earthbased

[earthbased]

When you're a kid you just take trees for granted. Then when you get to be an adult you realize that a fully mature tree cannot be created in an amount of time that fits in a convenient landscaping timeframe for love nor money nor all the powers of science. Then you realize that people are very very very cavalier about chopping them down

[earthbased]

The conversation surrounding cultural appropriation has been so severely mutilated by white “allies” that the original intention behind that conversation has become almost unrecognizable in most social contexts.

[earthbased]

Czech Folk Necklace

An Instagram account (the lovely Anežka @kolu_roku) that I follow recently put up a video (link below) on how to make a clove and bead necklace that she wore with one of her folk costumes for a recent reenactment at Muzeum lidových staveb. I also saw one on the čáry a črty account that was strung differently.

With a couple extra directions from her as the video was in Czech (soak the cloves overnight), I made one! I’m so very pleased with how it turned out.

It is so similar to one that I found online from the first half of the nineteenth century when my family had yet to immigrate.

I didn’t want to spend any extra money so I recycled some antique beads from a broken necklace that belonged to my husband’s grandmother, and decided to do a central bead using a polished stone from a bracelet my husband gave me when we were dating that had also broken.

I found a necklace that was the same size that I wanted this one to be and arranged the beads and cloves how I wanted them prior to stringing it.

Here is how I started the necklace:

When I got half way done I measured it against the other necklace to make sure the length seemed right.

To finish it I used a clasp from an inexpensive old necklace that I never wear. It turned out so pretty and the cloves were so easy to work with.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Anežka 👱🏻‍♀️ (@kolo_roku)

I also found a rosary made with cloves and allspice!!

[earthbased]

yeah yeah fire-based characters are destructive and angry and violent and evil blah blah blah BORING overdone. more fire as a lifegiver. warm and comforting. fire-based characters as guides lighting the way. personal heater in the cold and dark but don’t sleep too close or you’ll wake up with heat rash. fire sterilizes and cauterizes!! more fire-based healers. plants perking up and flowers turning towards them and they attract moths. fire-based characters who are hearths instead of wildfires!! the core of a home the pillar of a community the key to societal advancement. give them an internal flame that visibly glows and flickers instead of a heart that beats. extinguish that light when they die. etc

[earthbased]

Me when I’m eating and savoring good food: “Thank you, Andes. Thank you, cloud forest of the high Andes, perpetually shrouded in mist. Thank you, dense tropical rainforest of the upper Amazon along the rugged eastern slopes of the Andes. Thank you, globally-rare Mediterranean-climate chaparral biome of the western slopes of the Andes and your strange desert plants and fog oases. Thank you, western slope of the Andes, for the globally-rare temperate rainforest biome of the Valdivian fjords. Thank you, Andes, for supplying the headwaters of the rivers of the Gran Chaco and Patagonia. Thank you to the dazzling and unparalleled biodiversity of the tropical Andes, where glaciers exist at the planet’s equator, and creatures of both alpine ice and tropical heat can live alongside each other. Thank you, orographic precipitation of the western Andes, for providing some of the highest rainfall rates in the world, which feeds the Choco-Darien bioregion’s rainforest isolated on the Pacific coast. Thank you for the altiplano of the Andes. Thank you for the altitudinal zonation of the Andean slopes, and the ecological diversity at varying elevations that this zonation nourishes. Thank you for the Titicaca water frog. Thank you for the kodkod. Thank you for the incredible number of endemic species in the Andes and the dozens of unique species  of hummingbirds. Thank you to Andean condors, the spectacled bear, the mountain tapir, guanaco, vicuna, and the Andean mountain cat. Thank you to the people of the Andes. Thank you, Andean people, for cultivating this food over millennia. Thank you, Andean people, for all the joy brought to my life because of your effort and care. Thank you, Andes and Andean people, for chocolate, peanuts, tomato, quinoa, cashews, and over 4,000 distinct varieties of potatoes.”

[earthbased]

Antique Czech Glass Charms

(c. 1890s-1930s)

[earthbased]

About "Twin Flames"

If you scroll through the witchcraft, tarot, or divination tags with any sort of regularity, you are bound to come across the mention of Twin Flames - and you may be thinking, “oh, this is just another flaky term for soulmates”. You’re partially right, but it’s also a cult. The Harmonious Twin Flames Universe is a cult that was created by Jeff Divine (formerly known at one point as Ender Ayanethos) and his wife, Shaleia.

Much like Scientology, HTFU aims to take your money by exploiting your weaknesses - specifically, a desire to love and be loved by a soulmate. HTFU relies on similar cult models as L. Ron Hubbard’s Scientology and Keith Raniere’s NXIVM; combining new age concepts with religious belief, as well as multi-level marketing and wellness. Twin Flames recruiters often use YouTube or other social media platforms, offering divination readings using numerology, tarot, angel numbers, etc., to essentially cold read a new recruit and get them interested in the HTFU.

One of the main features in the HTFU is the use of the “mirror exercise” which aims to take any event that left the participant feeling sad or unhappy and re-frame it in a way that places the blame directly on them. It is specifically designed to adjust someone’s thoughts and keep them within the cult, and rapidly becoming more dependent upon it.

How:

By offering courses for “ascension” and instruction on how to “clear blockages”. Participants pay for these classes and begin a cycle of instruction which frames every bad thing in their life as being their fault; and that they must continue to pay for further teachings to remove these spiritual blockages which prevent them from ascending to their more divine self - which will make them deserving of their own perfect Twin Flame.

Additionally, because the HTFU demographic is a majority of women, former members of the cult have stated that the leaders and the readers will attempt to even out this imbalance by informing cishet women that they are actually the embodiment of the divine masculine in their Twin Flame relationship. The gaslighting is real, y’all.

Former members have cited abusive behavior amongst the leaders and inner circle members; this information can be found in books, podcasts, news articles, and documentaries that have been created about the HTFU over the last few years. The point of the cult is to create a vicious cycle of emotional abuse that keeps its victims dependent on expensive classes that give nonsense answers and shift blame back onto the victim, which then keeps them coming back for more.

Why it’s Important:

Current spiritual and witchcraft communities can use similar language - a repetition of jargon and buzzwords that shut down critical thinking. No, witchcraft as it currently stands, does not have a specific cult that I can tell you to watch out for; but it is important to familiarize yourself with the language so that you know what to look for. Influencers can be dangerous; people who put themselves in a position of authority, promising things such as:

-Online attunements, alignments, or initiations. You know how reiki has attunements and you have to pay for them in order to level up your reiki skills? Yeah. That’s because reiki is a holdover from a cult too. The internet has made it so much easier to work these kinds of grifts as well - because everything can be done online, over zoom or a voice call; and well, sometimes it “doesn’t take” and you have to get the ritual done again…for a fee, of course. But hey, maybe you’ll get a discount if the first one didn’t work!

-Things that build dependence such as the promise of exclusive mentoring, healing sessions, guidance and ritual. In and of themselves these are not necessarily a red flag, but it’s how the person behaves, how they attempt to steer a customer’s mind that makes the difference. Do they try to keep you coming back for more? Do they tell you that you are under some kind of attack? Do they make you feel special or chosen?

-Perpetuating an Us versus Them mentality that is both hostile and isolating. A charismatic leader will also portray themselves as a victim of unfair persecution; and with this they look to get you on their side, make you isolate yourself going to extreme lengths to defend and protect them - after all, you may be “the only one they can trust”.

There can also be specific focuses on things like the law of attraction, spiritual hygiene, and paid-for purification rituals to clear your miasma or put you in tune with your higher self/guardian angel/guiding spirits/etc. These practices can be extremely exploitative; not just taking a customer’s money, but also creating a mentality of blame - if things are still going wrong, they feel as though they haven’t been purified enough or they’re not “clean enough” to reach their guardian angel/attunement/higher self/whatever. Additionally, the fear of things like spiritual or psychic attacks, psychic vampirism, or spiritual parasites cultivates this feeling of dependence upon a person who appears to be wise and powerful that can “save” or "protect" the victim.

The capitalism and the consumerism of the current witchcraft community is literally setting us up for a cult. The substantial increase in influencers working to monetize their craft by selling expensive services and classes is already a very good entry point for someone who wants to take things further and create a very dependent, very parasocial, very exploitative relationship with a group of loyal followers.

[earthbased]

Apropos nothing 👀

[earthbased]

So, I'm (seasonally) working my way through Ronald Hutton's Stations of the Sun (1996), and in the discussion on Candlemas (ch. 13) we have the following (discussing the spread of the festival):

Its success was clearly not due merely to its exposition of an important point of scripture, but to the manner in which it fulfilled profound seasonal needs. The Roman word februa, which gave the month its name, signified purification, and the ceremonies of the pagan Roman February had mostly been rites of cleansing, in preparation for a fresh start to many activities in the coming spring.2 A Christian feast of purification therefore fitted into a long tradition. There was, however, apparently nothing in the ancient Roman February rites which prefigured the Christian ceremony of kindling candles, an action which seems to have been directly suggested by the words attributed to old Simeon in the gospel. This point matters because some Protestant writers at the time of the Reformation tried to defame the medieval ritual by declaring that it had been taken directly from a pagan Roman festival of lights upon the same date,3 an assertion occasionally repeated by later folklorists.

... Are the "Christianity stole all their holidays from pagans!" crowd literally just regurgitating 500yo Protestant talking points?!?

[earthbased]

In relating the stories of ancient European potato goddess and sloppy cornbread goddess mishaps to Ian B the phrase “tumblr goddess” leaked from my lips. 

So, ya. I’m sure that exists now.

[earthbased]

For #MosaicMonday + #NationalMothWeek:

House mosaics with nocturnal moth designs, 1230 Canavesegasse 6-8 Stg 5 & 6, Vienna, Austria. c. 1950.

[earthbased]

i like how we only know many cultures from what they buried underground. its an inversion, all the things that were in the light of day are lost to history, only the hidden things are known to us. especially when the burying is assumed to be a way to send things to the gods, or the next world. because…here it is! not among the gods. but in the next world, of a sort.

[earthbased]

theyre in a polycule

[earthbased]

"I don't believe Tarot is real, but it does work"

Expand on that, king (genuinely curious)

I feel like…

okay, so it’s a lot like conceptual art, or like introspective meditation, at the risk of sounding pretentious

Like. It’s not so much about “the cards are a portal to a higher wisdom that knows more than me” thing- it’s more of a, “given the symbols drawn, could I interpret them posing a question or possibility or suggestion?” Followed by, “is this applicable to my current context? COULD it be?”

Like.

I don’t lay out á tarot hand and say “ah yes, the devil and the tower, I am about to be betrayed”

But I MAY lay out a hand and say, “okay, devil and the tower. Something treacherous and danger. Am I approaching a treacherous or risky situation in my life? What might be a tipping factor? Am I being deliberately reckless? Maybe I should spend some more time working on X project I’ e been thinking of before spending money on it” or “you know what, I HAVE been kind of uncomfortable with X thing, I should say something” or “yeah okay I KNOW Tom from work sucks to work with, I KNOW, yeah maybe I should consider ways of handling that”

Less of a magic oracle, more of a tool for doing literary analysis on real life. Like simplifying everything and laying it out flat so I can gain some distance to untangle my problems without in-your-head crap like projected feelings and social obligation getting in the way and muddying the waters.

So like. I don’t think tarot cards can legit tell the future, but I DO think that self-reflection, mindfulness, and consideration sometimes allow us to predict and calculate our own circumstances.

So, IMO- It’s not real. But it works

If that makes sense

[earthbased]

I really wish we'd openly do it without the causality. Like just pick whichever ones (from the whole 12 not just your chart) resonate with you and identify with them, and if that changes over your life as your sense of self changes then great! That's something to discuss over queer brunch!

And they're all basic personality traits that exist to some degree in all of us. so we can have a workshop or a sharing circle or whatever and discuss how (for example) Aquarius energy manifests in each of us. (in what scenarios do you personally relate to this sign? How do you deal with people who outwardly seem to have this personality when you interact with them?)

If you have one clear favourite then maybe people will buy you gifts with that sign on it, same as if you have a favourite animal that you chose - it wasn't assigned to you! Or maybe you aren't into merch at all, whatever.

Like, it's basically just a shared pile of pop culture with a basis in mythology and some fun aesthetics. We should do fandom about it, is what I'm saying, but like in a local & casual way.

Or just be like "I'm so in my Leo era" to a coworker because it's how you're feeling, not because of a certain interpretation how the planets are angled at the moment.

It's a pop-cultural touchstone and it works without the magical beliefs.

it does still make me insane specifically how many queer people lovingly embrace astrology. I went to a poetry workshop yesterday that was genuinely quite good but also included an option to disclose astrology designations during introductions and so many people broke out some variation of "I'm a [x] sum but I have a [y] placement and it SHOWS" girl no it doesn't. that's meaningless correlation you completely invented the causation

[earthbased]

sold

it turned out so beautifully 🥹

and the plum blossoms show which way the lid fits 🌸

[earthbased]

he was so real for this. i really must