London Dreams And Rainy Days

 I'm tired and angry, but somebody should be

[oracle-fae-deactivated20260720]

x

[beggingtobleed2]

missionary so you can slit my throat

[breelandwalker]

basic witch question: how can i study and research folk magic and historical witchcraft?

I've been trying to search like this: "name of country/place +folk magic" on academic article sites but I haven't found much practical stuff and sometimes I don't find anything.

thank you for your attention

Good question!

The first thing you'll want to do is set aside the idea that you're going to find overt and accurate historical descriptions of witchcraft as we define it today. VERY few people who practiced some form of folk magic would have identified themselves as witches, because up until very recently, it was something you could be arrested, fined, and executed for doing. Even just the suspicion of such was enough to cause panics and widespread paranoia. What you're most likely to find is a collection of folk beliefs ABOUT witches and witchcraft, rather than actual witchcraft practices.

There are plenty of folk magic practices that resemble things we do in modern witchcraft, but they wouldn't have been called witchcraft by the people doing them back in the day. If you nailed a cluster of broomstraw over your door or scattered eggshells in your garden, it wasn't to cast a spell - it was just The Done Thing to keep trouble out of your home and help the crops grow.

Be prepared to find a lot of Christianity blended into the practices you do find. During the Christianization of Europe, new beliefs blended with older ones and created some very interesting regional amalgamations. So you'll often find invocations of saints or the Blessed Virgin, or particular psalms or prayers included as essential parts of certain charms. (It's also worth noting that the recitation of certain prayers was a method of short-term timekeeping, since they didn't exactly have clocks or timers.)

Be prepared also to find a lot of references to the Devil and devil-worship. For several centuries, the idea of witchcraft and demonolatry (consorting with and calling upon demons for power and supernatural aid) was synonymous across much of the Western world. It's very difficult to find a mention of witches in contemporary medieval or renaissance literature that is not immediately accompanied by some mention of devils or demons or familiars. This is a record of the superstitions of the day, NOT the practices of actual witches, no matter what Margaret Murray would have us believe.

To find the folk magic practices, if you can't find them by searching the term outright, study the regional folklore of the place you're interested in. Look particularly for anything to do with healers or spirits or fairies or ghosts or local superstitions. Where you find these, you will find whatever regional protection rituals the country people used to ward off trouble from ethereal beings, and possibly references to other related practices for love or luck.

Naturally, if you go back to classical antiquity (Greeks and Romans) or further, things will look very different. It all depends on the time and place.

It's important to note that most of the books we have which document these beliefs were written during the 19th-20th century spiritualism and occult fads, and while there is an earnest effort in most of them to record things academically from good sources, they should still be taken with a grain of salt.

Here are some titles I've found useful in my studies:

British Goblins: Welsh Folk-lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions (Sikes, 1880)

Culpeper's Complete Herbal and English Physician (Culpeper, 1850 edition)

Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry (Yeats, 1888)

Magic and Husbandry: The Folk-Lore of Agriculture (Burdick, 1914)

Plant Lore, Legends, and Lyrics (Folkard, 1884)

The History of Witchcraft and Demonology (Summers, 1926)

The Superstitions of Witchcraft (Williams, 1865)

You can find these and many similar titles on Project Gutenberg or Global Grey Ebooks. (And since they're in the public domain, they're free and legal to download!)

One final note - If you run into anything that mentions "folkish" traditions, bloodlines, or theosophy, put it down and walk away. That direction lies the pipeline to racist hate groups.

Hope this helps!

[witchcultblackmagic]

[leporidaerus]

© 2022 by Nineveh Sage

All rights reserved

[purple-dreaming]

[green-witch-boy-deactivated2019]

“…a city such as this, where every texture, every color, leapt out at you, where every fragrance was a drug, and the air itself was something alive and breathing…” –Anne Rice, The Witching Hour

[whimsigothwitch-deactivated2026]

[paranetics]

sorry this is by and far the funniest way to announce you’ve lost a leopard

[thestuffedalligator]

[going-to-superhell]

i've been out has queer for years but there is still a baby gay in my brain that whenever i see gay shit i go

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAS GAYGAYGAYGAYGAYGAYGAYGAYGAYGAYGAYGAYGAYGAYGAYGAYGAYGAYGAYGAYGAYGAYGAYGAY BIG GAY AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[discodeerdiary]

Something that I first applied to working with children, and have applied in a limited form to working with adults: you don't need to tell someone when they read your instructions wrong. Sometimes it's enough to point out what they did right and then whatever they didn't do? You ask them to do it in more precise words, and you make it sound like it's a new request. Remarkable how fast things get done this way.

[tabboty]

depression creature

[kleefkruid]

Giving this website full of autistics obsessed with ranking and categorising stuff a poll option is like giving rats one of those buttons that makes cocaine

[lowspoonsfood]

Sometimes on days when I’m particularly brain foggy, I can’t be bothered to decide on what to eat, or come up with balanced meal choices. Especially at the end of the day, when decision fatigue is at its highest. So I made a Google Sheet that randomly generates meal ideas based on what I usually have in my kitchen. I saved a shortcut to the webpage on my desktop so it’s quick to open. (Here’s a template, which you can edit by saving a copy: tinyurl.com/mealrandomizer) The spreadsheet has two parts: (1) a list of ingredients organized by food group, and (2) magical Excel formulas that pluck one or two ingredients from each food group to give you a “recipe”– which is really just a combo of foods that cover your desired food groups. You can tweak the ingredient list to fit your needs: for example, I’ve set up the recipe to provide two veggie suggestions with every recipe, I haven’t listed olives because I hate them, I can easily make it vegetarian, etc. I’ve generated some laughable suggestions (how about waffles, cucumber, bacon, + peanut sauce….), but because I’m not beholden to a spreadsheet, I just chuckle and click again. I’ve found it a helpful guideline / source for ideas, so thought I’d share <3

[fiti-vation]

Similar posts: 

5 simple snack boxes for busy people X

[p0tat0-g0ddess]

The text in this post is as follows: 16 Lunchbox ideas that aren’t sandwiches

Parfait Lunchbox:

This one may seem more like breakfast, which means it is doubly awesome because it can serve for a lunch or breakfast on the go. This particular lunchbox is my daughter’s favorite. She is a huge fan of parfaits, and I am a huge fan of keeping her happy. I pre-portioned out the granola, coconut, and nuts, and have them all in a drawer so she can assemble these herself too! Just add yogurt and berries.

4 ounce yogurt cup

2 ounces granola

2 ounces roasted almonds

2 ounces blueberries

2 ounces raspberries

2 ounces coconut flakes

The Cheese Plate Lunchbox:

One of my favorite things to eat is a cheese plate, so why not make one into a lunchbox? I am stocking my fridge with these little cheese plates to go so I can enjoy them for lunches and snacks myself, not just send them off to school with my kids. It offers protein, carbs, and all kinds of delicious fruits, so it is both filling and nutritious.

Chunk of brie

Chunk of gouda

Chunk of sarvecchino

Apple slices

Dried fruit (apricots)

Pretzel crisps

Grapes (red and green)

Almond, roasted and salted

The Chicken Salad Lunchbox:

Chicken salad is an awesome lunch item, and lucky for me, I can buy it already made and portioned into these perfect 4 ounce cups from Costco. This is a fun and filling option that doesn’t take a ton of work for me, and adds a nice variety. Pair it with a croissant or crackers, fruit and veggies.

Chicken Salad Cup

Grapes

Carrots

Wheat Crackers

The Wannabe Cheeseburger:

My husband loves cheeseburgers for lunch, so I thought it would be fun to make a kind of deconstructed burger, and offer it as a lunch option. So instead of a burger patty it is roast beef, then all the fun components of a regular cheeseburger meal. Minus the chips/fries. So feel free to add a bag of potato chips to this one to make it even more fun!

Roast beef

Slider bun

Cheese stick

Olives

Grape tomatoes

Dill pickles

Protein Lunchbox:

Have you seen the protein boxes at Starbucks? I wanted to have something like that in my fridge for days when I am super busy, and need sustenance. And guess what? My kids liked them too. So they definitely made the list for lunchbox options. This one is delicious, but of course, feel free to add your favorite form of protein.

Black forrest ham

Roast beef

Cheese chunks

Hard boiled egg

Cashews

Almonds

Hummus

The All American:

Of all the lunchbox ideas, this one is the worst! It is not the healthiest of the options, which is probably why it is one of my kid’s favorites. It is a fun option though, and a great go to when I don’t have time to make anything, as most of it can be purchased, and just assembled.

Pretzel sticks

Applesauce

Cheese stick

Trail mix

Granola bar

Mandarin orange cup

The Apple Sandwich Lunchbox:

Have you ever had an apple sandwich? It is basically slices of apple with peanut butter spread over the slice, and topped with fun things like mini chocolate chips, granola, and nuts. I loved the idea, and thought it would be fun to make it for my kids. For their lunches I would pre-slice the apple into rounds, and stick a clean rubber band around it so that it doesn’t brown during the day while it is in their lunchbox. Then let them assemble as they see fit.

Apple

Peanut butter

Coconut

Granola

Dried fruit

Mini chocolate chips

Roasted, salted nuts

Blueberry Bagel Lunchbox:

My kids are big fans of breakfast foods, so incorporating them into the lunchbox ideas was a given. And this one is a particular favorite because it is filling and flavorful. You could pre-toast the bagel if you wanted, but I just pre-slice it to make it easy for the kids at lunch time.

Blueberry bagel

Whipped cream cheese

Grapes

Berry medley

Chicken Salad Fruit and Veggie Lunch Box:

Okay, I admit it, this one is a little boring, at leas the name, but it is one of my favorites because it is filling and tasty, and hits all the right notes. It offers a great chicken salad to be eaten with pretzel crisps, but also cucumber slices, fruit, and nuts.

4 ounce chicken salad

Cucumber slices

Nectarine

Roasted almonds

Pretzel crisps

Deconstructed Pizza Lunchbox:

Who doesn’t love a good slice of pepperoni pizza? And while many argue cold pizza is fine, it isn’t my favorite, but I love the various components, and they make a lunch box my kids can’t get enough of.

Pepperoni

Cheese chunks

Olives

Grape tomatoes

Wheat crackers

Frogs on a Log Lunchbox:

As a kid there was nothing I liked more than a stick of celery slathered in peanut butter and topped with “frog” raisins. But these are given a slight upgrade. They offer delicious nut butter (choose your favorite), whipped cream cheese, and more! You will love this one.

Nut butter (almond, peanut, cashew, you pick)

Whipped cream cheese

Dried fruit (cranberries, raisins, etc.)

Roasted nuts

Celery sticks

The Fruit Salad:

Fruit salad is always a fun thing to eat, especially when it has a fun dressing. This embodies that idea, in lunchbox form. Fruit and yogurt, and combine to make a fruit lover’s dream. Feel free to add in some nuts, chia seed, hemp, or something else if you want more heft. This is another one of those great for breakfast options!

Yogurt

Apple slices

Grapes

Berries

Homemade Lunchables Lunchbox:

Please tell me I am not the only one whose kids beg for lunchables? Like seriously! So I decided to make my own so they have quality cheese, great quality deli meats, a fun treat, and fresh fruit.

Ritz crackers

Colby jack and provolone cheese slices

Black forrest ham

2 ounce cup of M&M’s

Grapes or fruit of choice

The Hummus Dipper Lunchbox

Hummus is such an awesome lunchbox addition, especially when you can add tons of great dippers. And what better way to increase veggie intake? This is another one I like to make extras of so I have nutritious snack options at the tip of my fingers.

Sabra hummus cup

Celery

Cucumber

Carrot sticks

Pita chips

Green olives

The Mediterranean Lunchbox:

Speaking of my love of hummus… this lunchbox is amazing. It offers all the fun flavors of the Mediterranean in a great snackable or lunchbox form! Yet another one I make extras of for me!

Pita or mini naan

Roasted chick peas

Green olives

Sabra hummus

Cucumber

Sugar snap peas

Grape tomatoes

The Nacho Lunchbox:

Nachos are so tricky for lunch boxes, especially if you don’t have to have a (way) to heat up your cheese, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy all the yummy flavors of a good plate of nachos. This one is a kid and husband favorite!

Tortilla chips

Guacamole cup

Pickled jalapenos

Salsa

Olives

Tomatoes

Cheese stick

(End of post)

[inkoutsidethelines]

Thinking about how I would write an adult Scooby-Doo series, because I think it can be done.

The first thing I’d do is make the characters actually be adults.  Still young, but adults, in the mid to late 20s range.  Mystery Inc. is a private detective type business that they run together.  In this universe, the supernatural/ghosts/etc are real, but not necessarily common, so when they take on a case, the culprit might be a person disguised as a monster, or it might actually be a real ghost.  The stakes can be higher; sometimes a bad guy is legitimately trying to kill them.  Sometimes the mystery they’re trying to solve is a murder.  Sometimes they actually get hurt on their cases.

Fred: the core of Fred’s character should be that he’s incredibly kind.  Like, give a stranger the shirt off his back kind.  The “Fred can’t talk to potential clients because he might take a case for free and we need to eat” kind.  He’s an honest and good person and sometimes gets himself into trouble because he assumes other people are too.  While he’s not very good at reading people or noticing ulterior motives, he’s brilliant when it comes to mechanical or engineering type stuff, so he’s the one who keeps the mystery machine running, builds their gadgets, and of course, designs the traps.

Daphne: she comes from old money, and her parents absolutely despise her life choices, to the point where they haven’t officially disowned her, but they have basically cut her off, so she doesn’t actually have access to any family money.  Growing up wealthy has granted her a variety of skills, including speaking multiple languages, horseback riding, and fencing.  She’s very into fashion and jewelry (even if she can’t afford it anymore) and has extensive knowledge of both that can occasionally provide a vital clue in a case. And even though her parents have cut her off, Daphne still has a wide network of contacts she can ask for favors sometimes, because she’s personable, and people tend to like her.  Daphne is also very emotionally intelligent, and is usually the one who can spot when someone is lying to them.

Side note - I ship Fred and Daphne, so I think I would start them off as an established couple for this universe.  Dating, engaged, married, I don’t care.  They are stupidly in love, ride or die for each other.  There’s no will they, won’t they, no worries about cheating.  They are in a healthy, happy, loving relationship, and no one (not even Daphne’s disapproving parents) are going to mess that up for them.

Velma: she is the forensics nerd who sometimes gets super excited about the wrong thing at the wrong time (”He was mummified in seconds? That’s so cool!” “Velma!  His wife is standing right there!” “Oh.  Sorry.”).  She’s not purposely insensitive, she just gets laser focused on her work and forgets to filter herself sometimes.  She’s also the one who can get so fixated on solving whatever mystery they’re working on, she’s willing to bend or maybe break laws.  Is breaking and entering really so bad?  Not if it gets them answers.

Shaggy: he is still the comic relief, but he’s the comic relief by being the only person in the group that actually has common sense.  He manages the business’s finances, he’s the only one who knows how to cook, and the others tease him for being a coward sometimes, but Shaggy maintains that if a ghost with an axe is coming for you, running is the only sensible option.  He should also have a range of random knowledge that sounds useless, but sometimes saves the day (ex ventriloquism, origami, the history of spoons, etc).

Scooby: as this is a universe where supernatural creatures exist, Scooby is an ancient eldritch type being that took a shine to Shaggy when he was a kid, and took the form of a talking dog to befriend and hang out with him.  Aside from the talking dog bit and not aging, he never uses his powers in a way that anyone notices.  The audience is not told upfront that Scooby is an ancient eldritch being; it should slowly be hinted at throughout the series so the audience put it together, but the characters never realize it.  Scooby genuinely considers Shaggy to be his best friend, and cares about the rest of the gang too.

[kaijuno]

[ahotpeaceofshit]

The Tale of the First Witch

[your-mom-friend]

no but this is incredible I love it so much