almostawitch

[almostawitch]

Rhea Ripley

[almostawitch]

Fruit will last 3 weeks longer….

Why You Should Keep Fruit In Mason Jars Instead Of The Containers They Come In…….

When you get your fruit home from the grocery store, the first thing you should do is remove it from the plastic containers they’ve come in and recycle them. Next, clean out your sink and fill it with water (you could also use a large bowl). Then, toss in a few tablespoons of distilled vinegar. You’ll then want to submerge your fruit in the water and let it soak for about 10 to 15 minutes. The purpose of this is to get rid of any mold or bacteria on the fruit which is what causes them to go rotten more quickly.

Once the fruit has had a nice soak, remove it from the vinegar water, transfer to a strainer, and rinse with cool water. Leave the fruit out to dry on a tea towel or paper towel. Once dry, transfer the fruit to mason jars and seal up those lids. This is the best way to make your fruit last, particularly berries, which tend to be very prone to mold and bacteria buildup.

And that’s it! Incorporating these few extra steps into preparing and storing fruit can help you eliminate food waste, save money, and keep your fridge stocked with fresh produce for much longer.

[almostawitch]

ten of florence welch’s favourite things

[almostawitch]

ten of florence welch’s favourite things

[almostawitch]

Hello!! I'm a queer archaeology student, and I keep reading like a few paragraphs about queer archaeology in connection to post processualism in different books and articles, but they never seem to mention much more than that it's a thing that exists:(

I want to know more, but I have no idea where to start. Do you have any suggestions for articles or similar? Thanks in advance, and sorry if you've answered this before<3

Hi there, you sent this ask forever ago, and I'm sorry for not getting to it sooner.

I think that I should clarify that while I am a queer archaeologist, queer archaeology is not what I specialize in. I can definitely give you some pointer, but I'm not familiar with the scope of everything that's out there.

I'll start with my two favorites, Google Scholar and JSTOR (my beloved). ResearchGate is okay too, but they make you sign up (it's free though) and send you a lot of emails. Here is the link to a JSTOR search for 'queer archaeology' and a Google Scholar search for 'queer archaeology'. Each of these turns up dozens of good articles that are worth reading. Many of the ones on GS are free, and if you go to a college or university, you can probably access JSTOR with your school credentials. If you can't, stop by your public library and they should be able to help you. If all else fails, you can reach out to the authors, and 99% of the time they will be more than happy to share a copy of the article with you.

My number one tip for reading articles looking for people/subjects you're interested in is to check the citations! Keep track of names and publications that come up in in text citations that get your attention and track them down. Citations are the glue that holds us all together.

Dr. Laura Heath-Stout is the queer archaeology person on my radar right now. You can check out her twitter, where she shares her work. She was just on a panel about LGBTQIA+ archaeology for pride month, and you might consider checking out her other panelists.

Best of luck,

-Reid

[almostawitch]

How do you fall back in love with life?

clean your room.  clean space, uncluttered space, space that doesn’t have miasma clinging to it can work wonders.  clean the dishes.  sweep.  take out the trash.  peel the clothes off the floor and wash them, and then actually fold/hang them.  take a long shower.  scrub behind your knees.  brush your teeth.  (this can be utterly exhausting, but try to get it done in a day, if you can.  the end result is worth it.)

pull out your notebook.  it doesn’t need to be a new notebook, but preferably one that you don’t usually write in, or that you haven’t touched in a while.  fuck moleskins.  the yellow legal pad will work fine.  sit in your room, or in the park, or in the library, and write a list.  count clouds.  describe all the colors that you see, and note patterns that arise.  sketch the cracks in the walls.  note the shape light makes when it enters a space.  talk about what the air tastes like, smells like.  what sounds are there?  even the white nose, break that down: air planes, fans, cicadas, anything.  remind yourself that you are sitting in the middle of a space brimming with detail.  remind yourself that you are not in nothingness and emptiness.  your world is fathomless.  it has potential.

drink cold water and try to eat something that isn’t processed.  it does not need to be fancy.  buy yourself an apple with the change between your couch cushions.  eat it outside.  if you’re someone who walks, walk somewhere afterwards, just to stretch your legs.  take your fucking meds.  remember that its a good thing that you are inside your body.  your body is a fantastic and endlessly intricate machine, and even though society has smacked a bunch of poisonous ideas on it, that doesn’t change its inherent worth and splendor.  take care of it.

read a novel.  underline your favorite lines, and write phrases that twist your heart inside your chest on the back of your hand with an ink pen.  read a novel like it’s poetry.  read poetry, something decadent but unpretentious.  watch a movie you haven’t seen before.  if there are free art galleries near you, walk through one.  take your time.  let yourself bask.  if there are patterns in what makes your soul ache, write those patterns down – marbles arches or soot crumbling bricks or dandelions or descriptions of dresses or whatever it is, write them down.

your chosen family is important.  remember, they picked you as much as you picked them.  the love has no obligation.  it is given freely and it is given from a place of compassion.  you are not a burden.  if you need to breathe, take a minute by yourself and just exist, but remember to go back to your people.  when they need you, listen and be gracious.  always be gracious.  the universe sometimes remembers things like that.

listen to new music.  link jump on youtube or related artist jump on spotify or ask the chap beside you in the cafe what their favorite band is, and listen to that.  listen to something that you don’t usually listen to.  we tend to tie up a lot of memory with music.  we are falling in love again.  the soundtrack needs to be specific to that.  

allow yourself to indulge in romantics.  press flowers in old books.  play movies with subtitles and mouth the words.  dance in your room.  wear something that makes you feel good, even if you wouldn’t wear it in public.  write your chosen family letters, even if you hand deliver them.  write poetry, even awful poetry.  revel in its awfulness.  eat dark chocolate and when your chosen family want to go out, try to go out with them sometimes, even if its just to the market.  

[almostawitch]

FOR SALE - 3 books, tarot deck with cloth and bag, and stones $20 + shipping I'm trying to declutter and these didn't particularly speak to me and my path so they need to go. Please DM me if you're interested!

[almostawitch]

heya im aware theres a few authors 2 avoid when it comes to gael/celtpol but i cant for the lfe of me remember them, could you tell me? or if youve already written it down somewher point me there? <3

Sure thing!

DJ Conway - magic stuff may be good, but her history is poop.

Edain McCoy - history is again poop and refuses to be corrected. An overall ass (made up the infamous Potato Goddess.)

Caitlin and John Matthews - are “meh” resources. If you’ve read other things, they aren’t terrible but they don’t differentiate between fact and UPG and barely differentiate between the different Celtic cultures. Avoid if you can

Robert Graves - the “original” problem… Robert Graves made up a bunch stuff about Celtic Mythology and the authors above just ran with it, despite it being false and despite it being disproven. 

So yeah! Those are the authors that immediately come to mind. 

Authors to instead go to:

Morgan Daimler

Lora O’Brien

Dáithí O hOgáin

And bunches of others but those are the three coming to mind right now. I also appreciate Morgan Daimler’s “resource” list they published for Irish Paganism. Check it out!

[almostawitch]

Hi, question about Celtic "Mythology" (the Tuatha and the fae mosty). I've recently been trying to learn a lot about it because I have Celtic blood (ik that's not important tho and it's not the main reason why) and I have felt kinda called to it I guess. I've always believed in magic sespite my monotheistic background, and I've always believed in multiple godlike entities, angels/demons/gods. However, I'm kinda called to chaos. I do not like organized religion. I wanted to know if Celtic

Part Two of Celtic Question I wanted to know if Celtic polytheism has like lots of rules or if the Tuatha Dé wouldn’t really care if I basically forged my own path? I just wanted to ask someone with experience before trying to form a relationship with any of them because I don’t want to offend the Tuatha Dé or the Fae Folk. Thanks so much for the help!            

Part Three of Celtic Question Just realized I was super vague, I was referring to mainly Irish Celtic. The entities I feel like I would get along with would be Na Morrígna, Brighid, Manannan Mac Lir, and maybe Airmid             

Irish polytheism has conventions, sure, but in all honesty we don’t have a whole lot of rules, which can be both freeing and frustrating.  We have a few ritual conventions, like not eating food offerings or taking back other offerings once they’re made, and we tend to give certain values (as we interpret the Irish understanding of them to be) priority, like hospitality and honor.  We also usually use a paradigm of the Three Realms of Land, Sea, and Sky instead of the four elements of Earth, Fire, Water, and Air.  (The Four Treasures are another alternative, but they map a little too conveniently to the four elements for my personal taste.)  But unlike traditions like Kemeticism and Hellenismos, we just have so little evidence telling us how the gods were worshiped, historically, and we don’t have an unbroken inheritance of tradition.

I can’t speak for the Tuatha Dé, either as a whole or as individuals, especially without knowing the details of what kind of path you want to forge in the first place, but the comparative lack of historical ‘how-to’ means we do have a lot of space for individual development.  That said, I think it’s valuable to understand what’s Victorian romanticism or modern neopagan invention versus older, native Irish in order to have a clearer understanding of where the gods are likely coming from. (Irish polytheism is especially vulnerable to Celtic romanticism.)  My recommendation is to take a look at what other Irish polytheists are doing, see what common trends show up in them, and decide if they’re the kind of thing that would work for you.  Personally (and YMMV) I think the things you can’t really avoid in one way or another include:

Hospitality.  This depends on your means, of course, because bankrupting yourself for guests’ luxury or emptying your wallet at every street corner doesn’t do anyone any good.  It can be as simple as offering your friend a glass of water when they come to visit or as grand as doing social activist work to make your community more welcoming.

Sovereignty.  This one is a little more contentious because of the implications of oppressive power, but it’s more usually defined in this context as an individual’s right to be personally empowered in balance with their spiritual and social communities.  While common across paths, it’s most prevalent in warrior-related ones.

Action.  We tend to put more emphasis on ‘walking the talk’ than ritual adherence, in my own experience.  For example, the people I know in person who worship one of na Morrígna are involved in social activism to some degree, according to their own needs and limitations.  This particular manifestation is not universal to Irish polytheism, however, and is a personal choice.

Local cultus.  The gods are tied closely into the Irish landscape and nothing happens without its location being named.  This is often translated into the real world as the polytheist building a relationship with their own land, Irish or otherwise, and getting to know the spirits, history, and cycles of their own location.  If you’re interested in getting to know your own fae, your own land spirits, this is important.

Right relationships.  This means being in mutually beneficial relationships with your humans, your gods, and your spirits - and your own sovereign self, too.

The degree to which you focus on any of these things may be different, especially if you walk specific paths like the warrior’s or perhaps a poetic one like filidecht, but these are the things I see come up most often with myself, other Irish polytheists, and in the mythology (which, it should be said, aren’t coming to us from polytheistic writers, unfortunately).  I think these values translate well not just into other traditions but also the secular world, too, since they basically boil down to, “Don’t be an asshole to yourself or others unless someone deserves it, and also finding a purpose for yourself is psychologically healthy, even if it’s just making sure your pants get washed every so often.”  That balanced pragmatism is one of the things that has kept me in this faith tradition as long as it has, in all honesty.

The relationship between the TuathaDé and the good folk is complicated for Irish polytheists, I think.  I see them as separate, whatever the later medieval sources would have us believe, but I know others who feel differently (a friend, during her ‘I want nothing to do with the gods’ phase, once had one of the gods show up in the guise of a plant spirit), so I encourage you to explore those similarities and differences for yourself if you haven’t already.

Here are the PSG’s tags for the Morrígan (also a catch-all tag for all the Queens), Brighid, Manannán Mac Lir, and Airmid, which should have additional links you may find useful for them.  Here’s the tag for Irish polytheism and our resource backup doc, which has further information for various traditions.  I have my own tags for the Morrígan (plus a page of resources), Brighid, Manannán Mac Lir, and Irish polytheism in general.

- mountain hound

[almostawitch]

The planet can support billions but not billionaires.

[almostawitch]

[almostawitch]

Link to free e-book The End of Policing by Alex S. Vitale

[almostawitch]

All About Divination

Thank you for your trust in my guidance. But I have already answered many of your divination questions. Please refer to this list and explore as you wish.

Scrying 101

Runecasting 101

Phyllomancy 101

Oneiromancy 101

Charmcasting 101

Cartomancy 101

Recommended Decks (with links to photos)

How many decks should you have?

Lenormand 101

How to Read with Lenormand

Answering Yes or No with Lenormand

How to Predict Timing with Lenormand

How Lenormand Interacts with Tarot

The Twin Cards in Lenormand and Tarot

Lenormand Cards as Feelings and Thoughts

Tarot + Oracle + Lenormand Spreads

Extra Man and Woman Lenormand Cards

The 12-Step Lenormand Grand Tableau

Tarot 101

How to Truly Master Tarot

How Tarot Readings Really Work

Recommended Books

Tarot Meanings

What It Means to Keep Seeing the Same Suit

What It Means to Keep Seeing the Same Number

What It Means to Keep Seeing the Same Card

What It Means to Get Contradictory Cards

What Tarot’s Colors Say About Your Future

The Major Arcana as People

How to Read “Good” Cards as “Bad”

How to Tell Physical Appearance

How to Determine Locations

How to Read Pentacles for Love

How to Decide Which Meaning to Use

How Context Dictates Meaning

The Soulmate Cards

The Forever Alone Cards

The Polar Opposite Cards

The Major and Minor Twins

The “Bad” Cards as Advice

The Cards as Yes or No

The Cards as Someone’s Feelings

The Cards as Advice vs. Outcome

The Court Cards as Thoughts or Intentions

Tarot’s Extreme Meanings

Tarot’s Twins in Lenormand

Literal Card Meanings

Career and Finances Meanings

Meanings for Timing

When Reversed is Better than Upright

The Kings in Real Life

The Queens in Real Life

How the Men in Tarot Will Treat You

The Court Cards and Gender

Physical Attractiveness of the Court Cards

The Real Deal with Tarot’s Pages

The Knights in Fiction

The Queen of Cups in Fiction

The Best Couples in Tarot

The Emperor’s Love Compatibility

Christian Symbology in Tarot

Tarot and Sexual Behavior

True Love Combinations

Old-time Tarot Meanings

The Past and Future Cards in Tarot

Tarot Meanings for Different Decks

Why We Read Tarot Symbolically

How to Read Reversals

Tarot Combinations for Health Issues

Tarot Combinations for Mental Illness

Tarot and Astrology

The Kinds of Wedding in Tarot

The Hierophant is Forever

The Lovers is Not About Choices

The Hermit in Love

The Spokes of the Wheel of Fortune

The Tower’s Duality

The Moon is Not Your Friend

The Star is the Trickiest Card in Tarot

The World is Overrated

The Greco-Roman Gods in Tarot

My Favorite Card and My Least Favorite

The Three Most Misunderstood Tarot Cards

The Three Best Cards in Tarot

The 12 Most Underwhelming Tarot Cards

Tarot Spreads

Past Life Spread

Life Purpose Spread

General Life Prediction Spread

Soulmate Spread

Sex Life Spread

Future Children Spread

Death Prediction Spread

Dream Interpretation Spread

High Priestess Spread (For Quick Predictions)

True Colors Spread (For Questions of Intentions)

Two Paths Spread (For Making a Difficult Decision)

Combined Spreads (Tarot, Oracle, Lenormand)

Ancestors Spread (For Speaking with the Dead)

When Spread (Timing with the Celtic Cross)

Major Arcana Grand Tableau (Yearly Reading Spread)

The What If Spread

The Three Wishes Tarot Spread

The Storyboard Tarot Spread

Using Tarot to Find Your True Gods

How to Perform the Celtic Cross Spread

Tarot Tips

How to Achieve Truthful Tarot Readings

How to Be the Best Tarot Reader You Can Be

Never Pull Clarifiers

Never Use Significators

Never Hold Back Truths

Never Read for Someone You Dislike

The Perfect Deck for Everyone

Reasons to Have Multiple Tarot Decks

Where to Buy Tarot Cloths

Do Not Worry About Mercury Retrograde

How to Enchant Your Tarot Decks

How to Use Tarot to Protect Someone

How to Use Tarot to Control Another Soul

How to Use Tarot for Vengeance

How to Predict Sports Matches with Tarot

How a Tarot Reader Influences Readings

What to Do with Rogue Tarot Cards

You are Not Cursed

The Importance of Reading Reversals

The Language of Tarot

Tarot Needs All of its Cards

Who to Invoke During a Reading

How to Stay Safe During a Reading

Do Not Confuse Honesty with Hate

On Using Playing Cards Instead

The Right and Wrong Ways of Mixing Decks

How to Close a Tarot Reading

Tarot Etiquette

Formally introduce yourself

Use it often

Acknowledge the card that it assigns to you

Respect its identity

Do not cleanse it

Never ask it the same question twice

When You Can Ask the Same Question Again

Do not ask it basic questions

Do not use it for spying

Never dismiss its predictions

Never use another deck to confirm its answers

Read with it when you are emotional

Do not talk about it negatively

Do not blame it for your own mistakes

Do not pull away from it

Do not think of it as evil

Do not anger it

Deal your cards the right way

Shuffle your cards correctly

Respect tradition

Practice etiquette, conduct and decorum

Tarot is easily offended

On Charging Your Tarot Decks

On Modifying Your Tarot Decks

On Not Using the Whole Deck

Pirated Decks Also Deserve Respect

How to Store Tarot Decks

How to Greet and Thank Your Tarot Deck

Keep your tinctures away from it

Spend time with it

Never discard it

Use a cloth with it

Trust it

Sibilla 101

Sibilla Starter Kit

How to Predict Timing with Sibilla

Oracle Cards 101

How Oracle Cards Complement Tarot

Tarot + Oracle + Lenormand Spreads

Other Divination Systems

Alternatives to Tarot

How to Really Learn Palmistry

[almostawitch]

everyone’s conflicted by whether to have the dark academia or cottage core aesthetic when you can just go for both.

study with dimly lit candles in your cosy little cottage filled with hardback books. write handwritten letters and have plants all over the place. make herbal tea with the ingredients you got out of your own little garden. make some walks through the forests in black turtlenecks whilst adoring the creatures that cross your path

[almostawitch]

📝Origami Altar Decorations📝

I’m a hellenic polytheist as many of my followers know, and a lot of the time finding things to put on an altar for deities is really hard to do, especially if money is tight, but more so when you feel like you should have some form of actual representation of their symbols but don’t have access to them due to money reasons or otherwise. I realized I could do one thing. and a lot of people had very similar things. Paper and Paint.

You’ll understand why I’m saying paint, but here’s a reason why, Colored paper is expensive, paints you can mix to make other colors and stuff and it’s just cheaper than anything, plus you can paint on some cool designs to the paper you’re using! In this post, I’ll include some origami ideas for a few deities, not a lot but a few, I’m not too familiar with a lot of them but still! Just some fun Ideas! Let’s get started!

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What is Origami?

Origami is a Japanese paper folding art to make flowers, animals and inanimate objects with paper and paper alone. Usually, you only need a single sheet or strip of paper. If I’m wrong or if there’s a better way to explain please let me know and I’ll gladly adjust this!

How can you use it in Worship/Witchcraft?

Well, if you struggle with say, buying certain tools like bowls, statues, or just simple decorations you want to add to your altar, then origami is very helpful! Say you want to make an altar for Artemis. But you can’t afford to buy a few things for it. Say you want something to symbolism her, be it her animals or plants, use origami to help you! You can make deers, wolves, dogs, foxes, and any other wood animal creature there is! I’m also 90% certain you can make an origami bow and arrow for her as well as little stars! This is actually really helpful!

Why Do You Use Paint?

The most accessible kind of paper is going to either be paper from printers or journals. Hence why Paint is easiest to use, especially if you want your little origami pieces to be a specific color! If you can afford to get different colored papers then go for it! It’s all up to you and what is easiest for you.

What do you do for the Gods you Worship?

Well as I recently discovered this, I haven’t done much but I did find videos of what I want to do for the Gods I worship the most! I’m also adding a few I don’t

Hades= Roses, Lilies, Bats, Skulls, Owls

Persephone= Any Flower, Bats, Skulls

Artemis= Deer, Wolves, Flowers, Stars, Moons, Bow and Arrow

Apollo= Suns, Instruments, Sunflowers, Turtles, Dolphins, Bow and Arrows

Dionysus= Leopards, Pinecones, Vines with Leaves, Grapes

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Essentially there are many kinds of things you can make with origami for your deities and I know it’s not limited to Greek deities. Get creative and do some research!! And more importantly, have fun!!!

Sincerely,

The Sleepy Witch

Created: 5.6.2019

Posted: 8.12.2019

**Compiled from my personal Grimoire and Research**

DO NOT REPOST. Reblogging is allowed.

[almostawitch]

if we could all stop pretending we are whole, and instead embrace our constant becoming…

[almostawitch]

Y’all matter so much

I just wanted to let you all know that even in your lowest moments, there’s someone who cares. I found out yesterday that my 16 year old cousin committed suicide. We didn’t have much of a relationship, I don’t even remember the last time we talked, but that doesn’t mean I don’t feel her loss. 

If you can’t think of anyone who cares, there is at least someone supporting you from afar. If you are that person from afar, tell people you love them.