this and that. tit for tat

a side blog collection of things that are sacred to me. some magic, some religion, some reference for all of those. Queer witch & sorta practicing polytheist. this journey of self discovery is never ending.

[quasi-normalcy]

For every claim about Pagan survivals in European / North American folk traditions and holidays, it's important to remember that there are at least three layers of cruft on top:

Sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Protestants trying to discredit Catholicism by claiming that it was secretly Pagan

Nineteenth-century Romanticists and Nationalists trying to construct an "authentic" volkisch identity by connecting everything to a remote pre-Christian (pre-Jewish) antiquity, and

Contemporary Neopagans and New Agers who want to maintain these traditions.

[minhosblr]

I gasped!!

[mortimermcmirestinks]

love how Witch Tumblr and Wizard Tumblr are both active and well-populated parts of Tumblr that have almost 0 overlap

[azzandra]

Just like in Discworld.

[teathattast]

tarot card reading except i just make "ooo" "ah" and "wow" sounds the whole time instead of telling you what the cards mean

[cor-ardens-archive]

Martha Nussbaum, introduction to C. K. William’s The Bacchae of Euripides

[creature-wizard]

Hey folks, if you're looking for a generalized term to use in place of "shaman," a number of academic folks have been using the term "ritual specialist."

(If anyone needs an explanation why you ought to use a different term, one is over here.)

[runehart-deactivated20240217]

“magic isnt real” — plants just grow out of the ground. for free. everywhere.

[trupie]

"It doesn't stop being magic just because you know how it works."

-Terry Pratchett

[aresstan]

Hot take but you can’t learn about paganism without also learning about white supremacy and how it uses pagan religions to push hate group agendas all over the world today. If you don’t learn about the connections between the two and how it operates, your ignorance enables white supremacists to keep on doing it and using it to recruit others. People in our community who do nothing and stay silent are literally a part of the problem, there is no opting out whatsoever. Divorcing the two makes the issue repeat itself over and over and over again.

It’s not hard to include this in your research and stay aware. It’s the bare minimum.

[exoflash]

a concerning amount of witchblr will be like "um actually new years was stolen by europeans from the ancient god scroobus mcdoobus" and then you actually try to research scroobus mcdoobus and it turns out he was invented in the 1940s by a conspiracy theorist who powdered every meal with ketamine and thinks that queer people are reincarnated fish

[hjarta-deactivated20260124]

just learned that magnolias are so old that they’re pollinated by beetles because they existed before bees

[scienceoftheidiot]

They existed *before beetles*

[somethingaboutsomethingelse]

[spacedandelions]

Why is this sad? Why am I sad?

[ignescent]

https://xkcd.com/1259/

Bee Orchid

[sepdet]

This is how I feel about Joshua Trees. They and avocado trees produce fruit meant to be eaten and dispersed by giant ground sloths. Without them, the Joshua Trees' range has shrunk by 90%.

(my own photos)

Not only they, but the entire Mojave ecosystem is still struggling to adapt since the loss of ground sloth dung. their chief fertilizer.

Many, many trees and plants in the Americas have widely-spaced, extremely long thorns that do nothing to discourage deer eating their leaves, but would've penetrated the fur of ground sloths and mammoths. Likewise, if you've observed a tree that drops baseball or softball-sized fruit which lies on the ground and rots, like Osage Oranges, which were great for playing catch at my school, chances are they were ground sloth or mammoth chow.

You can read about various orphaned plants and trees missing their megafauna in this poignant post:

The Trees That Miss The Mammoths - American Forests

Trees that once depended on animals like the wooly mammoth for survival have managed to adapt and survive in the modern world.



[modernvintage]

First quote from the linked article. Found it poetic.

[biglawbear]

Feel like shit just want her back (giant ground sloth)

[pomegranate-flower]

[aveloka-draws]

Couldn't stop thinking about that tweet, I love the idea of a god promoting his faith.

[gay-on-purpose]

Saw a post about the sesamarot and wanted to share my favorite reading

[thelaughingpanda]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GX3Z8qG7AKo

[creanavt]

https://creanavt.tumblr.com/archive

[cricketcat9]

The Hanged Man

[inthefallofasparrow]

[shiftythrifting]

"tator" cards from a Milwaukee goodwill

[kittygaycat]

[coinandcandle]

Angel Numbers - Let's Talk About It

11:11 shows up on your clock a few too many times for coincidence. You look it up and learn about the term “angel numbers”, but what are they? Where do they come from? Why are they called angel numbers? and Should we keep using this term?

Preface

Ever since I was young I was familiar with synchronicity, even if I didn’t know the word for it. I would see repeating numbers everywhere, especially when important life shifts were happening. I never called them Angel Numbers because it never made sense to me to do so. I never connected with the idea of angels. Maybe it’s my disconnect from the Christian religion that causes me to cringe away from the term, but I just never felt like “Angel Numbers” was an accurate term.

I was curious as to where this name came from; and since this whole blog started as a way to share information about witchcraft, the occult, and history surrounding these topics, I figured I’d put on my glasses, chug a few cups of coffee, and get researching!

What are Angel Numbers?

Before we get into why they’re called Angel Numbers or where they came from, let’s go over what Angel Numbers actually are. The “true” definition of Angel Numbers may vary by person, but overall people tend to agree that Angel Numbers are numbers that appear to you often, especially if they’re repeated, sequenced, or in combinations. Such as 123, 808, or 1111.

These sequences, combinations, and repetitions are taken as a sign.

The exact point in which these numbers started to be used is unclear. Numbers have played a large role in humanity for a long time, so we may never pin point their exact origin. However, we do have evidence of numerology existing even farther back than 6th century BCE.

Numerology

Numerology is the study of occult significance involving numbers or the belief in divine or magical relationships between numbers and coinciding events. there are different forms of numerology such as Chinese Numerology, Arabic or Abjad Numerology, Kabbalah Numerology, Tamil Numerology, Chaldean Numerology and Pythagorean Numerology.

Pythagoras

One of the most well known names in the history of numerology is Pythagoras, who is often credited as a founder of western numerology.

Pythagoras believed that the answers of the universe could be decoded using numbers. Pythagoras and his followers, known as Pythagoreans, believed that the world is made of numbers.

Other popular historical figures that used numerology include: John Dee and St. Augustine.

Where did the name “Angel Numbers” come from?

This name comes from Doreen Virtue, who had claimed that she studied under Pythagoras in a past life. She is a former New Age teacher who has left the New Age scene and is a devout follower of Jesus Christ and has since renounced her previous works.

Doreen had coined the term saying that the numbers were a sign from your "angels" or spirit guides and that you should pay attention to them. She also was one of the biggest proponents of the significance in the synchronicity of these numbers appearing.

So should we use the term “Angel numbers”?

I certainly think an argument could be made that it could be disrespectful to the creator of the term as she has fully renounced her old path.

Another argument being that the bible is against divination and there is no biblical backing to Western Numerology, though Christianity has it’s own meanings for numbers.

That being said, “Angel Numbers” is a term that has fully embedded itself into the New Age realm and as such has seeped into the witch and occult communities so it’d be difficult to get rid of the term completely.

None of this is to say that these numbers hold no relevance and the meanings given to them over these years are fully null and void! Numerology has existed way way longer than the term "angel numbers", so you needn't worry about that.

Alternate terms to replace “Angel Numbers”

If you would like to switch from using the term Angel Numbers, here are a few options you could go with:

Master Numbers

Synchronized Numbers

Spiritual Numbers

Any other ideas, let me know by reblogging or commenting!

Enjoy my posts? Consider leaving me a tip on my ko-fi!~

References and Further Reading

Numbers and Their Occult Powers and Mystic Virtues By W. Wynn Westcott (via Sacred-texts)

Who Invented Angel Numbers by Alan Young

Other links have been placed throughout the post.