#plaintain tree

[cartoonico]

One of the plantain trees outside my house nearly gave me a freaking heart attack 😭😭😭

[unproduciblesmackdown]

meinnnn gott i was like boy this song can't be 8 & a half minutes....well the first 6 minutes of the video are phyllidia krampington loosing george salazar the krampus on everyone & their asshole (here her cousin, b/c although i swear on my life i have seen [phyllidia seducing the krampus via baby it's cold outside] photos, in this 2018 show that sequence is definitely about her trying to fuck melvin cooterstein in the ass. (note that she mentions the xmas villain's long-lost daughter harriet, as the [why are you so evil? / i don't kneauuraeaough....but it definitely doesn't have anything to do with xyz] but no long-lost presumed dead spouse, who would've been already mentioned in the 2019 show at this point though that's no incontrovertible evidence it's not relevant in this show. & my hypothesis is that if melvin is a long-lost anyone, phyllidia would be His long-lost daughter. but 50/50 could go either way! a beautiful relationship ft. the convenience of all these colonoscopies he keeps scheduling)) and then we meet the fancy tree! and don't get around to singing until phyllidia's exit & the krampus's partial sendoff to go feel better having some snacks (i.e., mingle & meander)

[definegodliness]

Droadnehgel

In my home dialect, we typically use the word droadnehgel (drawed-nehh-gull) toward toddlers and young kids when they are being particularly annoying. It means hangnail — or, literally translated, thread nail — and I think it is brilliant. I mean, you're not the nail to my coffin, but you are a hangnail; a harmless minor grievance but SO annoying and I'll just have to deal with you.

When I went away to study I worked hard on losing my dialect and the linguistics that come with it. In that, I lost the farmer's tongue, which was not a clean professional or suavemente sexy way of talking. Only when you pour a couple or more beers in me, it will resurface. I've learned to enjoy that.

It's like a secret identity.

All of it is tucked away deep down inside me. Gone for the ages, I thought, and sometimes, honestly, grieved. But, then, I got a pup. Pepper. And Pepper is great, but his favourite hobby is stealing stuff HE KNOWS he should not be taking, and hopping along frantically chewing on it until he is caught.

His behaviour is getting better though. "I'm not mad at you, I'm disappointed", works.

Yesterday, I shook my head, and with directly stretched out fingers offered my palm for the dirty sock in his maw. He gave it back to me without any fuss. I took it, and despite and beyond the lengths of all my urbanisation quite naturally muttered:

"Droadnehgel."

I thought of my grandfather and the nth time he caught me filling up a discarded paint bucket with grass, chives, plaintain, mud, red ants, and rook feathers, or something of the sorts... and a fucktonne of gasoline... to set it alight for a 'magic potion'.

I thought of brand new jeans with holes at the knees from scraping the concrete for an intense game of marbles.

I thought of grandma; the cellars and attics.

The tree-tops, particularly.

There was always a way home and a worried sense of underestimation I would now call logical deduction of survivability. I was let loose. I was free. I was that hangnail, scolded, and a funny story told, but only when I was already asleep. I was Icarus on a rooftop, tugged back inside the window hole by my braces before the leap. I was home. I was my kind of terrible.

As so many had been before me.

I was loved completely.

[stalkerofthegods]

Odin deep dive

Odin is a wisdom god and a war god, given up his eye for sight in wisdom, may he send blessings upon all of his worshipers.

Herbs •mugwort (oldest of all herbs), plaintain (mother of herbs), stonem, root (drives away evil), wormwood (venom-loather), chamomile, wergulu (maybe chicory), apple, chervil, fennel, chamomile, crab-apple, stinging nettle, mugwort, sweet cicely, corn salad/rampion, monkshood, Amanita muscara, yew, mistletoe, Ivy, juniper, rye, poppy, clover,

Animals• raven, crows, horses, eagle, bear

Zodiac • He was born at the beginning of the time so he doesn't have a birthday... sorry...

Colors • Grey, deep cobalt blue, black, blue

Crystal•  gold, amber, and jasper

Symbols• his staff, his horse, raven, hats, runes, tree of Yggdrasil

Jewelry you can wear in their honor• necklaces that remind you of him and rings

Diety of• war, half of the death, heroes, magic, runes, poets, wisdom, rulers, sovereignty, shamanism, the dead, ecstasy (the reasoning in patron), prophecy, healing, royalty, the gallows, battle, victory, frenzy,

Patron of• war, half of death, heroes, magic, runes, poets, wisdom, rulers, sovereignty, shamanism, the dead, ecstasy (the reasoning behind this is that he has epithets calling him this, and also because he holds the item of the magical mead, and he ventures around the world, simply for his own "pleasure", and his historical mentions of fertility around this god, I may be wrong but I do think he is also a fertility god, and since ecstasy is also believed to be caused to be from desire, and since he inspires the desire for poetry that could also be a point, and also his ecstasy for war, also contributing for his desire for knowledge.), prophecy, healing, royalty, the gallows, battle, victory, frenzy, intoxication,

Offerings• Your blood (not from your wrists or any heat points because that could mean ur livelihood ur offering to him, and he had human sacrifices to him back then, but please be careful, and please sterilize the tools before and don't do this as self-harm get away, he will get pissed!), apples, arizona tea (UPG), books, stuffed animals of his animals, tree imagery, toys of thrones, imagery of thrones, wine (he does not drink or eat food, for wine is both water and food for him, so his dogs eat his food, so make sure to keep in mind wolf/dog-friendly food, like spices/etc.), dog treats, meat, rye, thorns (from a myth when he put a valkyrie to sleep as a consequence for sabotaging a battle), mead, beer, ale, fruit, berries, vegetables, Spearlike vegetables (ex- leeks, asparagus, garlic)

Devotional• Learn runes, write runes on flashcards and bottle caps or play cards or coins to learn them, study, do your homework, research things you are interested in his honor, take care of yourself, think out of the box, learn new skills, set boundrys, donate to war veterans and animal shelters in his name, drink alcohol or something you love to him (raise a glass to him ), eat 3 meals a day, work on communication skills, learn cartomancy/pyromancy/shufflomancy, honor your ancestor, write down and interpret your dreams, work with veterans, do community service in his honor, learn basic med, face your fears, create things that remind you of him (art, tapestry, baked goods, etc)

Ephithets•  “Master of Ecstasy”, "all father, "raven-god", "army-god", “Father of Men”. “Gautr of Men”, “The Ancient Gaut, “Delight of Frigg”, “Eagle-headed One”, “Attacking Rider” or “Attacker by Horse", “Wealth Friend”, “Enemy of the Wolf ”, “Father of Balder”, “Feeble Eye/Flame Eyed”, “Shield Shaker/Spear Shaker”, “Feeble Eye/

One Eyed”,  “Bear”, “Blind One”, “Bale-worker”,  “Battle Enhancer”, “Chieftain”, “Brother of Vili”, “Brown One”, “Son of Borr”, “Spearman”, “Lord of Ghosts”, "Sole Creator of Magical Song", “One with a Straight Forehead”,  “Ever-Booming”,  “Dweller in Frigg’s Embrace", “First Husband of Frigg”,

“Father of Magical Songs”, “Cargo God”, “Journey-Empowerer”, “Burden of Gunnlöð’s Arms”, “Gallows’ Burden”, “Snatch” or “Gain”, “Mighty God”, “Mighty Thule (Poet)”, “Very-Wise/Concealer”, “Much Wise”, “Lord of the Earth”, "One Who Rides Forth”, “The Found”, “Contrary Advisor/Gainful Council”, “Father of Galdor (Magical Songs)”, "Gallow’s Lord", “Wanderer", "Journey Advisor”, “One in a Gaping Frenzy”, “One from Gotland”, “Gautr” (Latinized Langobardic version), “Dangler”, “Spear Inviter”, “Spear God”, “Spear Master”, “Spear Charger”,  “Guest”, “Blind Guest”, “Deceiver, “Riddler”, “Seducer”, “Goði (priest) of the Raven-offering”, “God Protector”, “Yeller",  “Wand Bearer”, " King of Hliðskjalf", “The Masked One/The Hooded One”, "Gunnlod’s Embracer", “Warrior", “Battle Blind", “Master of Fury” (Romanised Langobardic ), “Master of Fury” (Westphalian), "Skillful Worker”, “Hanged God”, "God of the Hanged", “Hanged One”,  “Ruler of Gods”, “God of Gods”,  “Teacher of gods”,  “Fetter Loosener”, “High One”, “Grey Beard", “One Eyed”, “Lord of Hliðskjalf”, “High One”, “Visitor of the Hanged”,  “Blinder With Death/Host Blinder”, “Hang Jaw”, “Host Father”, “Host Gautr”, ” Host Lord”, “Host Glad/Glad of War/Glad in Battle”, “Host God”, “Battle Wolf”,  “God of battle”, “Engager of Battle”, “Helm Bearer”, “Screamer” (that's very ominous..), “Famous Lord/Mound Lord”, “Inciter/Thruster/Shaker”, “One Eyed”, “Hatter", “High One”, “Raven-tester”, “Raven God", “Fetterer/Ripper", “Blusterer”, “Roarer”, “Lord of Gods”, “God”

Hrossharsgrani – “Horse-hair Mustache”, “Whet Courage (Mood)”, “Roarer”, “Splendid Ruler”, “Just As High”, “Yellow-brown Back”, “Gelding”, “Iron Grim”, “Horse-wolf/Bear”, “Yule-father”, ”Yule", “Mighty One”, “Old Man”, “Nourisher”, “Long Beard”, “Shaggy Cloak Wearer”, "Lord of Light"

"Lord of the Wild Hunt", “Son of Borr”, “User/Enjoyer”, “Frenzied One” (Old Norse),  “Frenzy”, “Divine Inspiration”, “Breath",  “Opener”, “Boomer/One Whose Voice Resounds”, “Wished For/Fulfiller of Desire”, “Master of Fury”, “Red Moustache”, “Wagon God”, “Chief”, “God of Runes”, “Mover of Constellations”, “Truth Getter/He Who Guesses Right”, “Truth”, “The Truthful”, “Longbeard”, “Slouch Hat” or “Broad Brim” or “Deep Hood”, ”Long Beard,” “Broad Beard”, “Victory Bringer”, “Father of Victory”, “Victory Gautr”, “Victory Protection”, “Victory Author”, “Victory Tree”, “Victory Successful", “Victory Sure”,  “Victory God”, “King/Trembler”, “Treachery Ruler”, “Son of Bestla”,  “Friend of the Goths” "Speedy One", “Luller to Sleep/Dream", “Fleeting/Changeable”, “Wise One”, “Wise One”, ”Sweller", “Welcome One”, “Quarreler/Raging, Furious”, "Third”, “Triple”, “Burgeoning/Inciter to Strife”, “Strength”, “Sweller”, “Lean/Pale”, “Double”, “Twice Blind”, “Beloved”, “Foe of the Wolf ”, “Dangler", “Wayfarer”, “Swinger of Gungnir”, “Awakener/Vigilant”,  “Ruler of Gallows”, “Ruler of Heaven”, “Father of the Slain”, “Slain Gautr/Gautr of the Slain”, “Chooser of the Slain”, “Slain Tame/The Warrior”, “Slain God”, “Slain Receiver”, “Wayfarer/Waytamer”, “God of Men/God of Being”, “Stormer/Ruler of Weather”, “Contrary Screamer”, “Killer”, “Swinger”, “Friend of Loptr”, “Friend of Lóðurr”, “Friend of Mímir”, “Friend of Altars", “Master of Fury” (Gothic), “Dangler”, “Phallus”, “Smith of Battle”, “Master of Fury” (Allemanic, Burgundian)", “Master of Fury” (Frisian), "Wise Victory Tree", “Wolf”, "Wolf��s Danger", “Wish”,  “Terrible One”, “Stormy”

Equivalents• Mercury (Roman), Indra (Hindu), Thoth (egyptation)

Signs they reaching out• seeing his signs, seeing him in a dream, seeing his family and him in dreams, seeing his animals, seeing imagery of him.

Vows/omans• seeing his animals, his blood pact of brothership with loki, and his marriage vows.

Number• 9

Morals• questionably lawfully chaotic

Courting• Frigg

Past lovers/crushes• Jord, some say Freyja, and some say he's married to Freyja and Frigg.

Personality• trickster, his deminer can change easily, one saga describes Odin, “when he sat with his friends, he gladdened the spirits of all of them, but when he was at war, his demeanor was terrifyingly grim.” this shows that he can be a very kind and accepting deity, but he also has another side, so when worshiping his war epithets be aware of this, he is quite competitive. He is also serious and demands respect.

Home• Vahalha

Mortal or immortal • mortal

Fact• He often changed genders just to get passed obstacles

Curses• no knowledge, not being able to go home or know who you are.

Blessings• knowledge, someone coming out of a battle as the victor

Roots• Germanic paganism, perhaps rooted from the Anglo- Saxon gods

Friends• Mimir, loki used to be his friend, Frigg (his wife), Lóðurr, loptr

Parentage• Bestla, and Borr

Siblings• Ve and Vili, loki

Pet• 2 talking ravens called Huginn and Muninn, a magical horse called, Sleipnir, two wolves called Geri and Freki,

Children • Thor, Balder, Hod, Hermod, Heimdall, Vidar, and Vali. 

Appearance in astral or gen• Odin is frequently portrayed as one-eyed and white long-bearded, long-haired, wielding a spear named Gungnir or appearing in disguise wearing a cloak and a broad hat and a golden ring, and in the 'astral' he can be seen as anything, but mostly in a human-like form (never seen him in a dream or astral personally.)

Festivals • Yule.

Day • Wednesday.

Status• Ruler of Asier, the father of the gods, has an army of the dead, powerful.

What angers them• disrespect, betraying oaths, and ignoring him.

The music they like• I take it Viking and hunting and gothic/metal music.

Planet• Murcery

Tarot cards• hanging man, the magician, the priestess, the chariot.

hermit, death, suit of swords.

Reminds me of• goth, bikers (motorcycles), yelling, nacho dip

Scents/Inscene • sandalwood, sage, cedar, mugwort, basically all his herbs except the dangerous ones.

Prayers• Prayer for Wisdom in Teaching

Allfather, Ancient One Eye-plucked Wanderer Teacher of Runes and Mead-stealer Bless me, keep me As  I wander and in gift-for-gift, Teach others from Your path

https://sarenth.wordpress.com/2011/02/24/prayers-to-odin/

The Ninefold Blessing of the Allfather

Grace me, Father, with the blessings of the breath of life, and, with the lips that shape the ond into forms beautiful and terrible Grace me, Father, with the blessings of the Runes, with the markings that break fetters and heal the sick Grace me, Father, with the blessings of wisdom, with the discernment and care it brings, with the faculties to use it properly Grace me, Father, with the blessings of pain, with the forging and strength it bestows, with the edge it sharpens Grace me, Father, with the blessings of inspiration, with the knowledge and comprehension it gives, with the ways it opens Grace me, Father, with the blessings of joy, with the openness of receptivity and growth, its seeds, with the way it enlivens life Grace me, Father, with the blessings of power, with the ability to choose and stand firm, with the ability to change the world around me Grace me, Father, with the blessings of intelligence, with the ability to comprehend and deduce the meaning of things, to understand the world in all its complexities Grace me, Father, with the blessings of faith, with the trust and determination to embrace it, to always reach to understand You and the World better, in all the ways I can

https://sarenth.wordpress.com/2011/02/24/prayers-to-odin/

Links/websites/sources • https://www.britannica.com/topic/Odin-Norse-deity https://norse-mythology.org/gods-and-creatures/the-aesir-gods-and-goddesses/odin/#:~:text=As%20mentioned%20above%2C%20Odin's%20name,can%20take%20countless%20different%20forms. https://www.worldhistory.org/odin/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odin https://wytchofthenorth.wordpress.com/2013/04/16/odin-and-herbs-ask-me-about-odin/ https://wanderingwomanwondering.wordpress.com/2017/06/22/deity-offerings-series-for-odin/ https://www.norseshamanism.online/blog-norse-shamanism/offerings-to-odin-and-how-to-make-offerings-to-odin https://www.northernpaganism.org/shrines/odin/writing/altars-and-offerings-for-odin.html https://odindevoted.wordpress.com/2013/07/26/offerings/https://study.com/academy/lesson/yggdrasil-the-tree-of-life-norse-mythology-symbol.html#:~:text=Yggdrasil%20is%20a%20tree%20in,god%20in%20the%20Norse%20pantheon. https://www.tumblr.com/alder-bos/669862051714318336/deities-and-their-tarot-cards-long-post

I use resources, I do not own the info, and most deep dives have UPG (that I use in my work.) And I only take some information from sources. I am 14, this is my hobby, I am learning but I spent many hours and days on this, and I am always open to criticism. I have been doing worship for 5 years. Please know you can use the info, I do not sue, but I will take action if this work is used without permission and not put as a resource if used in any work. without permisson and not put as a resource if used in any work, for the public.

ODIN DOES NOT SUPPORT NAZIS

[butts-bouncing-on-the-beltway]

Real pleased with the progress in the yard so far, and fine-tuning the next steps as I go

Projects I noticed while working on the reseeding today:

Need to build and hang some bee boxes and then scrub down the deck with a citronella seal to hopefully convince the carpenter bees to relocate - also need to redo the deck frankly but that's a long-term thing and I'd really like to have access to a woodlot first and plane our own boards rather than buying them. Even in bulk from a lumbermill that's more money than I'd like to spend for proper hardwoods like oak and cherry

Need to buy a sythe/machete for the tall invasives by the creek - once the ground is cleared, going to turn our old olive oil tins into lizard houses, and reseed with strawberry corn, sunflowers, cardoons, witch hazel, and ground cherries

Need to call the city and find out who is legally allowed to bring down the willow across the creek that got uprooted during Helene and has been threatening to fall onto our fence ever since. Happy to do it myself if I'm allowed, but would rather the other land owner handle it, unfortunately it's not a person, it's a company so I have no idea how to talk to them about this except through the city.

Need to smash a pumpkin and throw some budding sweet potatoes into the compost and really hill up the hay on top so I can have a pumpkin and sweet potato patch for my leetle ladies tasty treat times

I need to sprout the red plum seeds and prep the temporary pots for when they're ready to transplant outdoors, might consider planting them directly in their own loosened hale bales, esp if I can let the chickens have at the bales over winter first.

Speaking of which, we need more hay. I need to call my hay guy and ask how much another 50 bales of clover hay will cost me

Need to bury the logs under hay and compost to start byilding raised beds and improving the topsoil quality, ideally I'll seed the swales with wetland/riparian plants so that as the swales smother the lingering invasives, the plants can sprout up on top with all that yummy organic matter

Need to buy/make root veggie sacks to bury in the compost and new topsoil so I can grow even while I'm still making new topsoil

I need to make sure to include wildflowerd in the spring compost and reseed, because we're starting to get some volunteering which means the soil is recovered enough to play good host and I want to speed that up

Gotta make some starter plots around the chicken run and the dog run to regularly re-establish groundcover in them given how much the chickens and dogs tear up the grass

Need to build a chicken tractor to use in future years to control overgrowth and compost growing beds after harvest

Need to build a water table for lettuces and greens, ideally linked up to the rainbarrel water storage system

Need to keep expanding the chicken run now they're all enjoying it so Elvira is less of an asshole, and reinforce under the coop so no one gets stuck under the foundation

Reinforcing the creek bank (witch hazel and red plum tree and creeping thyme) behind the dog run so we don't lose integrity of the fence.

Paint the house some goddamn colors holy FUCK

Keep making braids for cat and chicken toys

Maybe enclose the upper deck for a four season cat porch

Set up some 7-10 gallon pots on the deck for growing ginger and lemongrass and other culinary/medicinal plants we need to keep out of the topsoil

Make a plant ID booklet for use during harvesting

Make a recipe book to guide cut and come again use

Set out a shaded table at the top of the drive with places to set out eggs, produce, preserves, etc that we're not going to be able to use up for give away - should make sure to put a sign up to officially let folks know they can take what they like.

Start passionflower vines by the creek and back fence

Fill the front yard with flax

Plant a broomsedge, scouring rush, water cress, plaintain, American Trout Lily, alumroot, phlox, chickweed, creeping blueberries,culinary sumac, and primrose propogation bed by the creek to crowd out the last invasive ground covers (apparently the native ground covers have done a GREAT job smothering most of the invasives in the yard, and there are only a few invasive vines and crabgrass left actually. Everything else is native wetland grasses and galax. Just....so much galax lmao

I might look into canebrrak bamboo as well, that would be extremely useful for fiber production holy shit

I definitely want a stand of Indigo for dyes and inks

I still want my pawpaws and wild olive and wild black rum cherry trees so they'll probably go in the front where the crabapples are now. I could probably make a lil lumber out of the bigger crabapple and a nice cat toy out of the smaller one.

It would be great to get a Broom Hickory or a chinquapin, too, but I'm prioritizing the pecans

A sugar berry would be lovely, they're kind of nothing on their own, but if you use them in preserves of other fruits, they come out AMAZING

Coreopsis my beloved <3

I need to flesh out my medicinal garden too, and I'm thinking about waterleaf. It would be AMAZING for my skin condition, particularly for my feet, but I'm not sure I can harvest and use it fast enough given its growth habit the leaves and shoots are ostensibly edible, so maybe if we a consistent about cutting them back for the greens that will keep the rhizomes focused on growing rather than spreading.

Bayberry would be extremely useful for making plant waxes and butters, but I'm in the same position as the waterleaf, esp since they're even less readily edible lol

I think that's everything so far, which is good because it's already a year's worth of work lmao

[overdramatics]

This exactly. And it's why is so so important now more than ever to live outside the system as much as possible. Use & contribute to free food resources (food banks, community gardens, community meals, food boxes). Go dumpster diving. Steal toilet paper from your work or public bathrooms (or use towels/fucking leaves- deadass we had to use SOMETHING for millennia before the nightmare that is TP was invented) scrounge that apple tree that you pass by that nobody harvests from. Go to clothing swaps, find the local antifash scene, get into mutual aid. There are comrades out there that will pay your rent. Garden. Community garden, guerilla garden, have a sad little tomatoe plant in a windowsill that bears 3 fruit. Dig through the trash and never have to buy furniture literally like ever again. Learn some herbal medicine- plaintain (white mans footprint) treats cuts, burns, bites, stings, splinters, and coughs/colds and literally grows everywhere. many healing plants grow everywhere for free (being discerning of where you're harvesting from and any potential contaminants)- you don't have to buy way too expensive bullshit from some hippy shop.

If we want to revolution to be right fucking now we have got to start acting like it. If we want the revolution to happen we *have* to know how to take care of ourselves and our community

This is not at all a new take on life here in the US of A however I feel as though I will peel my skin off if I don’t say it;

People are seeing death as a valid option to the current state of the world + the future and now I am fully understanding why.

There is no more ‘village’. There are no reliable social safety nets installed that are realistic or easy to access. You H A V E to drive EVERYWHERE if you’re even able to drive. If your area has a bus it has to fight on the road with every other driver. To get 9 miles away from point A to B takes 2 hour out of your day. No one is hiring or they are paying minimum wages for you to run their whole circus operation damn near by yourself. Average 1 bedroom apartments are $1.1k a month for 500 sqf and if you SOMEHOW get a roommate and get them to agree to split rent and utilities then y’all are going to battle for personal space. A 2 bed is out of the question bc there is no way in hell that you can save anything if you are spending more then half of your wages on rent. You want to go out and have a sense of what it means to be fulfilled as a human? Don’t even dream about it, you have your bills coming up.

Get a second or 3rd job? Wait… you were able to find one? They didn’t ghost? Lucky you; now you are better off & you can now sleep knowing that the 2nd job will be able to pay for the gas ($3+/gal), insurance (3X what it used to be but still making you open up ur wallet before they step in), and your car note! (Wayyy too much for a used).

What is fun? What are get togethers? What is a ‘cheap meal’? What’s a bucket list? What’s a vacation? What’s a hobby? Wait, you can afford to replace items and not get anxiety over it? You can afford more then an arm full of groceries?? Will you be able to retire by the time you’re 60 with enough money in the bank to not just exist, but to do the things you’ve always wanted to do during those working decades? What will elder and death care look like? Will your children be able to not live in poverty?

We as young people are seeing death as a valid option because we know we will NEVER see an adult life like those before us prior to the 90’s. Starting a family or adding on to your family will put you in poverty. Buying a house if you’re fortunate enough will put you in poverty. Renting will put you in poverty. Working more jobs will put you in poverty. Having a car will put you into poverty, not having one will keep you from ever getting one. We will just work and work to never ever have anything to show for it. This is not the lifestyle that I’d doom more life to do for the rest of their lives. Something’s gotta change sooner rather then later and it’s gotta be grass roots. We have to be willing to break some rules to get to where we need to be.

Things. Must. Change.

[equatorjournal]

Giant leaves of plantain tree, 1944 "The difference between the banana and plaintain is that the former is eaten raw, the latter requires cooking. Both plants grow enormous leaves, often ten feet long, which provide welcome shade when, as in lowlands of Salvador, the climate is hot and close. The pure-bred Indians are the most valued workers in this country." From "Peoples of the world illustrated" by Harold Wheeler. https://www.instagram.com/p/CmXFhmWNm2H/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[that-norse-pagan]

DEVOTIONAL ACTS AND OFFERINGS TO ODIN

~May also serve as ideas for an altar~

Disclaimer: I have only worked with Odin briefly (for about 8 months a year ago), so while these come from experiences and research, they will not be as extensive as Fenrir's list. :)

Physical Offerings:

Feathers (Corvids typically, Raven, Crow, etc. I gave him a few hawk feathers at some point.)

Runes (As the God who discovered the Runes! I made my own rune set from natural clay and dedicated it to him, but you can also buy a set)

Drawings and Art of Him

Poetry or Stories you've Written

Candles and Incense (usually in muskier/more masculine scents)

Wine/Ale/Mead/Whiskey (Handle responsibly and legally for your country laws)

Bird Imagery (Occasionally you can find Crystal Ravens in some shops)

Spearheads and Arrowheads

A Drinking Horn

Draw his symbols (Triple Horn of Odin, the Valknot)

Red Meat, Smoked Salmon (It is said that his Wolves eat Odin's food, so meat-based offerings tend to be given)

Herbs: Wormwood, Mugwort, Ash Tree Leaves/Bark, Plaintain, Chamomile, Myrrh, Frankencence, Lavender, Valerian, Yew

Crystals: Onyx, Carnelian, Sodalite, Red Jasper, Citrine, Amethyst, Agate, Gold, Jet

Colors: Dark Blue, Gold, White, Grey, Black, Orange

Spiritual Offerings

Putting Effort into Learning (He is the God of Knowledge, after all)

Being accepting of those around you (Odin is the ALLfather, not the Somefather. Show respect and care towards people who might be different than you)

Speak out against injustice

Taking Leadership, even when it's difficult

Make Donations or Volunteer for Veterans or those who have served in War

Going on an Adventure/Travelling

Other

Give a simple offering/acknowledge his Wife and Children

Wednesday is said to be "Odin's Day" in some stores. Leave offerings or reach out to him on those days

Reminder to the White Supremacist and Neo-Nazi followers of Odin,

This is not a space for you.

[balkanradfem]

Hi <3

What would be an amazing immune booster? Also what would you recommend for cutting sugar?

Elderberry syrup is the best immune booster I know of, also I know that anything with a high count of vitamin C can protect your health if you're under strenuous conditions, so wild plants like dandelion leaves, which contain high amount of vitamin C, would be protective! Plaintain is another wild plant that is known to strengthen your blood so I would consider it boosting in immunity as well. This plantain on the picture, I know there's a different plantain that is like a new banana alternative, I'm thinking this:

It tastes nutty and is great in a pasta salad!

Generally for good immunity it's good to spend time around trees; I've heard about studies where it showed that people had less heart disease, less stress-related issues and less illness in general, just based on how many trees were growing around their home. Those in areas well populated with trees are less sick!

I'm not sure about sugar because I've never tried to cut it, I don't think sugar is that bad, but I've learned that I prefer sour stuff more so I'll happily drink unsweetened sour-cherry juice and won't feel the need for sugar afterwards, no idea if this info helps at all. You can try eating edible flowers as treats, they have natural sugar and can be incredibly tasty!

[kiyblackmoon]

WITCH HERBAL CODE

Pt2.

PLANT NAMES AS ANIMALS

PLANT NAMES AS ANIMALS

Toad- Sage

Cat- Catmint

Dog- Grasses, Specifically Couchgrass

Frog- Cinquefoil

Eagle- Wild Garlic

Blue Jay- Laurel

Hawk- Hawkweed

Lamb-Wild Lettuce

Nightengale- Hops

Rat- Valerian

Weasel- Rue

Woodpecker- Peony

Some of these names are still in use today

Ass' Ear- Comfrey

Bat's Wing- Holly Leaves

Beard Of Monk- Chicory

Bear's Foot- Lady's Mantle

Bird's Eye- Germander or Speedwell

Blind Eyes- Poppy

Blood From A Head- Lupine

Blood Of Ares- Purslane

Blood Of Hestia- Chamomile

Bloody Fingers- Foxglove

Calf's Snout- Snapdragon

Cat's Foot- Ground Ivy

Crow's Foot- Wood Anemone

Devil's Ear- Jack In The Pulpit

Devil's Plaything- Yarrow

Dew Of The Sea- Rosemary

Dog's Mouth- Snapdragon

Dragon's Teeth- Vervain

Elf Leaf- Lavender

Englishman's Foot- Common Plaintain

Fairy Eggs- Nutmeg

Flower Of Death- Vinca

Goose Tongue- Lemon Balm

Graveyard Dust- Mullein

Hawk's Heart- Wormwood

Juno's Tears- Vervain

Jupiter's Beard- Sempervivums

Lion's Foot- Lady's Mantle

Little Faces- Viola

Man's Bile- Turnip Sap

Mortification Root- Rose Of Sharon

Nose Of Turtle- Turtlehead, Chelone

Nosebleed- Yarrow

Our Lady's Tears- Lily Of The Valley

Old Man's Flannel- Mullein

Ram's Head- Valerian

Scale Of Dragon- Tarragon

Semen Of Ares- White Clover

Semen Of Hermes- Dill

Serpent's Tongue- Dog's Tooth Violet

Sparrow's Tongue- Knotweed

Tree Of Doom- Elder

Unicorn Root- Boneset

Weasel Snout- Yellow Archangel

Wool Of Bat- Moss

[morgandria]

I’ve kept a list of the things going into my genus loci oil, and I am really rather chuffed at all the things in it so far:

Ground Ivy

Cinquefoil

Dandelion

Catnip

Motherwort

Honeysuckle

Wood Avens

Plaintain

Red and White Clover

Bladder Campion

Golden Alexanders

Hoary Alyssum

Chicory

Bird’s Foot Trefoil

All-Heal

I know I said I’d leave the Trefoil to establish itself, but it’s popped up in several places now - enough that I could take a few flowerheads without threatening growth or depriving the bees. I was pleasantly surprised to see the All-Heal again - it’s been hit or miss over the years, depending on how vigorously the yard is kept.

I’m still waiting to see if I get any Bellflower this summer, and while I’d adore some Queen Anne’s Lace as well, it doesn’t feel likely. I am hoping some Thistle survive the next round of yardwork, too, so I can have a flowerhead from them as well.

Also, today was Cedar oil day! I got trimmings from both trees, which I chopped up fine with my ulu herb knife and just have soaking in some grapeseed, which is my default. I have it sitting on my ancestor shrine next to the orange candle I light there for all the Indigenous children lost to residential schools, while I wait for it to steep. Some of it is intended just for its’ scent but I may turn some of it into salve also and see if it helps my hands when the weather gets cold.

[the-secret-grimoire]

BODY PARTS AS PLANT PARTS

Eye- Blossom or Seed

Heart- Bud or Seed

Beak, Bill or Nose- Seed, Bud or Bloom

Tongue or Teeth- Petal or Leaf

Head- Blossom

Tail- Stem

Hair- Dried Herbs or Stringy Parts Of Herbs

Privates, Genitals Or Semen- Seeds Or Sap

Blood- Sap

Guts- Roots or Stalk

Paw, Foot, Leg, Wing or Toe- Leaves

PLANT NAMES AS ANIMALS

Toad- Sage

Cat- Catmint

Dog- Grasses, Specifically Couchgrass

Frog- Cinquefoil

Eagle- Wild Garlic

Blue Jay- Laurel

Hawk- Hawkweed

Lamb-Wild Lettuce

Nightengale- Hops

Rat- Valerian

Weasel- Rue

Woodpecker- Peony

Some of these names are still in use today

These days, there are many almanacs of magical herbs and herbal grimmoires available online or at bookstores, that list out Witch Herb/Plant names and even details their uses. Just for fun, I will leave you with a list of some of my favorite witchy plant names.

Ass' Ear- Comfrey

Bat's Wing- Holly Leaves

Beard Of Monk- Chicory

Bear's Foot- Lady's Mantle

Bird's Eye- Germander or Speedwell

Blind Eyes- Poppy

Blood From A Head- Lupine

Blood Of Ares- Purslane

Blood Of Hestia- Chamomile

Bloody Fingers- Foxglove

Calf's Snout- Snapdragon

Cat's Foot- Ground Ivy

Crow's Foot- Wood Anemone

Devil's Ear- Jack In The Pulpit

Devil's Plaything- Yarrow

Dew Of The Sea- Rosemary

Dog's Mouth- Snapdragon

Dragon's Teeth- Vervain

Elf Leaf- Lavender

Englishman's Foot- Common Plaintain

Eye Of Newt - Mustard Seeds

Fairy Eggs- Nutmeg

Flower Of Death- Vinca

Goose Tongue- Lemon Balm

Graveyard Dust- Mullein

Hawk's Heart- Wormwood

Juno's Tears- Vervain

Jupiter's Beard- Sempervivums

Lion's Foot- Lady's Mantle

Little Faces- Viola

Man's Bile- Turnip Sap

Mortification Root- Rose Of Sharon

Nose Of Turtle- Turtlehead, Chelone

Nosebleed- Yarrow

Our Lady's Tears- Lily Of The Valley

Old Man's Flannel- Mullein

Ram's Head- Valerian

Scale Of Dragon- Tarragon

Semen Of Ares- White Clover

Semen Of Hermes- Dill

Serpent's Tongue- Dog's Tooth Violet

Sparrow's Tongue- Knotweed

Tree Of Doom- Elder

Unicorn Root- Boneset

Weasel Snout- Yellow Archangel

Wool Of Bat- Moss

-

Absinthe - wormwood

African ginger - ginger

Aftator pear - avocado

American dittany - basil

Aneton - dill

Bairnwort - daisy

Bee balm - lemon balm

Bird's foot - feunugreek

Blind buff - poppy

Blue eyes - potatos

Blood of Hestia - chamomile

Calf's snout - snapdragon

Chinese parsley - coriander

Chocolate flower - geranium

Devil's dung - asafoetida

Eagle - wild garlic

Elf leaf - lavender

Fairy fingers - foxglove

Gallowsgrass - hemp

Gin plant - juniper

Giver of life - corn

Goat's leaf - honeysuckle

Golden bough - mistletoe

Honey stalks - clove

Kronos' blood - cedar sap

Lamb mint - spearmint

Rabbits - toadflax

Ring-o-bells - bluebells

Scaldhead - blackberry

Semen of Hermes - dill

Titan's blood - wild lettuce

White wood - cinnamon

[minipliny]

I successfully made enchiladas with homemade ancho sauce and the ropa vieja I made a few days ago inside, and plaintain chips and avocado on the side. 

I have genuinely no idea where November went. I did have a tooth out and it’s gone now after unsuccessful antibiotics. It was my baby tooth. I’m finally a grown woman. 

I might get to see my best friennnnnd and I am extremely excited about that. Other events of my social calendar: entire life stories of all my colleagues at this point as though we are a submarine crew thrown together by fate, alone in a tossing sea of isolation and surrounded by beeping alarm noises and pumping the bilge pumps of the submarine, which in this metaphor is a real thing. Seeing pliny mum. Helping socialise a chihuahua puppy outdoors.

My formidable great aunt phoned up with Christmas present ideas and this included, bafflingly, a biography of Melania Trump for dear wife. Explained: no to Melania. Morbid fascination only goes so far.

Wife is peacefully asleep right now like large cat. Makes sleep sounds like large cat. 

I haven’t been able to listen to TMA S5 past the first few episodes, possibly because it’s a little more on the serious side and less on the absurd, possibly because everything happens so much already. NK Jemisin’s Fifth Season is definitely actually a very good book, but I think I may need to wait for a less apocalyptic-feeling outside world to be able to brace myself for it.

Reading many Aubrey Maturin.I wish I could lovingly cradle a lace eating wombat. I lose my mind with delight whenever Americans appear; cannot explain why. Apologised to darling wife for press-gang kidnappings leading up to 1812 maritime conflict. Read Buchi Emecheta’s the Bride Price at about 1am which has a rave review from John Updike on the back....you know you wrote a good book when your biting feminist critique of society and relationships gets praise from Updike of all people. Read Tina Makereti’s Where the Rekohu Bone Sings which I liked even more than Imaginary Life of James Poneke possibly because there is a scene where a taciturn, hard bitten middle aged lady just walks up to the protagonist and hands her a dead swan. And the ghostly ancestral character voice is amazing. Read Francis Hardinge’s the Lie Tree and now need a huge pile of Frances Hardinge as she reached into my brain and wrote all the things I wanted to see. Machiavellian teenage girl destruction. Cryptopaleontology. Postmortem Photoshop. Whisking the expectation rug from under the reader. Crystal Palace dinosaur nightmares ?!?!?!? 

[jeannekwong]

Currently Reading November 2020

It is at the end of November and I have a total of 19 books on my currently reading list. These are all the books I have started this year and somehow I am still reading. For now I have put many to the side. Hopefully I will pick them back up soon, or maybe in the new year.

1. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

2. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

3. Sweetland by Michael Crummey

4. Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi

5. Frying Plaintain by Zalika Reid-Benta

6. The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay

7. China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan

8. The Blue Guitar by John Banville

9 Circling the Sun by Paula McLain

10. Champion by Marie Lu

11. Good-Bye by Yoshihiro Tatsumi

12. His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik

13. Descent into Chaos by Ahmed Rashid

14. The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

15. Secrets of the Vinyl Cafe by Stuart McLean

16. Arborescent by Marc Herman Lynch

17. The Other Windsor Girl by Georgie Blalock

18. Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

19. Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood

[rockofeye]

Manje Gede: Food for the Dead

Gede loves many things, and in the middle of all them is food; Gede LOVES to eat. There are a lot of jokes about Gede’s appetites, but the legion of the elevated dead have a truly insatiable hunger. They always thirst and always hunger to fill their bellies. I have never given Gede anything that he has turned away (and he has asked for odd things that made me question his state of pregnancy...pickles, chocolate cake, a sandwich), but he does have some favorite foods, and a nice treat for him is to prepare it for him. As all people taste death, either in the death of those we know or our inevitable demise, all people can speak with the legion of Gede.

Traditional manje Gede/literally ‘Gede’s food’ is a very spicy, very potent-smelling dish so if you’re thinking of preparing it for him, maybe open a window and shoo the small children and pets away.

To prepare this sizeable snack for the Dead Man, you’ll need:

Pwason sèl/dried, salted mackerel (makwo). You can usually find this in a good Asian grocery in the frozen or pre-packaged fish section, or in a Caribbean market. If you can’t find it, Goya sells canned mackerel in a salt brine and that works. You can find mackerel in brine on Amazon, too. 

Assorted root vegetables. I used pònmdetè/regular ol’ white potato, yanm/white and purple(!!) yams, patat/Caribbean sweet potato (often sold as batata in the US...has red skin and white flesh), and a chunk of malanga.

Bannan/plantain. You want green plantains, not yellow/ripe. If you can find cooking bananas (not the sweet ones we’re used to...but savory, starchy bananas), those are great.

Piman pike/hot peppers (literally ‘stinging peppers). Traditionally scotch bonnets are used, but those can be hard to find in some places...if you can’t find them, the hottest peppers you can get your hands on, and a lot of them. I used 15 to prepare Gede’s food this time around.

Lwil/oil. Any neutral cooking oil will be fine; I used olive oil because that’s what I had on hand.

You’ll start by peeling and cutting up your root vegetables to roast in the oven. Most cooking in Haiti is done over an open fire and the root vegetables are thrown into the coals and cooked that way, to be peeled hot by hands that are used to plucking things directly out of the coals. Throw them on a sheet pan, toss with a little oil, and cook until soft.

You’ll want to peel the bannan and roast them as well; they should be left whole. If you have never peeled a plantain before, YouTube has good directions. They tend to dry on the outside and soften on the inside, so they won’t necessarily feel fork tender but will cook in about the same time period as the root vegetables, maybe a little less.

While they are cooking, it’s a good time to prepare the fish. If you have dried salted mackerel, you’ll want to rehydrate them in a bit of water...enough for them to soak it up and plump up. If you are using canned, they’ll be ready out of the can. Either way, add all your fish and all the liquid it has into a pan over medium heat. You’ll want to break it down into small chunks with a wooden spoon (or whatever) and cook it until all the water cooks out. You don’t want to scorch it, but it should be dry-ish. Mackerel is a pretty oily fish so it will stay soft, but I often add in some oil to give it more time to be heated. I season with fresh thyme, a little clove, and maybe some black pepper. 

As the root vegetables and fish finish, I assemble them. Traditionally, a kwi (halved, dry empty calabash bowl) is used to feed Gede, but a deep dish or bowl will work just fine. The root veggies go down first and the fish can be scattered over them. Hold the plaintains for now.

In the same pan you did the fish in, add lots of chopped scotch bonnets. I used a mandolin, but sometimes I’ll just blitz them in a food processor (if you do this, BE CAREFUL opening it) until they are small pieces. Cover them with oil; enough to just cover, but they don’t need to swim in the deep end. Set that to low to medium to heat and let it cook for awhile. You are making a very spicy oil, not fried scotch bonnets. And...wash your hands. WASH. YOUR. HANDS. Even if your wear gloves (and you should), wash them. Scotch bonnets are rough on mucus membranes...you don’t want your partner/kid/dog/genitals finding out exactly how rough.

Once the oil is done to the best of your knowledge (I do not recommend tasting it), pour it over the fish and root veggies with all the peppers. Then, you can place the plantains with it, on the sides.

Then, the most important part: let it cool off. We don’t give piping hot food to the lwa, so it should sit and come down to lukewarm. A hand placed on the underside of the bowl or plate should be able to stay there comfortably.

With his meal, Gede likes to drink coffee. Brew up two cups; one with sugar and one bitter, and let them cool, too. He also enjoys kleren, which is a raw moonshine-like rum and for which white rum can substitute, piman (kleren with scotch bonnet peppers), and perhaps a bottle of cola champagne/fruit soda (Goya sells it in the US, looks like orange soda...the most popular Haitian brand is Couronne, which you can sometimes find in Caribbean markets).

When everything is cooled off, you can give it to Gede. A lit black bouji (Haitian-style candle) is usually stuck in it to mark it for him, but any bouji or candle will do  We often present things to the spirits by facing four different directions (styled on making the sign of the cross) making a little dip or curtsy when we do, but don’t worry about nailing that. Gede usually takes his food on the floor or at a special spot only for him...never on the main table/altar someone has for the lwa, if they have one. My Gede have a chair in my home, so I’ll put their food on the seat of the chair or under it. 

Sit and chat with Gede and tell him what’s on your heart, and tell him why you decided to cook for him. You can ask for his particular blessings in your life (though be prepared for him to follow through on that) and you can pray for all the dead that Gede moves among, or you can ask for favors in return for the tasty treat you prepared for him (which he will likely consider a down payment on your request..). Gede hears all prayers and is the last refuge of those who have no other hope, so nothing you say to him will shock him.

Food should be left out at least 24 hours, but the longer the better...Gede often enjoys his food being left until it goes bad. You can dispose of it (keep your plate/bowl) under a tree or, if that’s not possible, place it all in a plastic shopping bag and dispose of gently in your trash (avoid dumping it in your trash or throwing it around; it is Gede’s food still).

Should you decide to give the ravenous Dead Man a meal, may his blessings follow you going forward. Kwa la kwa!

[lynnafred]

Oh! Third question! Are plaintains too different from bananas? Can you not splice the two together like I know you can splice different apple tree parts together? I know that's comparing apples to bananas (sorry not sorry) but you hopefully get the idea.

I think I get your idea. What you’re describing with apple trees is called “grafting” but I think you’re asking why you can’t cross breed bananas and plantains together to get something better?

The answer is: Complex, but I’ll try to break it down.

It all, eventually, comes down to genetics, which usually goes way over my head but I’ll do my best. When it comes to chromosomes, you can be haploid (one set), diploid (two sets), triploid (three sets), all the way up to dodecaploid (twelve sets!!)

Most commercial banana and plantain varieties are triploid (three sets) and they’re actually sterile, which means that they can’t cross breed with other varieties. There’s tons of research being done in new cultivars and varieties being done to try to find a new alternative, but the truth of it is: triploid plants, while sterile, seem to produce better tasting fruits (and they’re also seedless) and; even that’s not going to stop the plant diseases ravaging plantations across the globe. Scientists thought they had it when they abandoned the Gros Michel for the Cavendish, but all they really did was push it back long enough to make it another generation of scientists’ problem.

There are experimental genetic tools like CRISPR that might be able to be used to potentially reduce the plant’s susceptibility to those diseases, but right now, nothing is certain. If that sounds like a lot of hypotheticals, that’s because it is. CRISPR is fairly new (and highly controversial) technology, but it has more than a wealth of uses in agriculture and has already proven its worth.

Additionally, many scientists are also citing climate change as one of the reasons it’s been so difficult to create a new variety of banana. Rising temperatures and increasingly extreme weather patterns make harboring disease much easier than it is to eradicate it.

There was a paper, published in 2013 in the 986th issue of the International Society for Horticultural Science, called “Conventional Banana and Plantain Breeding” that covers everything that’s been done up to then in looking for new cultivars, including the challenges and pitfalls. It was a really interesting read when I was studying bananas, and it gives good insight into the worries of scientists right now in their banana breeding programs. If you can find it anywhere, give it a read. I was able to read it through my university’s library.