Hexenmoron.

[msgraveyarddirt]

Michaelmas

The Feast of Saint Michael the Archangel on September 29th is associated with the beginning of autumn and the shortening of days. In the past it was celebrated as Michaelmas Day and was one of the most important days of the year; by Michaelmas, the harvest had to be completed, and it was also the time for beginning new leases, settling accounts, and paying dues.

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[thedesertgod-deactivated2020013]

Today, March 21st, is one of the 2 feast days for St. Benedict of Nursia. (The other being July 11th.)

If you are a magician, St. Benedict can be very useful to you. He was a Hermit, and a scholar, who penned the Church’s first book on monastic law called “The Rule of Benedict.” But MORE importantly, he is the patron of exorcists, and people who have been hexed, cursed, possessed, or poisoned. He is also the patron saint of aspiring towards a joyful death.

I always wear the seal of Benedict; I wear it every day. I always keep it close. It looks like this:

If you are a spirit worker of any variety who works in any way with the Abrahamic paradigm (which includes demonic entities), I cannot suggest this talisman enough. Burn a candle or say a prayer to St. Benedict today if you can, to protect and keep you while you do your magical work. Bless your talisman with holy water, have it blessed by a priest, or bless it yourself by praying to St. Benedict.

🌹🕇🌹

[conjuredochunter]

I know this is late but I’ve been looking into St. Benedict lately and I wanted to spread the word.

[letyourfantasiesunwind1]

Victorian Valentine cards

-Victorian Valentine cards, 1870-1880

Victorian Valentine cards were flat paper sheets, often printed with colored illustrations and embossed borders. The sheets, when folded and sealed with wax, could be mailed. On 10 January 1840, Great Britain introduced the Uniform Penny Post, meaning that Valentine cards could be mailed for just one penny. The mass produced Valentine card was born. Valentines were sent in such great numbers that postmen were given a special allowance for refreshments to help them through the extraordinary exertions of the two or three days leading up to February 14th. Rather than purchase a ready-made valentine, some Victorians assembled original valentines from materials purchased at a stationer’s shop: lace, bits of mirror, bows and ribbons, seashells and seeds, gold and silver foil appliqués, silk flowers, and clichéd printed mottoes like “Be Mine” and “Constant and True.”Victorian valentines commonly feature churches or church spires, signifying honorable intentions and fidelity.

-Victorian Valentine postcard: Cupid dancer

[snootyfoxfashion]

Valentine’s Pinup Art Prints by SvetaShubinaGallery

x / x / x x / x / x

[valathun]

What the whole art of taking chances means - the art of having courage to do the things you want - is this:

It’s the moment when your knees lock  and the impulse shoots through your arteries  you can feel that you’re three heartbeats away from movement, and you won’t know how to stop  Grab, grasp, clinch, grip, with all your might  take all that you can, because when you freeze in your doubt, as the time comes to go forward, you’ll find yourself beside a water cooler, complaining that the AC is too cold, and worrying about the impression you made on your new coworker  You’ll be at home, wondering why you’re at home  You’ll never know what its like to breathe if you don’t take your first breath

[hexenmoron]

A day late as power went out and then our internet service was being repaired., but here is my contribution to Hagging Out! Before I really dive in, a quick  thank you to @graveyarddirt​ for organizing the event and pulling everything together! <3

So a bit of history: my grandmother could not cook. Not for anything. She used to throw plain hamburger and frozen tater tots in a casserole dish, throw it in the oven at 350F and call it a day. She made a good turkey and fantastic chocolate mousse, but beyond that? It was beyond her. A weekly family special was shit on a shingle*, I shit you not.

As a result, all of her children learned how to cook as a method of self-preservation. They’re all honestly super fucking good in the kitchen, but the only one who has a true love of being in the kitchen was my mother. She loved cooking and food and tradition so much she started several herself because she couldn’t resist the sense of community it might bring us.

As a kid, so many of them were beyond my ability to enjoy. The flavors were complex or the texture wasn’t simple enough, but as I grew so did my appreciation of the work I saw go into these things. And with that appreciation came a finer palate (thank fuck).

So below is my first ever attempt at this fall favorite in the Hex Household. (I was never once allowed to make this with her – I was always shooed out of the kitchen since the sugar can get so hot as to leave really bad burns). Since she recently passed, I thought I would give a recipe that we dearly loved but never made together a shot. I think these turned out lovely.

You can make two varieties of this treat. The first is to make one large 9” tart and the second is to use tartlet tins to make minis. I personally prefer the mini because they are 1) super cute and 2) they really are a satisfying serving. The instructions are basically the same, the difference is in cook times.

First you have to make the tart shell. You’ll want to add 1/3 cold cup butter & ¼ cup sugar and beat until it’s fluffy. Some people will tell you this is best done with a wooden spoon and those people are masochists. Get out the damn mixer. Once it’s fluffy, add an egg yolk and beat well. Once everything is that same eggy color you know it’s beaten well enough to gradually add 1 cup of unsifted flour. This should be very crumbly – you’ll likely think for a moment that you did it wrong.

Here is where you choose to either make one large tart or a bunch of tartlets. For either size you want the tart tins with the removable bottoms. If the tartlet tins are vintage, the bottoms may not be removable and then you need to spray them the tiniest bit to make sure they don’t get stuck.

For one large tart simply roll it into the best ball you can (you may need to chill it for a bit if it took you awhile to get it all mixed properly), set it in the middle of the tin and start to flatten it, making sure to pinch the edges so the shell comes up along the sides. Bake at 375F for about 12 minutes or until it starts to ever so faintly brown. For tartlets it’s the same process, but divide the shell into smaller parts. Vintage tartlet tins can be pretty small and I know I have an aunt whose tins are so tiny she can get about 16. I ended up with 8 with my modern set because they’re a fair amount bigger. (Note: only 6 made it to the photo!) With the small ones she bakes them at 375F for 8 minutes, I ended up doing 10.

While those are in the oven, gather your other ingredients. If you need to chop your walnuts, do that now. Once the tins are set aside to cool you can start making the rest. The recipe says to cool completely, but I don’t think anyone in my family has actually done that. The duration of time it takes to make the filling is adequate so long as they’re not cooling on the stove top.

In a sauce pan, add 2/3 cup light brown sugar, ¼ cup butter, ¼ cup dark corn syrup, and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Stir constantly, bring to a boil and let boil for a minute. Quickly toss the walnuts in the bottom of the shell or shells (you can do this right when they’re out of the oven, but you’ll likely end up with them piercing the bottom of the shell and hitting the tin, making a bit of a mess for yourself later. It won’t hurt the flavor though). Once done, pour the hot syrup over top of the walnuts filling the shells. For large single tart, bake at 375F for 10 minutes. For tartlets bake at 375F for 6-10 minutes depending on size of tin. Either way you want the filling the be bubbly.

Set aside to cool and allow to cool (completely this time) before removing the tarts from the tin by pushing up at the removable bottom. Optional: beat about a ½ cup of cream until it is stiff and refrigerate until the tarts are cool enough to serve. The original 2 tablespoons can come from this ½ cup and you can also add a bit of vanilla flavoring if you like. I think methods of making the whip cream that use even more sugar would be too sweet for how sweet these tarts already are.

And now for the pictures!

*Skip all the other recipes online for shit on a shingle if you want the true experience of eating shit on a shingle. This one on Urban Dictionary is even a little more complicated that what grandma used to make because she found some way to basically make it a one-step process and serve it on the leftover crusts of bread.

[hexenmoron]

Dearest Hags,

I do have a recipe to share this evening! However my power is out and it is saved on my laptop, not my phone or drafts. Once power has been restored I'll go ahead and post, but it's looking like it will be tomorrow morning!

@graveyarddirt

[gertruderobinsonscat]

I hope that “between the crematorium and the dildo store” becomes a famous saying for whenever a person has lost in the most pathetic and undignified way possible. Sort of like how we still use the phrase “crossing the Rubicon” two thousand years after the event. 

[nudityandnerdery]

[babyanimalgifs]

Dog found singing and playing the piano while owners aren’t there 

(Source)

[graveyarddirt]

Hagging Out: Nov [Old Halloween]

Thinking about taking part? Reply to this entry - or send me a DM - and I’ll add you to the list of November Hags. 💀

soal, a soal, a soal cake, please, good missus a soul cake apple, a pear, a plum, a cherry any good thing to make us all merry one for peter, two for paul, three for him who made us all – peter, paul & mary, ’a'soalin’

WHO: To join this culinary challenge you must be 1.) a lady hag, and 2.) be 30 years or older. (Tumblr Baba Yagas unite! <3) While not mandatory, all former participants have been some flavor of pagan or witch, so incorporating the challenge into your practice or devotional schedule isn’t just tolerated, it’s encouraged!

WHAT: November’s theme is ’Old Halloween’, which can be observed through two smaller themes - ’Final Harvest’ (secular option) and ’Feeding the Dead’ (magic woo option). Final harvests will vary from region to region and latitude to latitude, but typically by mid-November most northerly latitudes will experience a freeze signaling the end of the agricultural year. As the land undergoes hibernation and folks move indoors it’s also a particularly good time to venerate ancestors, the beloved dead, and/or the mighty dead by sharing a homemade meal with them (especially potent if you can get your hands on some old family recipes).

WHERE: In the convenience of your home! Unless, of course, you want to be a bit extra. Whatever you decide to do, and wherever you decide to do it, be sure to tag your posts with #Hagging Out so fellow crones can follow along. (Over the past two months we’ve essentially strong-armed everyone else out of the tag and claimed it as our middle-aged lady fort, LMFAO.)

WHEN: November 30th! On the 30th we’ll post our Hagging Out entries for the month. Participating Hags are encouraged to complete their challenge and write their entry when it suits their schedule. (RIP to those of you who decide to do both on the 30th.)

WHY: To consolidate our strengthening crone powers and exchange tips on the best way of covering stubborn greys. And because it’s occasionally nice to be social in the comfort of your own home while wearing your best Peggy Bundy or Morticia Adams gear without actually having people over.

HOW: Dinner, dessert, dumb supper, or devotional act - it’s up to you. Pick an in-season ingredient that fits your chosen theme and incorporate it into your challenge. While the item might be food, you don’t necessarily need to cook provided you use it as a component in your working or project (e.g. incense, tinctures and infusions, a ritual or spell). Feel free to riff and push boundaries, that’s what this is all about!

💀 November Hags: @graveyarddirt, @hagothehills, @anancientgrace, @eccentricnightengale, @catastrophe-jones, @sagecake, @sycamore

[hexenmoron]

I’ve already posted a sneak peek on discord (basically the cute photo sans recipe).

This time around I am working a family favorite that I last made with my mother in perhaps 2005.

[abandonedandurbex]

Vines creeping in through an old skylight in the Verrière de chateau. [1600 x 1067] [OS].

[eyeheartfarms]

Handpainted fruit teapots

(Etsy)

[secondcontact]

[therainshallmakeadoor-deactivat]

« If you choose to work magic, you become active in the spirit world. This sounds like a no-brainer, but it’s a concept with ramifications that I don’t see mentioned often. (...) As we work in particular types or forms of magic, we become a bit like that which we work with. (...) We gain particular skills or talents through familiarity, through regular exposure. This is the nature of contagion (...). As we experience particular things, they stick to us and shape us. We then in time reflect them back into the world. In other words, if you spend a lot of time with door-keeper spirits, you become in at least a small sense a door-keeper spirit. At least enough to be recognized as such at times. I’ve heard this idea, usually in the negative sense, where people become « tainted » by exposure to some types of spirits or places. But perhaps a better word is « colored ». (...) This is a good reason to both spend time surrounded by the things you would like to be « colored » by, and in cleansing and clearing work to remove those things you’d rather not carry with you. I believe this to be true. While there are many options of « Others » that one can choose to spend time and energy with, it makes sense to me to choose very, very wisely. (...) On a related note, it is important to remember : you are what you do. You come in time to reflect your repeated actions. »

[Aidan Wachter, « At The Crossroads : A Brief Note On Roles », in. Six Ways. Approaches & Entries For Practical Magic]

[hexenmoron]

Sometimes magic is self-care, but not in the same way that people describe self-care as magic.

What I mean is that you’re bath bomb isn’t magical because it’s pretty, smells nice, and makes you feel good. A dedicated cleansing bath with blessed oils, reciting whatever you make of prayer, in the correct hour, with a bit of power behind it however . . . .

The end goal can even be somewhat the same: feel better. Which one is going to do more work though? Which one is going to have a longer impact? Probably the bath where you uncrossed yourself and actually did something more than soak.

Often it won’t be so obvious. Sometimes mundane self-care is making the phone call that scares you, or doing a task you’ve been putting off purely for the relief of it, or telling yourself ‘no.’ Your practice might look like fasting and prayer and exhaustion. You might find yourself walking in strange parts of town at night to harvest something discreetly. You might be scared and it will be difficult. To an outsider it won’t look ‘worth it’ unless they know. . . . But when you come out the other side and have achieved the goal, that is you taking care of yourself.

And what if it was a dud? What if all that effort and hard work felt terrible and didn’t do anything? Well - what did you learn? It must have been something. That is you taking care of yourself too.

[scifi-fantasy-horror]

by  Bastien Grivet

[philoclea]

Auguste Rodin. Two Hands, 1909.