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Imagine romanticizing the grind when you live in a universe that has a large expanse of grasslands and colorful endemic birds

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Florida Softshell (Apalone ferox) male, family Trionychidae, Rainbow River, FL, USA

Photographs by Bill Hawthorne Turtle Survival Alliance

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Truly though- there is no criteria for being a witch other than to do witchcraft. Anyone who tells you otherwise is wrong.

I am a crafter, I do not craft every day. I am a dancer, I do not dance every day. Even my day job that I get paid for does not insist that I be working every day.

Anything worth doing is worth taking a break from. Burnout is a bitch. Fallow fields serve purpose for the next harvest. Not everything you do has to be a grind.

Take a nap.

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You died! Choose your next reincarnation.

Remember, amount of karma farmed during lifetime will vary depending on chosen form.

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🌱🌿ALL ABOUT MINT🌿🌱

Mint is an easy to source and easy to grow herb, making it amazing for witchcraft! You can use it in foods, drinks, decorations, scent pouches, and it can even be found in personal products like hair and skin care and cosmetics. It comes in many different varieties as well and they're all fairly hardy making them a perfect starting herb for people as well!

Mint brings many properties into workings, most notably a boost in energy. It's very lively and has a strong, uplifting, energetic scent to it. This also makes it great to cleanse the mind and space as well and call forth more positive energies.

Its vigor also makes it great for bringing in healing and protective energies as well. The roots of mint plants are very durable and some even say that it can completely take over an area if you're not careful. When I transplant mint, I am not the most delicate with bound roots because it will flourish regardless.

Being associated with the air element, it also makes it great to include in any workings dealing with communication. It can help stimulate better communication and give strength to your communication. Being associated with air also lends it a helping energy for travel workings and spells as well.

Even for the mundane, mint is very useful when sick or anxious. It is believed that mint can help calm anxiety and help ease brain fog. Mint tea is also a popular drink for colds and sore throats. Mint extracts are even used in medicines for all sorts of purposes.

Certain people should not consume various types of mint though. People who have GERD or organ transplants for example are advised to not ingest mint. As with everything, always consult medical professionals if you are unsure of any drug interactions, even if they seem harmless. Coming from personal experience of almost putting myself in a coma due to interactions with a common anti-depressant and common pain relievers, always double check!

Happy witching!!

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Poyauhtecatl Ayauhcalli

My character, Ayauhtli, along her fellow shrine maidens in their daily lives at the ayauhcalli, "house of mist," a type of temple dedicated to the aquatic deities. This one is located in the Poyauhtecatl, better known as Mt. Tlaloc.

Here's the temple without characters:

Ayauhcalli temples were centers of purification, among other functions, including the famous ritual of the New Fire. The Poyauhtecatl was perhaps the most important natural sanctuary for Tlaloc, reason why it was also called "Tlalocan." Sources indicate that the mountain had two ayauhcalli temples, one at the summit, and another somewhere on its eastern slopes, but this one is a third fictional one on its western slopes.

Ayauhtli hasn't appeared in Codex Black yet, but curiously, she's the oldest character of the entire cast. I invented her even earlier than Donají or Itzcacalotl, although her first iteration didn't have any sort of backstory.

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Mitch McConnell next, like to charge reblog to cast

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LeyLines

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This idea that one cannot "connect with nature" because nature in one's area is less than pristine fails to realize that being able to recognize when nature has been damaged and thrown out of balance is actually a crucial part of being able to connect with nature in a genuinely meaningful way. It is the first step in being able to heal nature and restore its balance.

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Florida-Taino Spiritual Connections: Piedra de Rayo, Petaloid Axes and Splitting Hurricanes

Following research, travel, and some really good conversations, I think I may have found a cultural connection between modern Indigenous Floridian and Caribbean Indigenous cultures, both revolving around Axes and Hurricanes! My conclusion is that these coinciding beliefs stem from a mutual participation in the South-Eastern Ceremonial Complex. Further evidence for this is seen in comparing Ciboney with Calusa and Tequesta practices and artifacts, including the mounds found throughout Florida and in parts of Cuba, like Campechuela where my family is from. After reading Behike Miguel Sague’s article here about ceremonial Taino hatchets, as well as the book Seminole Legends by Betty Mae Tiger Jumper, coupled with my own experience in la Regla de Ocha, I plan to present the facts to you here. I do also have taboos to respect, so if I don’t explain the why or how of something it is most likely on purpose.

Let’s start with the Caribbean Roots:

In Cuba specifically, many African and Indigenous traditions were preserved through practices deemed “African Traditional Religions”. It is only recently that we are learning and acknowledging the extent that Indigenous Cubans influenced these practices through their herbal knowledge and connection to the Land, both of which are needed to make these practices work effectively. The example I am talking about today will be about the Piedra de Rayo or Thunder Stone. These small tear shaped stones are used throughout Cuba in Ochá, Palo Monte and Espiritismo Cruzado and Cordon for various purposes. They are said to call or repel lightning and have an effect on the weather. They are associated with strength and protection. They are included in the prendas or pots of Spirits who are often associated with thunder and lightning, as the name suggests. What is less known is that these piedras are often actually artifacts of Ceremonial Petaloid Hatchets, basically the blades of stone-age axes or grinders. They were also utilized during rituals amongst the Indigenous Cubans and also found throughout the Americas. If you read Behike Sague’s article it will explain all of this.

Now let’s examine the Seminole myth:

In many Indigenous Cultures, including both Taino and Seminole beliefs, Twins are held in a high esteem and believed to be connected to the Weather through the Divine. In Cuba, we see the twins Boinayel and Marohu representing the Rains and Clear Skies respectively. In Florida, we see the Seminole belief that twins represent Thunder and Lightning. For this reason, twins are often separated at birth for the fear of a storm harming the Chickee. There is a myth of two twins born conjoined and therefore inseparable. When the town finally couldn’t handle the constant weather problems, a Medicine Man took a blessed axe and split the twins right down the middle, separating them and ending the foul weather. We also see another belief in the Axe’s spiritual splitting power in the Seminole Folk Charm of Hurricane Splitting, which I go into detail about in a previous post.

Now let’s talk the connections:

Its worth noting that the traditions of these important stones were preserved specifically in Cuba more than the other Islands. Also, given the fact that much of Cuba was inhabited by a separate cultural group than the Classic Taino, I think its certainly possible the association of these axes in ceremonial settings and their connection to the weather must be tied to a common source. Whether this means the Ciboney and Guanahatabey of Cuba had a connection with the Calusa, Tequesta or Timucua is past my scope of knowledge but it does seem to support this theory. We also know post-contact, a village called “Abaibo” was established in Calusa territory (near present day Marco Island) by Indigenous people fleeing Columbus in Cuba. But to get back to the point, clearly both of these groups understood axes to be divinely tied to Weather. It is also worth adding Guahayona, the One Foot Hero-figure of Taino Myth was also known to hold one of these axes, and now his constellation is used to track weather cycles. Another interesting connection. These one-legged heroes are often found throughout the Americas in Indigenous oral histories. Nevertheless, these stones offer us a valuable tool and glimpse into one of the Mysteries of our ancestors.

Utilizing the Piedra de Rayo:

Finding a true Piedra de Rayo is one thing, buying it is another. Like all things in spirituality, the commercialization of things has stripped authenticity and made good sources scarce. Poachers often raid burial sites and mounds for these artifacts to sell. Don’t do this, it’s an easy way to ruin your own life, both legally and spiritually, by digging through someone else’s grave. This also means true piedras are rare now, and the ones in Botanicas are often productions made to resemble the artifacts. If you are meant to find one you will and it won’t be in a protected area. If you can ethically source a real one to buy, all power to you, otherwise do not feel bad about purchasing a replica from a Botanica or producing one yourself! Your ancestors will recognize the form of the tool and actions you take, and it is possible they bought their ceremonial axes from a skilled artisan at the time too so why should we feel shame for doing the same. Many say they appear every 7 years, or where lightning strikes dirt under a ceiba. Some say they wiggle out at night to return underground during the day. These stones are often treated as living beings, another nod to the ways of honoring the Cemi our ancestors passed to us. There are four main goals when working with these potent allies.

The first is obviously for weather. Our Taino ancestors’ spiritual systems placed major emphasis on agriculture, and in turn the weather. Depending on the weather, you could live a life of labor or a life of ease. This meant you needed ways to appeal to and even influence the weather day to day. The piedra de rayo offers a simple way to do just that. Whether you are in need of rain or sun, simply give an offering of tobacco and alcohol or perfumed water to the piedra. Additionally, guajiros bury them in the East corner of a new conuco or field to consecrate it, calling on the power of the rising Sun through the stone.

The second form is as a protective amulet. Piedras de Rayo are lightning medicine. They are intrinsically tied to the primordial energy of lightning, and in turn with fire, sudden violence, car crashes and other fast bursts of energy. They have a magnetic relationship with these forces, meaning they can both attract or repel them depending on their “charge”. These stones can be worn to ward off evil eye and protect yourself from hexes and witchcraft, or kept in your car or pocket to protect you from accidents or harm. They also can be useful if you know ahead of time that some extra strength or willpower will be needed, granting the carrier heightened endurance and power in physical feats.

The third way to utilize it is in healing ceremonies. This method is seen both in modern times and historically. In the chronicles of the Caribbean and Florida, we know they used ceremonial hatchets to perform a type of non-invasive surgery, basically spiritually conducting the healing rather than physically. This practice using the Piedra de Rayo is still seen today, but it is highly rare. Using the blessed and charged stone, you first identify the issue and then drag the stone and massage the problem area, usually accompanied by prayers as well as baths or other workings. Every practitioner does things in their own way, and it is said some can even produce physical objects taken from the persons body with this method, like the Behikes in the past were said to do.

And the last way to work with the Stone is as a spirit itself. These stones can be used as the home or body of a spirit, such as a Cemi or other Ancestral Entity. They can be seated within the stone by following directions given by the spirit to create a suitable vessel. This can include burying, carving, wearing, praying over or creating an altar to the stone. It can also include much more or less. This is one way they were used by our Indigenous ancestors as well that has passed directly from Ceminismo into the various traditions through the Caribbean today. Much of how the stone is used comes down to how you charge it, but that can mean two things. To charge it is for it to be consecrated and given offerings based on what you are trying to achieve (i.e. perfume and flowers when for healing vs rum dripped on it and tossing it in a flame for protection). For it to be cargada means it has had a spirit seated upon it.

To build a relationship with one of these stones is a beautiful gift. They are more than just allies or tools, and the tradition of honoring and respecting them is one that I take pride in continuing as a Guajiro. These lifeways prove continuity and are the very thing that turns the Taíno extinction myth on its head.

Ahan Katu

Sources:

Dreaming Mother Earth by Jose Barreiro and Cacique Francisco “Panchito” Ramirez

Account of the Antiquity of the Indians by Fray Ramon Pané

Legends of the Seminole by Betty Mae Tiger Jumper and James E. Billie

Taino Ceremonial Petaloid Axes by Miguel Sague

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While I always emphasise spending time with nature in order to build that connection with spirits, this does not automatically mean that you have to hike up a mountain or head out into the middle of a forest.

You can connect to nature from your bed, from the middle of a city, in your kitchen and on a slab of pavement next to a railway.

Nature is everywhere. Nature is everything. You are nature. Rock and stone is nature. Gulls and wasps are nature.

Can't get out of bed? Watch a cool documentary or short ecology video. Read a book on local flora. Draw some cool animals. Talk to your houseplants.

Live in a city? Pray to the dandelions and nettles alongside the pavement. Ask the Spirit of Rat to help you. Look up and see the sky. Feel below and sense the earth. (Making a more detailed urban nature spirit work post, will link here too).

If you are someone who wants to work with nature spirits in your practice, please do not anything (or anyone) make you feel like you can't.

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not to quote rent at you like the millennial queer i am, but the opposite of war isn't peace, it's creation.

make art. make music. make literature. make poetry. make clothing. make a birdhouse. make a meal. make a little guy. make a journey. make friendships. make community. make connections. make someone smile. make someone laugh. make someone burn bright with the assurance that they are loved. make a home.

your job on this earth is to care for yourself and be a blessing to those around you. we create a better world right here, where we stand, starting with us.

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Hopi Kachina Dancers

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Be the reason someone believes in goodness a little more.

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Came across this fallen Chaffinch nest, fortunately fallen before any eggs laid it seems. Absolutely gorgeous nests