Skullbrook

Queer Druid, Radical Faerie (Dobhran, or Dobh for short), Follower of Dionysus, Kitchen and cottage wizard with a passion for fermentation.

[hildewestacre]

Getting to know the spirits of place

A few days ago I wrote about how the life of everything sings together to make the spirit of a place. As a druid and animist, I like to learn as much as I can about the place and the beings that give it its special spirit.

There are two kinds of knowledge. One is the kind that you can find in books and on the internet. The second is the knowledge in your bones, the knowing you arrive at by using all of your senses.

I like to combine both of these kinds of knowledge to make closer connections to the spirits that surround me.

Try this experiment.

Pick a being that lives near you. It can be a tree, a plant, or a rock – it’s good to start with something that won’t run away. Sit with it for a while, opening all your senses to it. (Only use your sense of taste if you are absolutely certain it’s not poisonous!) See what you can learn by just sharing space with this being.

Then go home and look the plant or stone up in a book or on the web. Look for its characteristics and its uses. To what extent does your intuition agree with what’s in the book?

When I try this, I am invariably surprised about how much I can learn from just being with a natural thing. It would seem that humans are quite capable of using their intuition for all kinds of things.

Why don’t you have a go and see for yourself?

[skullbrook]

Love this

[liongoatsnake]

Bioregional Animism Questions

Years ago, came across a post on a website which had questions related to how knowledgeable one was to their local region. (The list was called “Bioregional Quiz: Re-Indigenize Yourself Project“ for anyone interested.) The website is long gone now, but I kept the questions to help remind me of things I wanted to learn more and more about over time.

Decided to share them as they might be of interest to or useful to some folks.

(Note: some questions I’ve added to the list over the years and the questions are not in the original order they were found in.)

What primary geological events and processes influenced the landforms of your bioregion?

What biotic and/or geological features define your bioregion?

Where does your drinking water come from?

What is the dimension of your watershed? 

What creek or river defines your watershed?

What and where is the largest wilderness area(s) in your bioregion?

 Have there been any successful land or water restoration projects where you live?

What are your soil conditions?

What kind of rocks and minerals are in the land below you?

What are the greatest threats to your bioregion’s ecosystem?

Where does your trash end up?

Where does your sewage end up?

What is the power source for your electricity?

What animal and/or plant species have become extinct in the area?

What animal and/or plant species have become endangered in the area?

Name a local environmentalist group.

Name some local invasive species (plant and/or animal . (Humans do not count!)

Name some plants and animals that live in and near your home? (Example: Insects, birds small mammals, etc.)

Name some local  plants and animals that live just outside urban centers?

Name five species of trees in your area that you can identify.

Name five migratory birds that pass your area and when they arrive and leave.

Name five local edible plants and when to forage them.

Is your area home to any native herbs?

Name of the first wildflowers that blooms in spring where you live.

How well can you predict the weather based on cloud formation and pressure? 

What direction do storms generally come in?

At the peak of summer and height of winter, when and where does the sun set?

Can you roughly keep track of the Moon’s phase without having to look it up?

What places in your area are the best for stargazing?

Over time, what groups of people have lived the area?

What were/are the subsistence practices for the area’s indigenous persons?

In the past century, what was the primary land use in your bioregion?

When and where is your closest farmer’s market?

How many human people live next door to you?

What are their names?

What places are special personally to you in your area?

[caseygiovinco-deactivated201810]

Good questions for a witch to think about when trying to connect with his land’s genius loci.

[skullbrook]

A better picture of my now complete oak leaf hex sign also representing the wheel of the year. Clockwise from 12 o'clock: Midsummer, Lughnasa, Autumnal Equinox, Samhain, Yule, Imbolc, Vernal Equinox, and Beltane.

[wildernesswitchery-deactivated2]

Sourdough Bread Starter

Since a lot of people were interested in my sourdough bread shenanigans, I thought I would teach you guys how to make your own starter. It’s going to take a few days to get going, and I still need more in the works pictures before the actual post, so I’m giving you this info now. Why do I need a starter? I have powdered yeast at home. Because that is the difference that makes sourdough bread unique! The yeast granules you get at the store were developed more military use in WWII, for rations for the soldiers, then sometime in the 1970s is when instant yeast was discovered. These yeasts work very, very quickly in comparison to wild yeast, which is why so many people prefer them now. The downside to this is, the yeast doesn’t get a chance to break down the grains as well, which means you aren’t getting all of the nutrients, and if you’re like me you can have a hard time digesting wheat. If you think you might be gluten intolerant because bread and wheat products are tough on your digestive system, it may be the wheat itself and sourdough might work for you. Just another possibility for you to look into. :) Wild yeast takes several hours to rise, so making bread is an all day event. That being said, it’s more like, you do something, then leave it alone for 3 hours. Flip it a few times every 30 minutes for 3 hours, then let it sit for 4 more hours. That sort of stuff. This also means no hard kneading, since the gluten has time to develop on its own during the rise. (As a spoonie I cried of joy.) The fermentation from the yeast’s waste is what gives the bread the sour taste, and lets the grain develop all sorts of deep flavors. Now that you know why, let’s get to how! You’ll need -a glass jar, -some flour (I use unbleached all purpose and whole wheat, there’s others you can use, but all purpose is the least finicky)  -distilled water (you can use your tap, but if it’s having trouble switch, sometimes there’s minerals in water that mess with the yeast). Do not use any metal utensils on the yeast until it’s started up. Wood or plastic only. After it’s strong the metal won’t be a problem.

Day 1 In your jar, mix together 4 ounces in weight of both water and flour. This comes out to about ¾ cup all purpose flour, and ½ cup of water. It doesn’t have to be exact. What you are going for is like a thickish pancake batter. If you’re using a whole grain you’ll need to use a closer ration of flour/water since it absorbs more. Depending on the humidity of your kitchen, you could need to adjust as well. My advice is you add a little bit of flour at a time, instead of dumping it all in at once. Cover loosely, enough to keep dust & bugs out but open enough for it to breathe. A flour sack towel is good, or you can use one of those sandwich bags over the top of the jar. Store somewhere with a consistent temp between 60-78 ish Fahrenheit. 70-75 is ideal, but my house is always colder. Don’t let it get put by the oven when it’s on, or you risk the chance of killing it  Day 2 Pull down your jar. You might already start to see some bubbles, and this is good! That’s the yeast eating. It’s fine if you don’t see any activity yet though. I suppose now is the time is to tell you that not to be concerned about any icky bacteria - the yeast keeps the mix too acidic for anything nasty to grow. You’ll want to vigorously mix in the same amounts of flour and water as you did yesterday, then recover it, and put it back in the spot you found for it. Day 3 Check you starter, it should have bubbles all along the surface by now, and it should seem bigger than what it was when you put it up yesterday. It’s going to smell sour and musty as well (Mine was almost like a weird fruity smell for awhile!). Add in the same proportions of flour to water as you have before, you’ll probably hear little bubbles popping and smacking while you vigorously stir. Cover it, put it back in it’s place. Day 4 The starter should be very bubbly, and will have doubled in volume (or, you’ll evidence on the sides of the jar that it grew and then deflated). If you stir it, it’s going to feel loose, and it’ll smell yeasty. Add the same proportions of flour and water as before. Stir until smooth, it’ll look silky. It honestly reminds me so much of the fake slime some people use for stimming? Cover it, put it up until tomorrow. Day 5 Check the starter - if it’s entirely webbed with bubbles, smells acidy, yeasty, and “fresh”. It’s safe to taste - which it should be sour. If it all looks good, congratulations! Your starter is ripe and ready to make a leaven with. Those instructions will come in a further post. If you see activity, but it doesn’t seem done yet, continue with the maintenance instructions that will follow daily. If there is no activity at all something is wrong and you will need to troubleshoot and start over entirely. Maintenance Instructions: At this point the starter is too large too effectively feed anymore, so you’ll need to use or throw away half of the batter. Save half, then feed with the proportions you established when you started it. Do this daily for as long as the starter is on the counter. If the starter is established, but it’s going to be awhile before you bake, place in the refrigerator and feed weekly. You’ll want to remove it 2-3 days before baking and follow daily maintenance directions. Note: If at any point your start develops a dark liquid on top, don’t freak out! This is called hooch, and it is alcohol waste leftover from the yeast feeding. It just means your starter is hungry and needs to be fed more often, or you need to reduce the batter more before feeding. Poor off the liquid if there’s a ton, then feed. ————————————————————————————– Obviously this makes a lot of starter, and with you only needing about ¼ cup for two loaves of bread, it can seem wasteful. The good thing, is that you can use the starter batter mixed into any pancake or muffin dough, you just won’t need leavener (baking soda/powder). I also plan to write posts with alternative recipe ideas. Last night I prepped cinnamon rolls with extra starter and let them rise overnight. Baked them in the morning and they’re amazzzzzing. I’m going to have plenty for other experiments. Also, if a friend or family member wants a starter, just give them your extra starter in a jar with some feeding directions. :) ————————————————————————————– As far as the magick side of it, there’s a whole lot you can do as a kitchen witch during all steps of these processes. As someone who talks to her houseplants I found myself treating the starter like a little pet and being affectionate towards it. My first loaf was picture perfect, and I’d like to think this might have been why. ;) When we get to the bread, I’ll explain how to enchant the bread with a specific purpose when you make it. As far as the starter is concerned, I would do something generic if anything since you’ll be (theoretically) growing this one specimen your whole life. I focused on strength and health of the starter itself, to make sure that it could make wonderful bread.

[wildernesswitchery-deactivated2]

I’ll be posting the bread making guide later tonight guys! :)

[skullbrook]

First liverwort of the year.

[auscultaremea-deactivated201812]

Hoodoo doesn’t work with the religious diaspora of Africa. It did originate with the African slaves though.

I have to really enjoy when angry little white (presenting, he could be mixed like me) boys flip out about cultural appropriation with Hoodoo and Conjure (which isn’t closed by culture to begin with and is one of the oldest traditions known for appropriating practices) when they know NEXT TO NOTHING about it and then start calling me really inappropriate names and using racial terms that are really questionable just for giving them actual information that’s factual. Way to go social justice warriors. You’re looking really special (bigoted) today. 

Just so we’re clear, the people who contributed to what Hoodoo is today are Black people (first and foremost), Native Americans, little old southern baptist women, gay and trans prostitutes, poor Irish people, Jewish people, European folk magic practitioners, Pennsylvania Dutch Hexenmeisters, Indian and even Japanese people. 

[thecottonproject]

A quick little comic for class. (I am a plant witch.)

[ablackwomansurvivingrape]

Resources for Male Rape/Abuse Survivors: Articles,Books, Webpages and Blogs

Articles & Links

RAINN’s Article on Male Sexual Assault

Male Sexual Assault

Men And Sexual Trauma

Male Rape & Assault: Dispelling the Myths

Myths about male rape

Silent Victims: Bring Male Rape Out of the Closet

RELATIONSHIPS; COUNSELING MALE RAPE VICTIMS

Sexual abuse of males, prevalence, possible lasting effects and resources

Male to Male Child Sexual Abuse in the Context of Homophobia

Treatment Needs of Sexually Abused Men

Female Perpetrators and male sexual abuse victims: Society betrayal of boys

Male Rape survivors

The Hard Truth About Girl-on-Guy Rape

Against his will: Female-on-male rape

Books For Male Rape/Abuse/Incest Survivors

Books for Male Rape Survivors

Male On Male Rape: The Hidden Toll of Stigma and Shame

Understanding Male Sexual Abuse: Why Male Victims Remain Silent

To the Survivors: One Man’s Journey as a Rape Crisis Counselor with True Stories of Sexual Violence

Echoes of Innocence - Survivor [Kindle Edition]

Male Rape: The Emergence of a Social and Legal Issue

Women Who Rape Men (Female Sex Predators)

Not Quite Healed: 40 Truths for Male Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse

The Male Survivor: The Impact of Sexual Abuse [Kindle Edition]

Evicting the Perpetrator: A Male Survivor Guide to Recovery from Childhood Sexual Abuse

Victims No Longer: The Classic Guide for Men Recovering from Sexual Child Abuse

Opening The Door: A Treatment Model For Therapy With Male Survivors Of Sexual Abuse 

Male Survivors: 12-Step Recovery Program for Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse : With Exercises for Personal Growth 

One out of Six and Many, Many, More: A Collection of Poetry from a Male Survivor of Sexual Abuse

In Cabin Six : An Anthology of Poetry by Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse

Adult Male Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse

Silent Rage: African American Boys and Sexual Abuse [Kindle Edition]

  Blogs and Pages for Male Rape Survivors

Breaking the culture of silence-a place for male survivors to share experiences, connect, and heal. You are not alone.

Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse 

MenWeb - Men’s Voices: Surviving and Living Male Survivors of Childhood Sex Abuse

Mpower- Supporting Male Survivors of Abuse

Male Survivor- Overcoming sexual victimization of boys and men 

Living Well Resource for men who have been sexually abused or assaulted 

Men Raped Support Forum

SurvivorsUK -Help and counselling for male survivors of rape and abuse in the UK

Mankind- Resources and support services for male survivors of sexual assault and abuse

[art-angelsz-deactivated20170721]

super extra important so reblog this rn

[diycraftsnmore]

[theescapadeofwitchcraft]

Reblog if your a LGBTQ Witch(or Ally)

Where are you all at? :) Looking to make some friends

[skullbrook]

An oak hex sign I’m painting for my house to hang in the living room. Each acorn with the white oak leaf will represent the solar holidays and the red oak leaves will represent the fire holidays to complete the wheel of the year. I will post a final picture once it’s complete, but I’m really excited about this project so I wanted to share it now. It will be hung as a diamond with midsummer at the top.

[everythingfox]

Silver Fox, emphasis on silver. This is definitely the night time fox.

Photo by Tracy Munson

[skullbrook]

I've seen a couple of these around my neighborhood and have made a small shrine in my yard to ask for their help in watching my house.

[heaveninawildflower]

Illustrations by Patten Wilson taken from ‘Field and Woodland Plants’ by William S. Furness.

Published 1909 by Longmans, Green & Co.

University of Connecticut Libraries.

archive.org

[skullbrook]

Just some small wildflowers in my yard. Ground Ivy.

[skullbrook]

Green witchery

Excited about getting my garden squared away this year. This is the first time we've been able to garden in a plot now that we own a house. Looking to try the three sisters for corn, squash and beans. Anyone have any suggestions or words of wisdom for that method?

[sacred-seidr]

Spice Rack Magick:

Allspice: money and good luck

Basil: wealth and good luck

Bay Leaf: purification, health, and strength

Chives: protection, absorbs bad vibes

Cinnamon: prosperity, happy homes

Cloves: protection, stops gossip

Dill: security, money; frightens away unwanted creatures

Garlic: protection, purification, exorcism

Ginger: power and prosperity

Lemon/Lemon Rind: breaks up negativity, healing

Mace: increases psychic powers

Mint (Leaves): prosperity and protection

Mustard Seed: fertility and safe houses

Orange Rind: energy, vitality, and health

Parsley: purification, protection

Peppermint Extract: cleansing, purification, and protection

Rosemary: healing, love

Sage: wisdom

Thyme: sleep, courage; promotes good health

Vanilla Extract: love, passion; stimulates mental powers

[vayas-witchcraft-and-spiritual]

Ingredient - Honey

Magical Properties

- Honey can be symbolically used to stick things together. It can be used in binding spells, adding stability to relationships, and put on poppets. It’s good for binding spells because it can be undone fairly easily too. - It’s used similarly to sugar; to sweeten a person or situation to work in your favour. - Honey is an excellent offering to gods and spirits. - A dab of it can be used in attraction, love, lust, and sex magic.

Medicinal Properties

- Honey is great for cold and flu treatment. Raw and organic honey is preferable as it is an antibacterial and is high in antioxidants. - It can be used in an ointment for treating wounds, burns and cold sores. - Honey will help in muscle building; a teaspoon of raw organic honey after a workout can induce an insulin spike, allowing your muscles to get the most out of the workout. - It can be used as a weight loss aid. Honey can cause changes to the metabolism that will help curb sugar cravings. - Honey is also an excellent hangover remedy.