Wild Blood ; Soul of Sun

| Rowan | 25 | fluid | pan | pagan | raised by wolves and eats too much spaghetti ~ buckyxfrank king 👑 ~

[softgritspoonie]

[escuerzoresucitado]

[buckyflowercrown]

Finally managed to get my blog un-hacked!!!  🎉

I’m set up at a new blog now (Bucky pulled me back in, what can I say), so give me a follow at @dryadbucky !!  🥰

[worldtoosmallforme]

developing your craft (beyond tumblr)

Witchblr can be wonderfully supportive and rich with information for a new witch. Spells! Masterposts! Correspondences! Oh my!

But at some point, it feels like you keep seeing the same posts, the same lists, over and over, and your grimoire is full of conflicting correspondences pulled from 15 different resources, and you feel like you should be further along than you are, and there is a subtle guilt over the witchy practices you continue to fail to adopt, and your craft is beginning to feel a little….stagnant.

Where are you supposed to go from there?

I think it is important to understand that while the witchblr community is a wonderful melting pot of ideas and practices, and can be a wonderful place to start, it shouldn’t be your primary resource.

So, without further ado:

1. Beliefs

What are your beliefs? Take the time to think about it. What is important to you? What is it that you want out of your craft?

What are your thoughts on hot topics such as cursing, consent, cultural appropriation, and if applicable, the law of three? What practices or subjects are essential to you? What does your practice look like in terms of spellwork, rituals, devotion, meditation, and practices? Are tools essential? What type of witch do you consider yourself, and is the label necessary or important to you? Perhaps it is important that you don’t align yourself any which way at all.

This is the time to figure out what your craft means to you, and what you value. A little self-reflection never hurt anybody (I don’t think?).

2. Data

I assume at this point you’ve gathered enough information to make yourself dizzy. Go through it. 

Pitch out anything unreliable. Mark anything that requires further investigation. Put aside or throw out information on subjects you are no longer interested in or are no longer applicable to your practice. If you don’t give a damn about Astrology, you don’t need to keep collecting the information because of the idea that this will make you a more well-rounded witch.

From what is remaining, sort all the conflicting information and decide which sources to rely on, which ones to mix and match, and which ones to scrap all together. Note the subjects in which you wish to explore more and deepen your knowledge of, and which things you consider essential knowledge.

At this point I also imagine you have plenty of your own input to add as well, so go ahead and do that. 

3. Correspondences

Correspondence lists are all over the place. 

But correspondences are a very deeply personal thing that vary drastically between communities and from person to person. New witches tend to take these lists way more seriously than they should. I don’t have a lot of faith in a spell that requires a heavy amount of cross referencing correspondences that don’t align with your own intuition. 

For instance, if you look up correspondences for money, you might find clovers, basil, and hyssop. But if you don’t know what hyssop is, then don’t use it just because a list or spell made it sound like you have to have that hyssop or the spell won’t work. If you don’t associate hyssop with anything, its not going to carry any correspondence in whatever you use it for.

Develop your own correspondences based on your own associations and intuition and suddenly the possibilities for spells and ingredients are endless. Use lists for quick reference, but don’t work from them religiously. When you come across a list that has a paragraphs worth of meanings, pick and choose which ones make sense to you and ignore the rest.

4. Resources

You never have to be done with exploring new methods and subjects, unless you want to. Delve into things for as long or intensely or as sporadically as you want to. But for the love of all that is good, expand your search outside tumblr. 

And when you do, I’m here to let you know, it’s going to be a bitch finding information you can trust. Learn to sniff out bias and avoid it like the plague. 

Refine your Google searches. Read a book. Investigate. Basically become a scholar. When you have a massive collection of quality resources mixed with your personal accounts and intuition, forming your own opinions is a lot easier. 

It’s a pain in the ass, but unfortunately that’s how the world works. There aren’t many authorities on witchcraft. You have to become one. At least as far as your interests go anyway.

5. Practice

Refine your knowledge, refine your skills, practice how and what you want to practice. Tumblr can’t tell you how to be a witch. That is something you need to figure out on your own. 

Ultimately nothing on this list is particularly earth-shattering to hear, I realize, but these are all things I wish I’d been told a little sooner. Ultimately if you want to grow, don’t rely on the community as your only source of information.

Whether that means diving into other platforms or going solo, you need to find that out for yourself. 

[thegreenwolf]

IT’S HERE!!!!!!!!

Vulture Culture 101: A Book For People Who Like Dead Things has arrived! This is the first book about the subculture (fandom?) surrounding hides, bones, and other animal specimens. In it you’ll learn about who Vultures are, how to build your own collection, tutorials on bone cleaning, tanning and more, how to explain Vulture Culture to the general public, and much more. Whether you’re just getting involved or have been a Vulture for years, this is a great addition to your bookshelf–and it’s the perfect thing to hand to someone who may not understand your unusual interests, too!

Get the book here: http://www.vultureculture101.com/buy-the-book/

(Reblogs appreciated–help me get the word out :) )

[orcanine]

[ayesakara]

Omg this is hilarious! #Daredevil #Fratt #Matt/Frank

[doggosource]

safety 

[ogmoaneymoan-deactivated2018120]

Only rational thing to do

[buckyflowercrown]

im deleting the tumblr app, so if anybody wants to stay in touch, my discord is rowanwolf#9186. just let me know your username so i know who you are ☺️💕 otherwise, adios 💕

[samanthadoodles]

[asterant-moving]

Flower, Flame, & Flesh

On ritualistic offerings and sacrifices

One of the greatest joys I know is the delight in offering a sacrifice to your god(s); to know that something from your hands has been given over to one you adore in total faithfulness is bliss.

The first murder in the Bible was fueled by jealousy; from anger and distress that a sacrifice was not good enough. Cain saw that God rested his favor on the offering of his brother, and that broke him- to know that his gift to God was second-rate was unbearable. That this is one of the first stories in Abrahamic belief is no coincidence. Our offerings are not trivial. The gifts we give to our god(s) aren’t just for shits and giggles.

I’m honestly having trouble thinking of a religion WITHOUT an example on the importance of ritual sacrifice. One of the first acts of Prometheus was to steal from a sacrificial meal to the gods. In a Vedic Hymn, there is a tale of creation based out of the ritualistic dismemberment of man. Mayan culture is famous for its practice of bloodletting ceremonies to appease the gods. In fact, the entirety of the Christian religion itself is based upon the idea of a perfect sacrifice that was worthy enough to redeem all mankind; one that is still replicated every hour of every day in Masses throughout the world.

Clearly, the presentation of offerings to god(s)- whether for appeasement by tribute or out of love and devotion- is a crucial aspect of religions across the world. However, these sorts of sacrificies have dwindled as cultures become homogenized (due greatly to colonization) and as people become displaced from their faiths. This is especially noticeable in America, where religions that traditionally make sacrifices- such as Judaism and Hinduism, notably- are demonized, thanks much to the aggressive sanitation carried out by white Protestants.

As a result of this, I see a whole lot of people on tumblr who are diving into religion with absolutely no idea of how to make sacrifices or other offerings to their god(s). Now, this is by no means a definitive guide that you MUST follow to make any sort of worthy offering, but it is, i think, a good start to understanding the nature of the gifts we give.

(Of course, if your religion has a historical precedence of giving offerings a certain way, I totally encourage looking into that first! This is all based on my own personal experience and observation, and I’m absolutely open to criticism and other opinions here!)

TYPES OF OFFERINGS AND THE MOTIVATION BEHIND THEM

I’ve found that most offerings that I give can be sorted neatly into three groups- all regarding the nature of the gift’s presentation. I’ve tentatively named these categories “Flower”, “Flame”, and “Flesh”.

Flower: Something that can grow; a living offering and constant sacrifice, either by deed or through cultivation

Flame: A sacrifice that has value to the god(s) despite its lack of “usefulness” toward humans; often one whose merit lies in its beauty alone

Flesh: A sacrifice of death; of snuffing out a life to give it over to the god(s)

Expanding upon them a little more, each type of offering has its own notable features that make it pleasing to the recipient. Though the mind and will of our god(s) is/are far out of our range of understanding, these types of sacrifices stay constant across many cultures and religions.

FLOWER

A flowering offering is one that expands to reach others, or one that betters the person giving it. It’s named as a nod to how one might upkeep a garden; though it has merit in its beauty and is pleasing to the eye, it can also serve for food or for meditation. Flowers may be cultivated to bloom into a great offering over a period of time and, though it may take a lot of effort, the steady blooming will be of great honor to both you and those you wish to devote the work to. Some examples of a flower offering are:

Regularly donating to or working with a charity that exemplifies the values of your god(s)

Educating yourself on a craft or skill that better prepares you to serve your god(s)

For example, if one worships a war god, one might wish to work out and hone your body to be capable of defending yourself. On your end, you get totally ripped. On your god’s end, you’re now able to serve them more dutifully and more in-line with what they require.

FLAME

A flame offering is one that has little practical use and is made primarily for the joy of the god(s). It’s named in honor of the practice of keeping an eternal fire burning in a temple- an act that is present in ancient and modern religions worldwide. Some examples of a flame offering are:

Keeping a literal fire going throughout your worship time

Curating and maintaining a shrine

Watching over a sacred space

For example, if there is a place that you feel particularly connected to your god(s), set that aside as a holy space just for them. Mark it appropriately and turn it into a space of adoration and devotion. Keep it clean, pure, and make it an example of your relationship with your god(s).

FLESH

A flesh offering is a literal sacrifice. It’s named, quite obviously, in homage to the practice of placing a living (or once-living) thing before one’s god(s). Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean that blood MUST be shed to constitute a flesh offering; it can be as peaceful as plucking a rose and putting it in a vase at their altar. Some examples of a flesh offering are:

Literally making a blood offering

Preparing a meal for your god(s)

Giving over the first fruits of your labor- the first flower of spring or the first apple on your tree

For example, If one is an adept cook, they might decide to take a portion of the beef they were about to grill and set it aside as an offering. Though the specifics of how to actually “offer” it vary by culture and tradition, the act of giving something up from your hands and into the arms of your god(s) is a beautiful thing.

WHAT OFFERINGS ARENT: 

Your leftovers.

Offerings are not an afterthought. Though there’s really truly no WRONG way to go about honoring your god(s) with offerings when it’s done in sincerity, there’s a clear difference between, say, offering them the last dregs of your can of Sprite and pouring some inexpensive wine in a glass at their altar. Offerings do not have to be extravagant to be of value, but they do have to be made in love and with respect.

Bearing this all in mind, the relationship you have between you and your god(s) is between you and them, period. Your own experience with them is paramount, and I encourage you to delve into the mysteries of what they enjoy and what delights them. Look into historical precedence, if such resources are available. Use your own discernment. Above all, though, offer them the respect that is due. An offering of sincere loving prayer can be treasured above all the wine and riches in the world.

[systlin]

For the reading recommendations, have you ever read "The Daedalus Incident" or its sequels? It's a story set in the near-future about scientist working for a mining company on Mars, and weird shit starts happening. It's also a story set in revolutionary (US) times, but with space travel (in wooden boats) and alchemy (which actually works), and come planets or moons are rebelling against the Earth government. And weird shit starts happening. These two worlds collide because of this weird shit.

I’ve never heard of it, but this sounds excellent. 

[purplebuddhaquotes]

“There’s a difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when it’s convenient. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.”

—

[naiveasf]

[captainsnoop-deactivated2020041]

one time i was at the vet’s office and i overheard two of the vets making fun of a cat for being named soul eater 

[wynnesdjfhsjfhskdjfhsk-deactiva]

*vampire voice* my love… how do i preheat the oven

[gefdreamsofthesea]

This American Indian Dungeons and Dragons lets you weave powerful stories

Ehdrigor, a game created by a black, American Indian game designer, gently reflects the Native experience, and how that approach to storytelling differs from Western narratives.

Speaking of games made by indigenous people, Ehdrighor is an RPG made by a black indigenous man that uses Fate Core and I wish more people knew about it.  Please read this article about it it convinced me to buy the game.

Here’s the official website.