midwest, midbest, mid-evil, medieval

medieval art historian (in training... one day...) with a love for the occult. proud midwesterner.

[lakevida]

[so caffeinated my ears are ringing at harmonic frequencies known only to insects and elevator ghosts] i think i hauve premonitions

[iiilahhsa]

anya taylor joy smoking with cowboy boots and her shakespeare tote bag

[aqua-regia009]

• Time • Death • The Necromancer by Borja Fresco Costal (Nekro)

[hellenicrisis]

Tips for Urban/City Witches

I personally have always been drawn to cities. I grew up in the suburbs and moved to an apartment in the city center as soon as I could. These are some of my favourite things to do to incorporate the city into my craft. These could also be applicable to non-witch pagans who live in the city and want to utilize their environment.

Meditate to street noise Whether you live smack bang in the city center or in the suburbs half an hour out, there's always street noise and it's my favourite sound to meditate to. Sit down in a comfortable position, open your windows, close your eyes, and really tune into the plethora of different sounds. The drone of cars, maybe a honk or two, people in the street, the noises that you don't really know what that was... the hum of a city is so constant and comforting. Allow it to envelope you for a few minutes.

Incorporate kitchen witchery Obviously, you don't have to live in the city to do this, nor do you have to practice this if you live in the city. It's just something I found to be practical. I'm willing to bet if you're reading a blog post on the internet, even your tiny apartment has a basic kitchen. Use it. Cook brews and potions, have a cupboard or shelf in your pantry for witchy supplies, honour a hearth deity and keep a small altar for them in your kitchen (it can literally just be a single candle if you want it to be). The possibilities are endless.

Make spell pouches/jars Spell pouches/jars are amazing for city witchcraft. They generally don't require a large amount of ingredients, they take up little to no space, and they're potent as hell. Personally, I prefer pouches over jars, only because I can hang them in places like from doorknobs, over doorways, from curtain rods, and from cupboard handles. You can also chuck one in your bag or in your car for magic on the go.

Music magic Using music in magic is perfect for the city witch because either your device or your instrument is usually always on hand. Have a playlist you play while practicing your craft - songs that calm you or empower you, and perhaps only listen to that playlist while doing spells and rituals so it retains that energy. You can use music outside of spellcasting as well though! Play your instrument to sound cleanse your space or as an offering to any deities you may worship. Charge your day by listening to a particular song, either as you get dressed or on your commute. Singing raises your vibration. Charge a crystal with a specific song that corresponds to the energy you want to imbue it with. Music is an amazing tool, whether coming from you, your instrument, or your phone.

Use oil diffusers If you aren't allowed to burn incense in your building, oil diffusers are a perfect substitute.

Grow dwarf trees Most herbs are fairly easy to grow indoors or out on balconies, but dwarf trees don't get enough love in the witching community! Apples, oranges, pomegranates, lychees, figs (and lots more) all have dwarf versions that are smaller than their traditional counterparts and can grow in pots. You'll have to research and figure out which ones will work best for you, but it's definitely an option to look into.

(More likely to be added as I think of them. Blessings to you!🕯☀)

[hagoftheholler]

I've been reading tarot for over three years now, so here are some little tips based on my own experience and reading style. Things may be different for yourself and other readers.

• If the empress and emperor come out next to each other in a reading, they represent a couple. Usually a married couple, or a couple that have been committed long term.

• The hierophant often represents traditional, religious and spiritual matters... but it can also represent being a role model or person of authority (look at the rider-waite deck and notice the two people below the hierophant). This may be different depending on the deck, though.

• Court cards most often end up representing individual people for me. Each court card represents different personalities. They usually end up representing people whose astrology placements match the element of the suit the most (swords = air signs, wands = fire signs, pentacles = earth signs, cups = water signs).

• Write down your readings as you go, even if you're a more experienced reader. Doing this will document your readings and it will help you learn how to interpret the cards. You can look back at the readings later and see what ended up being accurate and what didn't.

• Be mindful of how fast you are shuffling the cards. Most of the time, those "jumpers" aren't related to the reading at all. They're just a result of rushed and clumsy shuffling. If the same card jumps out a second time, then it may be related to the reading. Use your intuition to pick the cards.

• If your deck's imagery isn't minimalistic, focus more on the imagery than memorizing the general card meanings. Think of the symbolism behind the imagery.

• When you start learning tarot, determine which tarot card represents you. Court cards are usually the cards that represent people for me, but sometimes major arcanas do too.

[vanillaglosse]

https://www.instagram.com/p/CKUVws9HvP5/?igshid=1009twwocyzup

[clawmarks]

Prodromus in systema historicum testaceorum - Joachim Johann Nepomuk Spalowsky - 1795 - via Internet Archive

[nervebynerve]

“The daily routine of most adults is so heavy and artificial that we are closed off to much of the world. We have to do this in order to get our work done. I think one purpose of art is to get us out of those routines. When we hear music or poetry or stories, the world opens up again. We’re drawn in — or out — and the windows of our perception are cleansed, as William Blake said. The same thing can happen when we’re around young children or adults who have unlearned those habits of shutting the world out.”

— Ursula K. Le Guin 

[pompadourpink]

Bonjour maman! I hope you are doing well. I am an avid reader and lover of poetry and I have wanted to read French poetry for a long, long time. Could you please suggest some poems/collections (B1 - B2) for me?

Hello dear,

It would be hard to make a universal list for this because B1/B2 can look many different ways, the best advice I have is to check out famous authors and see at first glance if their stuff looks too hard for you or not. Here are the basics and an example:

B1/B2 with a good dictionary:

Correspondance by Charles Baudelaire

Dans les bois by Paul Verlaine

La demoiselle by Théophile Gautier

Les malheureux by Louise Ackermann ♀

Crépuscule by Guillaume Apollinaire

Les yeux d'Elsa by Louis Aragon (which I would claim to be the most beautiful love poem in the world)

L'hirondelle by Sophie d'Arbouville ♀

Chanson à boire by Nicolas Boileau

La nuit de printemps by Théodore de Banville

L'ennui de Léonore by Victoire Babois ♀

Les feuilles mortes by Jacques Prévert

Regrets d'amour by Pierre Corneille

Des vivants et des morts - Andrée Chedid ♀

Le désir by Anatole France

À Aurore by George Sand ♀

Par un mauvais temps by Alfred de Musset

Melancholia by Victor Hugo

Le bonheur est mélancolique by Cécile Sauvage ♀

C1/C2 but give it a try anyway:

Première soirée by Arthur Rimbaud

Luth compagnon de ma calamité by Louise Labé ♀

La sagesse by Alphonse de Lamartine

Prière de Socrate by Gérard de Nerval

Le temps de vivre by Anna de Noailles ♀

Le songe by Charles-Augustin Sainte-Beuve

Ce que dit l'homme de peine by Paul Éluard

Élégie du printemps by Pierre de Ronsard

La grande douleur que je porte by Christine de Pisan ♀

Poème à Uranie - Voltaire

La prison by Alfred de Vigny

L'amour et la folie by Jean de la Fontaine

Ô qu'une sagesse profonde by François de Malherbe

L'âme errante by Marceline Desbordes-Valmore ♀

Les fleurs by Stéphane Mallarmé

Le lundi à Vêpres by Jean Racine

C'était novembre by Vénus Khoury-Ghata (1937-) ♀

Holy shit:

Escargots by Francis Ponge (XX, surrealism)

Nous ne sommes fâchés by Joachim Du Bellay (XVI)

Ballade des dames du temps jadis by François Villon (XV)

Lai du Frêne by Marie de France ♀ (XII)

Je brûle avec mon coeur by Théodore Aggripa d'Aubigné (XVI)

Plus:

Entire anthology about female poetry

Hope this helps! x

[wildstag-blog]

[val-en]

[librarycard]

college is about dying and coming back to life twice a week

[scholarlyscorpio]

NOVICE CALL FOR HELP/ADVICE: would the fae be offended if i put out, like, oat milk and honey or macademia nut milk and honey instead of cow milk?

[witchwood-inn]

Irish Folk Magic Pt2

🌾The irish would sweep their floors from the door to their hearth, to bring in good luck rather than sweep it out. (https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4428251/4388467/4465967)

🌾Soak your bed sheets and pillows in lavender and rosemary water to help with sleep! (https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4666586/4664150/4668362)

🌾Tie a red rag or ribbon around the neck (like a scarf) to ward the evil eye. (https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4798657/4787663/4923346)

🌾To get rid of the evil eye, write the 26 letters of the alphabet on a piece of paper and burn it under your nose (I’m not a fan of breathing in smoke so I would change this method to burning the piece of paper along with some cleansing herbs (garden sage, cedar, juniper etc) treating it as incense and waft the smoke over you, taking in the scent indirectly) (https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4658430/4654747/4659635)

🌾Another cure was to burn a piece of clothing worn by the possessor of the “evil eye”. (https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4798707/4792016/4924255)

🌾Charm for Protection: “The Deer’s Cry” I arise today through the strength of heaven the light of the sun the brilliance of the moon the splendor of fire speed of lightning depth of the sea stability of the earth and the firmness of rock. (https://illustratedprayer.com/2018/03/17/saint-patrick-and-the-cry-of-the-deer/)

🌾Garlic boiled in milk is good for colds (A soup made with garlic and milk among other ingredients would be perfect too!) (https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/5070791/5064262/5096665) Along with garlic, onions and wild sage is good for colds too (Add them to your soup!) (https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/5009200/4997255/5103281) (https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4701685/4692572/4728101)

🌾Hanging a brigid’s cross up over the door or in the house prevents fires. The cross is burned each year in the hearth and a new one is made on Imbolc to continue that protection. (https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4769994/4764934/5013850)

🌾On Bealtaine before sunrise cut the branches of whitethorn and mountain ash. They are wreathed around the door for good luck.

🌾Mountain ash is the safeguard against all witchcraft!

🌾If a branch of mountain ash cut on Bealtaine is woven into the roof of your house, your home will be safe from fire for at least a year. If the branch of mountain ash is woven into the timber of a boat, no storm will upset it and no man will drown for at least a year.

🌾Bind the twigs of the mountain ash cut on Bealtaine around valuable objects to protect them from witchcraft/ hexes and curses (Traditionally bound around milk pails and butter churns)

🌾Herbs picked on Bealtaine will have especially potent magickal healing properties! Especially the Yarrow which is picked for divination. On Bealtaine, find a yarrow plant and dance around it singing: “Yarrow, Yarrow, Yarrow, I bid thee good morrow, And tell me before to-morrow, Who my true love shall be” Then the herb is placed under your head at night and your true lover will appear in your dreams! (https://www.libraryireland.com/AncientLegendsSuperstitions/May-Festival-2.php)

🌾Protection charm for travel: Pluck 10 blades of yarrow, keep 9 and cast the 10th away to the spirits. Put the 9 under your heel in your stocking on your right foot before you travel. (https://www.libraryireland.com/AncientLegendsSuperstitions/Charm-Safety.php) 🌾To attract bees: On May day, gather foxglove (it’s poisonous, be careful), raspberry leaves, wild marjoram, mint, chamomile and velarian and mix them with butter and boil them together with honey. Rub this mixture on to any vessel you wish bees to gather. (https://www.libraryireland.com/AncientLegendsSuperstitions/Attract-Bees.php) Thanks for reading! :D

[positivelyqueer]

There’s power in telling yourself ”no we don’t do that anymore” in response to self destructive urges.

[thewickedfaerie]

Ophelia by Voodica

[likeshestoleit]

good morning from me and my slightly chaotic desk.

I’m getting to get back into a more “student” like mindset currently after being in the lab and working for most of the summer so far, and as much as I like being able to sit back and take notes again I’m realizing that I don’t have a ton of summer left- oh well we do what we can!