I Need To Summon A Brownie

syncretic stuff i shouldn't tumblr-ify. / they / non-anglophone / baltic-finnic & nordic tradition but not as in 'im lokean' or whatever

[house-elf-summoner]

this is a side blog, so if i don't interact back, don't be alarmed

southern finnish with roots and shoots further north; i've been toeing the line between ambivalent agnosticism and cultural-historically motivated low level animism for a long time.

i don't think i believe in gods, and definitely not in the 'choose your pokemon guardian angel' way, but i want to live like small gods exist because it means we're not without outside opinions

in short: baltic-finnic speculation; household/hearth guardians, the northern way; druid-curious; wild herb hobbyist; open and realist cultural exchange and outreaching 'islandness' without over-bearing boundary crossings

[house-elf-summoner]

‘Who are you trying to reach, caller?’ - on magical invocation and evocation.

[house-elf-summoner]

"Many folklike habits, beliefs and practices feel like absolutely incomprehensible, even frivolous, ideas and childish whims to one with modern day schooling. Why on earth has something been done thus? Behind it all, however, is the basic human craving and pursue for safety and for luckily avoiding dangerous situations. One can easily feel the limits of one's own power, the weakness of one's skills, the clumsy helplessness.

"Therefore one must find support in the boundless unseen force and väki which surrounds one everywhere in nature, the force that year after year wakes up the dead natural world and sustains life. Nowhere can one insult these forces and make them hostile to one's self. One must know how to behave so that the harmonious coexistence between human and the environment is maintained, even so that this force and väki may offer security and help when the human fights for survival.

"This is the base for many customs and our need for religious cults. For the Christian, the source of everything is the all-powerful God. Eastern astrologers moved some of the powers in charge of our destiny to the stars, constellations and their divinities. Ancient Finns addressed secret folk and force, väki, everywhere in nature, väki that could just as well be roused with spells as pacified with good behaviour. Nature was an altogether living entity for the ancient Finn. Its produce was the way life turned out.

"Today's technical human, who tills the earth with machinery and fishes with machines, must stop in wonder if one wants to be acquainted with those incredibly simple yet practically most purposeful technical solutions and tools that the Finn of the past used to earn a living from the harsh nature yet maintained it's harmonious renewal. Similarly flexible in its purposefulness was the behavioural pattern and its guiding belief system of the historical human."

--Kustaa Vilkuna, 1973, foreword to Vuotuinen ajantieto ('Yearly Finnish time-counting')

[cultusquercus]

Friends, I am weary.

[ellam4r1a]

true but I feel a lot more fulfilled & my spirituality is not something that I have to seek out through overtly spiritual work.....

but perhaps I should include the moon cycles in my practice again and make more elaborate workings specifically on the new moon or full moon

[cultusquercus]

#imo this is the more spiritual way to live innit?#it should be about everyday lifestyle and not grand gestures to posture online

Well, it seems there are some odd assumptions going on here. I have to assume that neither the person who left these tags nor the person who replied above is actually talking to or about me, despite this being my post, but at any rate, allow me to clarify.

I'm not talking about anything that needs to be sought out, or particularly grand, or that would even be interesting enough to think people online would want to know about it. I'm talking about keeping up with spiritual obligations, which is something that I know many people struggle with (and a good reason not to make them unless you know you'll be able to keep up, but my enthusiasm has always been greater than my physical ability to keep up with it).

I guess I'm learning that when people see something presented using a meme format they believe it's meant to be 100% relatable, and not by or about a specific person. Whereas I just use them as visual shorthand to convey an emotion. So to be clear, this post is about me. There is no "true but".

I would also point out that, as people who keep spiritual blogs, to suggest that posting about spiritual matters is done for posturing online might not be the wisest choice. Where exactly does one draw the line between blogging and posturing? I know I regularly see people lamenting the fact that so few people are willing to post about their own practices these days. Of course there are many reasons for that -- some stuff is personal, some stuff is secret -- but knowing that some or all of what remains might get labelled as posturing does not encourage a community where people are willing to post something other than the same tired discourse and correspondence lists.

[house-elf-summoner]

you read a lot into a couple of opinion tags, but i'm glad you got it out of your system. i don't disagree. i was only agreeing with what i thought was a lamentation of 'not doing enough online' by trying to say i don't think there's any magically required 'enough' - rather live your mundane life than try to force something that doesn't feel possible. :)

[cultusquercus]

Friends, I am weary.

[ellam4r1a]

true but I feel a lot more fulfilled & my spirituality is not something that I have to seek out through overtly spiritual work.....

but perhaps I should include the moon cycles in my practice again and make more elaborate workings specifically on the new moon or full moon

[curseofthefae]

Step over ants. Put worms back in the grass. Rescue baby caterpillars. Release spiders back into your garden. Open a window for a bee to fly home. They are all little souls that deserve a life too.

[house-elf-summoner]

pidän ihan harvinaisen hassuna sitä asennetta, joka tumblr-tyyppisessä uuspakanuudessa vallitsee, että ollakseen pakana pitää valita "oma" jumala jolle omistautua. ainakin pohjoismaissa ja lähialueilla kansanusko kun on ollut hätätilanteessa asianosaisen henkiolennon tai haltijan tai jumalan puoleen kääntymistä - koska animistisessa ajattelussa asioilla nimenomaan on omat sielunsa. ajatus siitä, että joku postaisi "main godista" jota palvoo, ja se olisi vaikka tapio, ei käy mitenkään järkeen ellei kyseinen henkilö vietä valtaosaa päivistään metsän antimien parissa tavalla tai toisella. mitä se tapio sun rakkaushuolistasi kerrostalossa välittää? aurinko, kuu, lempo, kotitonttu ja muut hengettäret lienee paljon parempia tovereita tähän. mikä osa tai arpa ukolla on sun arkeesi, ellet kaipaa taivaisiin tulikipunoihin, säätilaan ja ilmastoon liittyvää avunantoa? yksijumalaisuus, oli se kuinka höpösettiä tahansa, on mun mielestäni aivan ylitsepääsemättömän protestanttinen näkökulma, ja on tosi hassua, miten tiukkaan se on vakiintunut nettinoituuteen.

[theskepticalwitch]

Practical Things I Think Witches Should Research

Cultural Appropriation

Closed paths and practices

Cult warning signs

Spiritual Discernment

Herb interactions (i.e. how they interact with your medications, if they are poisonous, if you are allergic, can you ingest them, etc.)

Fire safety (for candles, smoke cleansing, incense, etc.)

Crystal Care (learn if your crystals will dissolve in water, if they can be in the sun, if they can be in the cold, etc.)

Pet Care (make sure herbs don't have poor interactions with your pets, make sure you know what to keep away from them, etc.)

[huariqueje]

 Still life - Teija Lehto , 2023

Finnish, b. 1965 -

Woodcut, 83 x 53 cm.

[fieryduckling]

listen I know it's the druidry talking but I firmly believe that picking up trash is The Best devotional offering you can make

Go On A Walk With A Garbage Bag And A Dream

the gods (and me) will love you forever

[house-elf-summoner]

spring has arrived in full force, and my goals before and into june (before juhannus) are such:

make note of the best fireweed spots (and make sure they aren't goldenrod)

put aside some money for a plant drier (so i can make some fireweed and meadowsweet tea for winter)

think about obod druidry implementation again for a sort of seasonal living attitude

lend 'vuotuinen ajankierto' and make notes for an almanac project, maybe with T since he used to talk about a calendar stave

set up an easy-to-camouflage altar space

[kielovesi]

Samuli Paulaharju: Kuvauksia Hailuodosta (1914)

[michaelnordeman]

Sparkle. Värmland, Sweden (December 22, 2014).

[kyacchan-comics]

Go to bed early, and be nice: Saint Lucia will visit tonight, and judge if you’ve been a good kid. But don’t try to wait her awake, she’ll throw ashes in your eyes if you do. In some part of North Italy, Saint Lucia, bearer of light, is the one bringing kids gifts and presents, not Santa Claus or Baby Jesus.

Yes I grew up with her and I am perfectly fine.

[house-elf-summoner]

[michaelnordeman]

One of those gray days when life kind of slows down, and time almost stops. It's as if I'm waiting for something, yet I don't know what it is I'm longing for. Värmland, Sweden (November 3, 2023).

[nascentnaturalist]

madawaska moose skeleton (likely a juvenile)