#stephen rankin

[paisleyphotographs]

Police Appeal to Trace Missing Johnstone Man

Stephen was last seen in the Springfield Park, Johnstone area around

Police are appealing for help to trace Stephen Rankin, 53, reported missing from Johnstone, Renfrewshire. Stephen was last seen in the Springfield Park, Johnstone area around 1400 hours on 28/02/2024. He is described as being 5 feet 10 inches, receding brown hair which is mostly bald on top. When last seen, they were wearing a grey zipped hooded jumper with blue jeans.  Anyone with information…

[ruinedholograms]

Björk | Radiohead (1998)

[outlander-online]

Throwback to episode 4x12 of Outlander

📸: Our screencap gallery

[avlly]

[henrykathman]

The Miraculous Horror of Stop Motion

From the same artform that brought you Coraline and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, comes three stories that evoke the existential fear of art.

Original Music by Molly Noise

Bibliography below

Atrocity Guide. “The Animators Who’ve Spent 40 Years on a Single Film.” YouTube, 9 Oct. 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=73hip3pz0Xs&pp=ygUMdGhlIG92ZXJjb2F0. Accessed 19 June 2024.

Brubaker, Charles. “The Japanese Studios of Rankin/Bass.” Cartoon Research, Jerry Beck, 14 Apr. 2014, cartoonresearch.com/index.php/the-japanese-studios-of-rankinbass/.

Bute, Paris. “Introduction to “a Rankin/Bass Retrospective from a New Perspective.”” Citizen Jane, Stephens College, 19 Nov. 2021, www.citizenjane.org/home/cwwicd2ucb2fvs64kgfaocfykjhaum. Accessed 19 June 2024.

Crome, Althea. “Coraline.” Althea Crome | Micro Knitter, 2012, www.altheacrome.com/coraline. Accessed 19 June 2024.

Harold Halibut. Directed by Onat Hekimoğlu, Slow Bros., 16 Apr. 2024.

Hekimoglu, Onat, and Gabriel Schmitz. “Unite Berlin 2018 - Harold Halibut and Making a Stop Motion Game.” Unity, YouTube, 6 Aug. 2018, youtu.be/9usssSQc0wQ. Accessed 6 May 2023.

Jon "Sikamikanico" Clarke. “The Making of Harold Halibut.” XboxEra, YouTube, 21 Mar. 2024, youtu.be/WMyxM9t3o7A. Accessed 19 June 2024.

LAIKA Studios. “Sweater and Gloves: Knitting Coraline by Hand.” YouTube, 11 July 2017, youtu.be/zUvkfcGR-7U. Accessed 19 June 2024.

Mad God Productions. “Phil Tippett’s “Mad God.”” Kickstarter, 17 May 2012, www.kickstarter.com/projects/madgod/phil-tippetts-mad-god/posts.

Olson, Mathew. “Report: Michel Ancel Accused of Abusive, Disruptive Practices on beyond Good & Evil 2.” VG247, 25 Sept. 2020, www.vg247.com/report-michel-ancel-accused-of-abusive-disruptive-practices-on-beyond-good-evil-2. Accessed 19 June 2024.

Ono, Kosei. “Tadahito Mochinaga: The Japanese Animator Who Lived in Two Worlds.” Animation World Network, AWN, Inc, 1 Dec. 1999, www.awn.com/animationworld/tadahito-mochinaga-japanese-animator-who-lived-two-worlds.

Orland, Kyle. “Claptrap Voice Actor Accuses Gearbox CEO of Assault, Underpayment.” Ars Technica, 7 May 2019, arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/05/claptrap-voice-actor-accuses-gearbox-ceo-of-assault-underpayment/. Accessed 19 June 2024.

Pilling, Jayne. A Reader In Animation Studies. Indiana University Press, 1998. Project MUSE muse.jhu.edu/book/40033.

Prehistoric Beast. Directed by Phil Tippett, Tippett Studios, 1984. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlaXIRTjNfo

Randles, Jonathan. “VFX Studio with Star Wars, Jurassic Park Credits Goes Bankrupt.” Bloomberg Law, 1 May 2024, news.bloomberglaw.com/bankruptcy-law/vfx-studio-with-star-wars-jurassic-park-credits-goes-bankrupt. Accessed 19 June 2024.

Shanley, Patrick. “Gearbox Software CEO Accused of Contempt in Latest Filing.” The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Aug. 2019, www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/gearbox-software-ceo-accused-contempt-latest-filing-1235064/. Accessed 19 June 2024.

The Making of “Jurassic Park.” Directed by John Schultz, Amblin Entertainment, 1995. https://youtu.be/8r01mk6F_Pk

The Making of Mad God. Directed by Maya Tippett, Shudder, 2021. https://youtu.be/sfUOHh0xmwc

The Tale of the Fox. Directed by Irene Starewicz and Ladislas Starevich, UFA GmbH, 10 Apr. 1941. https://youtu.be/Us_Pn6Q1dBQ

Wikipedia contributors. "List of films with longest production time." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 12 Jun. 2024. Web. 19 Jun. 2024.

Wikipedia contributors. "List of media notable for being in development hell." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 19 Jun. 2024. Web. 19 Jun. 2024.

Wikipedia contributors. "List of Rankin/Bass Productions films." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 9 Jun. 2024. Web. 19 Jun. 2024.

Wikipedia contributors. "Tadahito Mochinaga." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 28 Nov. 2023. Web. 19 Jun. 2024.

Wilson, Josh. “Phil Tippett: 24 Frames per Second < the Fabulist Words & Art.” The Fabulist Words & Art, 5 Nov. 2021, fabulistmagazine.com/24-frames-per-second-the-phil-tippett-interview/.

Worse than the Demon. Directed by Maya Tippett, Shudder, 2013. https://youtu.be/ghKqvDNRe4c

[lucidloving]

Christa Wolf, Cassandra: A Novel & Four Essays (tr. Jan van Heurck) // Camille Rankine, "Emergency Management" // Gwen Benaway, "Holy Wild" // @inanotherunivrse // Tracy Chevalier, "Girl with a Pearl Earring" // Stephen Dunn, "The Waiting" // @deadbyinsidee // Sue Zhao

[maxanor]

GAYLE RANKIN on The Late Night Show with Stephen Colbert

[princesssarisa]

This… out of curiosity

Do you know the different meanings of the name of Cinderella's Stepsisters?

Charles Perrault's Cendrillon

Javotte: A nickname for Geneviève, which means "of the race of woman," "woman of the family," or "white wave."

(Perrault only reveals the older stepsister's name in one scene, not the younger one's.)

Rossini's opera La Cenerentola

Clorinda: “Youthful” or “greenery.”

Tisbe: Unknown; it’s a name from Greek mythology.

Massenet's opera Cendrillon

Noémie: “Pleasantness.”

Dorothée: “Gift from God.”

The 1947 Russian film

Anna: “Grace” or “favor.”

Marianna: A cross between Mary, meaning “bitter,” “drop of the sea,” or “beloved,” and Anna (see above).

The Let's Pretend radio adaptation

Flora: “Flower.”

Isabella: A form of Elizabeth, meaning “My God is an oath.”

The Disney version, animated and live action

Anastasia: “Resurrection.”

Drizella: Probably a variant of Drusilla, meaning “little strong one.”

The 1955 film The Glass Slipper

Birdena: “Little bird.”

Serafina: “Fiery one.”

The 1957 version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical

Portia: “Pig.”

Joy: Self-evident.

The 1965 version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical

Prunella: “Little plum.”

Esmeralda: “Emerald.”

The Muppets' Hey, Cinderella!

Mona: “My lady.”

Lisa: Derived from Elizabeth, meaning “my God is an oath.”

Rankin/Bass's Festival of Family Classics

Fatima: “To abstain” (though it serves as a play on “fat,” because she is fat)

Leania: Probably derived from Helen, meaning “light” (though it serves as a play on “lean” because she’s scrawny)

The 1969 Czech film

Katerina: “Far off” or “pure.”

Dorota: "Gift from God."

The 1973 Czech film Three Wishes for Cinderella

Dora: “Gift.”

The 1976 film The Slipper and the Rose

Isobella: “My God is an oath” (see above).

Palatine: “Of the palace.”

The 1978 African-American adaptation Cindy

Olive: "Olive," of course.

Venus: "Love."

The Faerie Tale Theatre adaptation

Arlene: “Honor” or “eagle.”

Bertha: “Bright.”

The Grimm's Faerie Tale Classics adaptation (English dub)

Phoebe: “Bright.”

Griselda: “Gray battle.”

Stephen Sondheim's musical Into the Woods

Florinda: "Flower."

Lucinda: "Light."

The Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child adaptation

Margarita: “Pearl” or “daisy flower.”

Esmeralda: “Emerald” (see above).

The musical A Tale of Cinderella

Moltovoce: “Much voice.”

Seppia: “Squid.”

The 1996 Burbank Animation version

Nellie: A nickname for Ellen or Helen, meaning “torch” or “light.”

Melba: Derived from Melbourne, Australia. Melbourne means “mill stream.”

(Their names are inspired by the famous Australian opera singer Nellie Melba, whose birth name was Helen Mitchell and who took her stage name from her home city of Melbourne.)

The anime series Cinderella Monogatari

Catherine: “Far off” or “pure.”

Jeanne: “God is gracious.”

The 1997 version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical

Minerva: “Intellect.”

Calliope: “Beautiful voice.”

The 1998 film Ever After: A Cinderella Story

Marguerite: “Pearl” or “daisy flower.”

Jacqueline: “Heel-grabber” or “supplanter."

Gregory Maguire's novel Confession of an Ugly Stepsister

Iris: "Rainbow" or "iris flower."

Ruth: "Friend."

Margaret Peterson Haddix's novel Just Ella

Griselda: "Gray battle" (see above).

Corimunde: Possibly a variant of "Clarimond," meaning "shining defender."

The Shrek franchise

Doris: "Dorian woman."

Mabel: "Lovable."

The 2000 stage version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical

Grace: Self-evident.

Joy: Self-evident (see above).

The 2000 British TV film

Goneril: Unknown meaning.

Regan: "Little ruler" or "king's child."

(In case anyone didn't know it, their names are taken from the evil sisters in Shakespeare's King Lear.)

The Simsala Grimm adaptation

Agatha: “Good.”

Beatrice: "One who blesses.”

The novel and film Ella Enchanted

Hattie: A nickname for Harriet, meaning “home ruler.”

Olive: Self-evident (see above).

The 2004 film A Cinderella Story

Brianna: "High" or "noble."

Gabriella: "God is my strength."

Malinda Lo's novel Ash

Ana: "Grace" or "favor" (see above).

Clara: "Clear" or "bright.

The 2010 Märchenperlen adaptation

Clothilde: “Glorious battle.”

The 2011 Sechs auf einen Streich adaptation

Annabella: "Grace and beauty."

The 2013 stage version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical

Gabrielle: “God is my strength” (see above).

Charlotte: “Free woman.”

Alma Deutscher's opera

Griselda: “Gray battle” (see above).

Zibaldona: Possibly derived from Zebada, which is derived from Zebadiah, meaning “God has bestowed.”

Betsy Cornwell's novel Mechanica

Piety: Self-evident.

Chastity: Self-evident.

Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Bad Cinderella

Adéle: “Noble.”

Marie: “Bitter,” “drop of the sea,” or “beloved.”

The 2021 Sony/Amazon film

Narissa: “Sea nymph.”

Malvolia: “Ill will.”

[prettyebonylux]

YouTuber’s I'm Taking Into 2024:

Adama Lorna {self-development, finances, self-care}

Afrifitness {dance, workout, exercise}

Alexa Raya {books, book reviews}

Aliyiahsface {beauty, vlogs, fashion}

Amani Rakeia {vlogging, self-care}

Andrea Renee {haul, self-care}

Anne Renns World {beauty, wig tutorials}

Annika {self-care, vlogs, faith}

Ashley Plays {sims 4, gameplay, entertainment}

Ashley Sinari {luxury, self-care, beauty, vlogs}

Ashleysayque {fitness, weight loss journey}

Athina {vlogs, beauty, wellness}

Atozy {commentary}

Ayesha Noelle | Affirmations {Affirmation}

BeautifulBrwnBabyDol {self-care, self-development,fitness, beauty}

Black Women Making Money {finance, self-development}

Breanna Anastasia {beauty, fashion, vlogs}

Brick Science {legos, creativity, entertainment}

Brown Skin Gurls {tech, self-development}

Buns {sims 4, gameplay, entertainment}

Chrissie {commentary, pro-bw}

Classical Ballet and Opera House {ballet, opera, entertainment}

Cocoa Styling - For Dark Skin Women {fashion, color theory}

Conceptually Yours {jazz music, vintage music}

Cooking with Tammy {cooking, baking}

Creatively Designed Presents {pro-bw, entertainment}

Daisy Keech {exercise, health}

De’arra Taylor {vlogs, entertainment}

DIDI DA DON {commentary}

Doing Life Alone Diaries {self-development, self-care}

Dr.Alexis Stephen’s {self-care, skin care tips}

Dr Cheries Types {commentary, entertainment}

Elicia Goguenard {leveling up, self-development, self-care}

EmilyOandbows {vlogs, fashion, travel}

Enny {vlogs, beauty, lifestyles}

Eugenia Berg {commentary, pro-bw}

Eva Rose Rankin {beauty}

Fatima Bah {vlogs, self care, beauty}

FBK1976 {fashion}

Forbes {wealth-building, education, finance}

Frank Automotive {cars}

GreenBeauty {hair care}

Growwithjo {health, exercise}

Hailey Gamba {leveling up, self-care, self-development}

Hannah Adkins {vlogs}

Heidi Priebe {self-development, healing advice}

Iconicallyiconic {commentary, fashion}

Icyaffect {entertainment}

Isawelly {health, pilates, exercise}

Island Vibes Cooking {cooking, baking}

Jackie Aina {lifestyle, beauty, fashion}

JadeWadey 180 {skincare, wellness}

James Turner {sims 4, gameplay}

Jami ThatsMe {commentary, entertainment}

Jamila Musayeva {etiquette, self-development}

Jaz Turner {beauty, level-up}

Jennifer Cynthia {asmr}

Kaice Alea {natural hair, self-care, beauty, vlogs}

Kameron Monet {lifestyle, vlog}

Kelly Stamps {entertainment}

Khalilah D. {books, book reviews}

Kirah Ominique {vlogs, beauty, fashion}

Klassically Kept {hair-care, fashion}

KMA Therapy Toronto: Psychotherapist {self-development, mental health}

Ky Lashaii {vlogs, self-care, self-development}

Laili Mirza {fashion, luxury, vlogs, beauty}

Lavishly Jackie {beauty, fashion, lifestyle}

Leah Gordone {pro-bw, crime documentary}

LeonoraSmee {vlog, lifestyle, fashion, beauty}

Life with Symone {storytelling, entertainment}

Lilsimsie {sims 4, gameplay}

Lizzy Lew Food {cooking, baking}

MackZBoss {commentary}

Maleeka, is my guardian angel {self-development}

Mark Rober {entertainment, engineering, physics}

Marrissa breann {self-development, faith, self-care, vlog}

Maryhia Layla {luxury, vlogs, self-care}

Master Key Society {books, audiobooks}

Maya Galore {vlogs, self-care, beauty, lifestyle}

MedCircle {mental health, self-development}

Michaela Bento {lifestyle, self-care, vlogs}

Miss Feminine {self-development, leveling up}

Mocha Mommy {self-development, pro-bw, lifestyle}

Montrella Bee {self-development, lifestyles}

Morgan Dionne {beauty, lifestyle}

Mossonyi {visual storytelling}

Most of Miree {commentary, self-development}

Motivation2Study {motivation speeches}

Mountain Rug Cleaner {ASMR}

MsAaliyahJay {vlogs, lifestyle}

Mélanique {lifestyle, vlog}

Naomi Kong {weight training, health, exercise}

Nicole {self-care, lifestyle}

Noir {entertainment, pro-bw}

Octavia B {vlog, lifestyle, beauty}

Olivia Yang {self-care, lifestyle}

Patrick Boyle {financial education, economic updates, self-development}

PCOS Weight Loss {health, exercise, womanhood

Psych2Go {mental health}

Queen Chioma {commentary}

Robert Greene {self-development, education}

Sabrina Shanghie {skin-care, beauty, self-care}

Samí Moon {ballet, fashion, pink aesthetic}

Saudiah B. {beauty, vlogs, lifestyle}

Semide ASMR {asmr}

Soft Life Through Christ {faith, commentary}

Sophie Shohet {luxury, fashion, hauls}

Study To Success {studying tips, uni-life, education}

Taliyah Joelle {health, weightlifting}

Tamara Kalinic {luxury, fashion}

Taylor Miree {beauty, lifestyle, fashion}

TD Bricks {legos, entertainment}

Tea Renee {self-care, vlogs, beauty}

Teaira Walker {beauty, fashion, vlog, lifestyle}

The Chic Maven {luxury, fashion}

The Danni Rose {cooking, baking}

The Economist {economics, business, education}

The Learmann Twins {uni-life, vlogs}

TheKenyaAlysia {vlogs, beauty}

Thewizardliz {motivation, self-development}

Tiffany TV {self-care, self-development}

Tom Bilyeu {motivation, self-development}

TotallyCluelessTV {entertainment}

Transmuted Living {self-development, pro-BW, self care}

Treadchic {health, exercise}

TRINDINGTOPIC {self-development, self-care, leveling up}

TroyceTV {commentary}

Vicky Justiz {health, exercise}

Vogue {beauty, fashion, self-care}

Women Love Power {feminine archetypes, womanhood}

Your Vintage Lane (Jazz music, vintage music}

[santoschristos]

Spirit Compass Rose

“Spirit Compass Rose” from the “Ars Theurgia-Goetia“, the Second Book of “Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis“ (”Lesser key of Solomon“) (Mid 17th Century).

“Most of the spirits summoned are tied to points on a compass, four Emperors are tied to the cardinal points (Carnesiel in the East, Amenadiel in the West, Demoriel in the North and Caspiel in the South), and sixteen Dukes are tied to cardinal points, inter-cardinal points, and additional directions between those.

There are an additional eleven Wandering Princes, totalling thirty-one spirit leaders who each rule several to a few dozen spirits.” - From “The Goetia of Dr Rudd” by Stephen Skinner and David Rankine (2010).

Each quadrant is assigned to a lassical element, and the appropriate season for the northern hemisphere is assigned to the cardinal points e.g. Spring for the East (Dawn), Summer for the South (Noon) Autumn for the West (Sunset), Winter for the North (Midnight). The order given here is clockwise.

The names of the Spirits all end in "El", indicating they are angelic or divine in nature.

[gladstones-corner]

Glad's Book List

I wrote a post recently about my history (normally I'd link it but I don't want to be narcissistic), and realized that I've read a fair few occult books over the years. So here's the list; I'll keep updating it as I find more books in my various libraries and book stashes.

Quick note before getting into this list--not everything I've read will make it. Just the stuff I read and recommend others parse through. For example, I have intentionally omitted my studies in Kabbalah to discourage others from unintentionally appropriating.

But by "parse through", I truly mean that. My path has meandered through several schools of thought and wandered into appropriative territory at times (I constantly strive to correct any appropriation in my practice that gets brought to my attention). Maybe about 20% of each book makes it into my current path.

Eh, so it wasn't so quick of a note. Here's the list:

CEREMONIAL MAGIC 

Aleister Crowley, Book 4 

Chic and Sandra Cicero, Essential Golden Dawn 

Donald Kraig, Modern Magick 

Henry Agrippa, Three Books of Occult Philosophy 

Israel Regardie, The Golden Dawn 

Lon Milo DuQuette, Llewellyn's Complete Book of Ceremonial Magick 

Samuel Mathers, The Book of Abramelin 

Stephen Skinner and David Rankine, Key of Solomon 

CHAOS MAGIC 

Archtraitor Bluefluke, The Psychonaut Field Manual 

Jan Fries, Visual Magick 

Lon Milo DuQuette, Low Magick 

Peter Carroll, Liber Null & Psychonaut; Liber Kaos 

Phil Hine, Condensed Chaos; Prime Chaos 

Richard Metzger, Book of Lies 

Robert Wilson, Prometheus Rising 

CRYSTALS 

Cassandra Eason, The Complete Crystal Handbook 

Karen Frazier, An Introduction to Crystal Grids 

Robert Simmons and Naisha Ahsian, The Book of Stones 

Scott Cunningham, Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem, and Metal Magic 

Yulia van Doren, Crystals 

DIVINATION 

A.E. Waite, Pictorial Key to the Tarot 

Brigit Esselmont, Everyday Tarot; The Ultimate Guide to Tarot Meanings 

Chic and Sandra Cicero, Golden Dawn Ritual Tarot 

Diana Paxson, Taking Up the Runes 

Lon Milo DuQuette, Understanding Crowley's Thoth Tarot 

Melissa Cynova, Kitchen Table Tarot 

Rachel Pollack, Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom 

DREAMS 

Carl Jung, Dreams; The Red Book 

DRUIDRY 

Dana O'Driscoll, Sacred Actions 

John Greer, The Druidry Handbook; The Druid Magic Handbook 

Philip Carr-Gomm, The Druid Way 

Ross Nichols, The Book of Druidry 

HELLENISM 

David Mierzwicki, Hellenismos 

Hesiod, Theogeny 

Homer, Iliad; Odyssey 

John Opsopaus, The Oracles of Apollo 

LABRYS Community, Hellenic Polytheism 

Orpheus, The Orphic Hymns 

HERBS 

Nicholas Culpeper, Culpeper's Complete Herbal 

Scott Cunningham, Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs 

HERMETICISM 

Hermes Trismegistus, Corpus Hermeticum; The Emerald Tablet 

Three Initiates, The Kybalion 

GENERAL MAGIC 

Aleister Crowley, Magic in Theory and Practice 

Christopher Dell, The Occult, Witchcraft and Magic 

Manly Hall, Secret Teachings of All Ages 

Owen Davies, Oxford Illustrated History of Witchcraft and Magic 

Rock Point Publishing, Spellcraft 

Sarah Lyons, How to Study Magic 

MEDITATION 

Diana Paxson, Trance Portation 

Stephen Bodian, Meditation for Dummies 

PAGANISM 

Herman Slater, A Book of Pagan Rituals 

Margot Adler, Drawing Down the Moon 

Ronald Hutton, Triumph of the Moon 

WICCA 

Doreen Valiente, Witchcraft for Tomorrow 

Gerald Gardner, The Meaning of Witchcraft; Witchcraft Today 

Janet and Stewart Farrar, A Witches' Bible 

Raymond Buckland, Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft; The Tree; Wicca for One 

Scott Cunningham, Wicca; Living Wicca 

Starhawk, The Spiral Dance 

Thea Sabin, Wicca for Beginners 

Thorn Mooney, Traditional Wicca 

[maximumwobblerbanditdonut]

Origin, origin and more origin: that's what it's all about. The provenance of The Sassenach Wild Scottish Gin comes from Crafty Distillery.

Crafty Distillery is located on the outskirts of Newton Stewart, it is a modern grain to glass distillery producing spirits and offering panoramic views of the Galloway Hills. It's a self-distilled approach, making their own spirits with selected botanicals to create their own Hills & Harbour gin, or a fruity Smokey & Citrus liqueur or the limited edition Galloway Gin, SH's approach to his Gin.

The use of local ingredients such as crab apples 🍏 noble fir, and course Scottish water and the transparency of the process to create a gin is Master Distiller Craig Rankin’s little secret at Crafty. An example for the current gin culture in which consumers are often charged with expensive prices, but everything is made with industrial and characterless base alcohol.

An award-winning Galloway gin distillery is a place of The Sassenach Wild Scottish Gin. Newton Stewart's Crafty Distillery and his Master Distiller Craig Rankin create Scottish gins, Hills and Harbour Gin and GALLOWAY GIN smooth base spirit, along with local Juniper, Crab Apples, Crafty Estate Elderberry, Pepper Dulse, Damsons & Brambles.

That reflects the local area's botanical garden along with several botanicals and Crab apples 🍏🍎in abundance in Dumfries and Galloway.

Crafty Distillery - Hills & Harbour Gin and GALLOWAY GIN

When you say Scotland, you say whisky, right? Wrong! Because a lot of beautiful GINS are also made in Scotland! Crafty Distillery (Hills & Harbour Gin and GALLOWAY GIN) in Newton Stewart in the south of Scotland is an example to see what makes this small distillery so special.

Craig Rankin is the Gin Distillery Master and also the Distillery Manager at Crafty Distillery. It takes about two hours to drive from Glasgow to get here, so you might be feeling hungry. Luckily, Crafty's tasting room has a full refrigerator stocked with delicious local products from local entrepreneurs. They also offer the Galloway Picnic, which showcases some of the most beautiful products in Scotland. I assure you, it's all delicious! However, if you're not here to eat, you probably want to hear all about Hills & Harbour Gin, Galloway Gin and more.

Craig Rankin, The Master Distiller creates their own recipes. In other cases, they are hired for their experience and expertise to continue the legacy of a recipe.

In 2013, owner Graham Taylor started to get a little itchy. As a lover of good gins, he found it annoying that so many distilleries simply buy their base alcohol from a wholesaler, instead of distilling it themselves. After a lot of planning with his brother Stephen and his father Billy, looking for the perfect location, raising all the money and designing a distillation installation, the first Hills & Harbour Gin flowed from the boilers in 2017.

Vision & Botanicals

Their vision is simple: Craig creates tasty honest spirits for everyone who likes a tipple '. To achieve this, He created more than 90 gin recipes in 14 months to arrive at the final blend that they are today called Hills & Harbour Gin. All five basic flavours 3 are hit with their botanicals. The element of sweet comes from the dried mango, sour from the peel of orange, bitter from the noble fir and salt/umami from the bladderwrack seaweed. He also created a special sensation by using green Sichuan peppercorns and bay leaf. And their last ingredient was also very important: the audience!

While they were still in the testing phase, Graig made and sent 100 packages with miniatures of their first gins, to see what people thought! This is how he created the Hills & Harbour Gin together with gin lovers.

The noble fir, also called red fir is known as a Christmas tree 🌲 You can see in Galloway Forest Park pine trees profiled by distant lakes and peaks.

Origin, origin and more origin

The provenance of Crafty Distillery; that's what it's all about. Not only the use of local ingredients such as noble fir, bladderwrack seaweed and of course Scottish water are important; Transparency of the process to create a gin is also important. There is little secret here at Crafty. An example for the current gin culture in which consumers are often charged with expensive prices, but everything is made with industrial and characterless base alcohol.

Smokey & Citrus Distilled Cocktail

The latest product from the Crafty Distillery stills is the Smokey & Citrus Distilled Cocktail. Made from smoked pineapple and burnt orange. It may not sound very tasty when you read it like this, but trust me , you want to taste this! The fruit is smoked and roasted, then pressed and the juice is distilled. This is then mixed with the Hills & Harbour Gin to form a special cocktail in a bottle.

This is the location for the Wild Scottish Gin blend. The yellow line on the ground, next to the container with rhubarb and blaeberry, marks the interior of the Crafty Distillery responsible for producing SH’s gin. The Sassenach Wild Scottish Gin a distilled alcoholic drink flavoured with Scottish juniper, rhubarb, heather, Scots Pine resin, bramble leaf, blaeberry, crab apple and toasted oats,

Crafty Distillery was awarded the Scottish Gin Distillery of the Year 2022 at the Gin Cooperative Awards, where SH was a member of the judging panel. Craig Rankin is the Master Distiller behind SH’s Wild Scottish Gin, he created his gin. The production and distillation process takes place at Crafty Distillery in Newton Stewart in Dumfries and Galloway. The process involves pureeing, macerating, and straining pre-distillation to ensure the notes in SH’s gin.

Master Distiller Graig Rankin plays a multifaceted role at the Crafty Distillery, encompassing expertise in distillation techniques, sensory evaluation, recipe formulation, and quality control. However, he or the Crafty Distillery is rarely mentioned by SH, aiming to give the impression that SH is the sole force behind Sassenach Wild Scottish Gin.

Scottish Gin Award Winner 2022

SH attended the 6th annual Scottish Gin Awards in November 2022 as a judge on the panel. He was especially delighted to sample the wide variety of Scottish gins that were sent for his consideration to his door, especially with the increasing number of gins and distilleries entering the competition across different categories. The same miniature gin samples that carried with him on his trips to America, preparing Gin Tonics in the hotels where he stayed, not behind the hotel bar. A player who appeared to be having fun as he was put through its pace by his new business.

It can be challenging to keep track of all the growing gin distilleries in Scotland, but this event was a great opportunity for him. With the Scottish Gin Cooperative’s help and support, He was able to identify potential future gin and distillery opportunities among the gold medal winners announced on August 29th of the same year. In this way, SH launched 🚀 his Wild Scottish Gin in 2023. It's clear that Sassenach Gin benefited greatly from this event of the Scottish Gin Cooperative and It's all quite not a coincidence when you connect the dots!

The Wild Scottish Gin is a type of London-style gin, and any brand of Distilled Gin follows the London Dry guidelines almost exactly. The Regulations establish the necessary minimum requirements, but producers are free to set the bar higher. The predominant flavour is juniper, and all other flavours must come from natural plants and fruits, so nothing synthetic can be added. Additionally, nothing can be added to the gin after distillation except for water and a small amount of sugar. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 So, The Sassenach Wild Scottish Gin isn't particularly innovative, as it follows the same process as a London Dry style.

The range includes London Dry gins from all over Scotland, many of which are made using hand-foraged botanicals which can be found close to the distillery. London Dry gins do not have to be made in London and the term 'London Dry' more refers to the process as opposed to the flavour or the location. To be classed as a 'London Dry', the base spirit must be distilled to a completely neutral spirit of 96% ABV, and all of the flavours must be added through the distillation.

There are excellent distilled gins and truly awful London Dry gins. However, It’s important to mention that if you do not know where you come from, then you don't know where you are, and if you don't know where you are, then you don't know where you're going. And if you don't know where you're going, you're probably going wrong and the sign of sheer incompetence impossible to ignore has been the information at the American Spirit Council of Tasters’ Awards where SH’s brand, and Great Glen Company or The Sassenach Wild Scottish Gin are not part of Loch Lomond’s group portfolio.

Anyway….If you have an interest in knowing where SH’s Wild Scottish Gin comes from, Crafty Distillery is open to Visit yourself. The Sassenach Wild Scottish Gin is not available for sale or tasting at Crafty Distillery. The distillery offers its brand of Gins, such as GALLOWAY GIN, which serves as the base for SH’s Wild Scottish Gin. You won't notice the difference and will still enjoy your visit.

Posted 12th June 2024

[grimoire-catechumen]

The Secret of Secrets: A Ring of the Sun for an Oracle

Achieving communication through an oracle was a popular method of divination for Renaissance magicians and remains popular today. There are many methods spread throughout the grimoires on how to achieve this, but specifically the "A Cunning Man's Grimoire" published by Dr. Stephen Skinner and David Rankine offers many. This post will follow my process of creation for this ring and its effects in my life.

The instructions can be found in the book on pg. 112.

Astrologically, the Sun must be in Aries or his exaltation (19 degrees Aries) in the 9th House and the moon should be in the sign of the native's 9th house (Cancer for me) with a favorable aspect (trine or sextile) to the sun. A chart (Figure 1) in April of 2024 fits all but one of these requirements.

The Sun is in Aries, though not exalted and conjunct the midheaven. The Moon is also in Cancer. There are a couple of things I dislike, however. The first is that Mercury is retrograde and in a sign-based conjunction. Given his association with being a messenger of the gods, I can forsee this negatively impacting the solar oracle ring. The Moon also squares the Sun instead of being in a favorable aspect.

I attempted to find an alternative timing, preferably one not a year out. In April 2023 the Sun is in a similar positioning, but the Moon is in Sagittarius and in a trine with the Sun. While the Moon does not perfectly follow the grimoire instructions, my natal chart has the Moon in Sagittarius and it rules the sign of my 9th (Cancer), therefore, I find this chart (Figure 2) more agreeable considering other aspects as well.

Let us continue through the instructions with a date and time in mind. A pure gold ring should be engraved with specific characters and fumigated. Then a piece of root from a solar plant must be placed beneath a stone with solar characteristics. Specifics are included regarding the harvest of the herb, however, I think the most important aspects are to harvest in the day and hour of the Sun.

Pure gold is expensive and difficult to acquire, so I intend to make this out of paper. I debated the herb for this endeavor but decided on ginger for its solar characteristics according to Agrippa and because of its stimulatory nature. Before completing this work, I will create a ginger tincture and soak the paper in before letting it dry in the sunlight. Then I intend to cover the paper ring in gold leaf, carving or writing the respective sigils on top. Then a small section of dried ginger root will be glued onto the outside.

The book includes preparatory steps common throughout the grimoire (remain pure, fast, do not engage in unclean vices...etc) prior to utilizing the ring, though does not note a specific consecration (though, you should be able to adapt the call to the 7 angels noted in the beginning for this purpose if desired). When ready, you are to put the ring on they finger and enter your bed, speaking no words, but to meditate upon your desired effect and fall asleep.

When the time comes, I shall provide an update with pictures of the process along with my experiences!

[pluckysidekick]

Happy Secret Sleuth Exchange 2022! I’ve just published a new fic, No One Mourns The Wicked for @secretsleuthexchange. It’s a Nancy Drew musical theater AU in two acts, not unlike the original musical ‘Wicked’ by Stephen Schwartz that inspired it. It’s a gift for the wonderful and talented @mastress. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

GIF courtesy of @jicklet

As soon as I read @mastress’s questionnaire, I knew we were a perfect match. We both love music and musicals, Nace, and Drew Crew shenanigans, as well as many of the same tropes and subjects (note @mastress that I too love LOTR but not the Hobbit films, and prefer the original Rankin & Bass Hobbit cartoon movie - I swear I’ll find a way to work that into Act II!). I know from Discord how smart and funny she is, and I love her Nancy Drew fanfics (we both love a spicy Nace scene, which I promise a few of).

I’ve had the idea of an AU where the crew puts on a musical for a while, and I’m so excited to share the first of 2 acts of Nancy and the crew putting on the first summer stock production of ‘Wicked’. This story has many elements from Season 1, but all with a twist. The idea of Nancy and Ace singing to each other makes me swoon, I hope it does for you too!

Here’s a preview:

“That was good, really good. Have you guys performed together before?”

They both shook their heads. Nancy looked down, realizing they were still holding hands. Ace followed her gaze, and appeared a little embarrassed as he gently dropped her hand.

“You’d never know it.” He looked down at their resumes.

“You’re both from Horseshoe Bay, and you both go to conservatory in Boston. Are you sure you aren’t a secret power couple who shows up at auditions to trick casting directors into thinking you have instant chemistry?”

Read No One Mourns the Wicked on Ao3

[nextlevel-hq]

MASTERLIST

DC

Amanda Waller (57) - Viola Davis

Artemis Crock (28) - Jolie Nguyen

Barbara Gordon (29) - Kennedy McMann

Bernard Dowd (20) - Nicholas Galitzine

Buddy Baker (27) - Paul Mescal

Cassandra Cain (26) - Lana Condor

Clark Kent (37) - Henry Cavill

Damian Wayne (19) - Anthony Keyvan

Dick Grayson (29) - Balint Jasko

Ed Nygma (34) - Ben Whishaw

Harleen Quinzel (31) - Samara Weaving

Jason Todd (26) - Kyle Allen

Jonathan Crane (35) - Cillian Murphy

Koriand'r (29) - Kiki Layne

Lex Luthor (36) - Keahu Kahuanui

Lois Lane (36) - Odette Annable

Michael Carter (32) - Boyd Holbrook

Minhkhoa Khan (45) - Desmond Tan

Pamela Isley (33) - Cintia Dicker

Roy Harper (30) - Cameron Monaghan

Selina Kyle (31) - Ana de Armas

Stephanie Brown (20) - Kathryn Newton

Ted Kord (33) - Joseph Gordon Levitt

Tim Drake (33) - Tba

Zatanna Zatara (33) - Aslihan Malbora

MARVEL

Billy Kaplan (20) - Timothee Chalamet

Bruce Banner (32) - Hugh Dancy

Bucky Barnes (30) - Richard Rankin

Clint Barton (31) - Jake McDorman

Elektra Natchios (33) - Tashi Rodriguez

Felicia Hardy (30) - Imaan Hammam

Gabriel Summers (26) - Michael Yerger

Gwen Stacy (29) - Hanna Edwinson

Jean Grey (31) - Alina Kovalenko

Jemma Simmons (28) - Elizabeth Henstridge

Johnny Storm (28) - Taylor Zakhar Perez

Karolina Dean (24) - Ginny Gardner

Kate Bishop (23) - Momo Hirai

Laura Kinney (24) - Lizeth Selene

Leo Fitz (33) - Iain de Caestecker

Logan Howlett (45) - Hugh Jackman

Loki Laufeybur (38) - Erika Linder

Mantis (35) - Ninh Duong Lan Ngoc

Mary Jane Watson (29) - Marina Ruy Barbosa

Matt Murdock (32) - Charlie Cox

Nadia Van Dyne (20) - Mia Alves

Natasha Romanoff (36) - Irina Shayk

Ororo Munroe (38) - Anok Yai

Peter Parker (25) - Charlie Rowe

RJ Boyle (18) - Tanner Buchanan

Scott Summers (31) - Jamie Dornan

Sharon Carter (35) - Margot Robbie

Stephen Strange (46) - Dev Patel

Steve Rogers (40) - Chris Evans 

Wade Wilson (32) - Ryan Reynolds

Wanda Maximoff (35) - Gratiela Brancusi

Warren Worthington III (31) - Lucas Till

[broodparasitism]

3, 4, and 11 for the end of the year book questions.

What were your top five books of the year?

I've had SUCH a good year for discovering good books that this is going to be a struggle. But, here's an attempt, limited to fiction, not ranked:

Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh

Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Beloved by Toni Morrison

When The Stars Alight by Camilla Andrew (@aninkwellofnectar)

Did you discover any new authors that you love this year?

Going by authors I read more than one work by and loved, Camilla Andrew as above, Donna Tartt as above, Claudia Rankine if we can include poets, Stephen Moss if we can include non fiction, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, William Faulkner, and Han Kang.

What was your favorite book that has been out for a while, but you just now read?

Excluding anything I haven't mentioned, I only just read The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger this year, which I felt like everyone but me has read. I'm now fiercely defensive of this book and against the claim that Holden Caulfield is needlessly whiney for...behaving exactly how a sixteen year old grieving a sibling would behave.