883). Albert Aublet (French, 1851-1938). Oil On Canvas.

It’s all about learning how to respect yourself. It takes a while, you may struggle from time to time, but it’s all about you. We are the only ones with 100% power over ourselves, your mind will believe everything you tell it. Make it think positive thoughts. You have multiple choices in this world and you could change something in a day. Nothing good comes out of hating ourselves, but everything good comes out of loving ourselves. I say, if loving yourself is too much, learn to like yourself first. It’s hard to go from constant insulting yourself to constant complimenting yourself. Take it slow, you’ll get there. Distance yourself from the negativity and triggers and surround yourself in positivity and thinks that make you glad you’re alive.

King Amanullah Khan of Afghanistan (ruled 1919-1929) once gave a public speech in which he said “Islam did not require women to cover their bodies or wear any special kind of veil”. At the conclusion of the speech, to the amazement of those present, Queen Soraya tore off her veil in public.

#WarandPeace #JamesNorton #LilyJames

Charles Vane // 3x06.

if the ocean can calm itself so can you. we are both salt water mixed with air       - meditation

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That moment when you have to take a deep breath before speaking cause you know you’re so close to crying.

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Fancy kitchen has a Frenchy feel- look at the sink. 

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♥ The Ancient Origin of the Heart-Shaped Valentine ♥

This very rare coin is a silver hemidrachm struck in Cyrene (modern Libya) around 500 to 480 BC. Both sides of the coin show the now extinct* heart-shaped silphium fruit. The silphium plant, a large relative of the fennel plant, was abundant and a lucrative cash crop in ancient Cyrene, which is why it appears as the symbol of the city on its coinage.

Since it allegedly went extinct, silphium is a bit mysterious to us. We do know that it was greatly prized for its medicinal and culinary properties. It was  used as an herbal birth control method, thus forever associating the shape of its fruit with passionate love and thus, matters of the heart. Ancient writings also help tie silphium to sexuality and love. One such reference appears in Pausanias’ Description of Greece in a story of the Dioscuri staying at a house belonging to Phormion, a Spartan: “For it so happened that his maiden daughter was living in it. By the next day this maiden and all her girlish apparel had disappeared, and in the room were found images of the Dioscuri, a table, and silphium upon it.”

Pliny reported in his Natural History that the last known stalk of silphium found in Cyrene was given to the Emperor Nero “as a curiosity,” because it was nearly extinct by then.

*There is some debate about whether or not this plant is really extinct. You can read about that on the Silphium Wikipedia page.

It may be the season of cheerful carols and twinkling lights, but the holidays also bring about a melancholy mood that has inspired some of the world’s greatest filmmakers. This week on the Criterion Channel at FilmStruck, our new series Blue Christmas gathers an international selection of films that explore the clashing emotions at the heart of the yuletide spirit, including Jacques Demy’s gorgeous musical romance The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Guillermo del Toro’s emotionally captivating fantasy Cronos, and Luis García Berlanga’s stinging satire Plácido. Watch our teaser below, and head over to the Channel to dive into the seven-film lineup.

On the Channel: Blue Christmas