That Grandma Life

Practical wisdom for harnessing your power + unleashing your inner magic. Find me on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/thatgrandmalife

[thefrizzkid-deactivated20220425]

Kindness is a kind of magic ✨🌙

[pettydavis]

overpopulation is a capitalist myth. pass it on

[pettydavis]

housing crises dont just happen. theyre designed.

[themoufofthesouth]

Everyday people should not take majority of the blame for greenhouse gas emissions

[mojrim]

Famines are political, not natural disasters.

[khangi]

What Native people say about the use of sage: you can use sage, but you cannot smudge as nothing you are doing (waving sage around) is actually smudging. Smudging is a ceremony and you are, we promise, not smudging. Please buy sage from either us, or someone who sources the sage from us. White sage may not be considered endangered by the US government but corperate sourcing is making it difficult for us to source sage for our own religious purposes. Let alone to sell it.

What white people hear: never use sage ever, don’t ever buy it, don’t own it, don’t even look at it.

Look, y’all. There’s a couple of facets to my talk today.

1) Yes! You can buy sage! You really, truly can! Buy it from either native sellers (go to a powwow! Eat our food, buy our stuff, watch some dancing!) Or buy it from a seller who sources the sage from native people. Pick one. And no, buying it from 5 Below doesn’t count.

2) you CANNOT smudge. This isn’t just you “shouldn’t”— this is a YOU ARE INCAPABLE OF SMUDGING. Waving a sage stick around your doorways IS NOT SMUDGING. It is smoke clensing. Smudging, depending on the tradition and tribe, could easily have dancing and drums involved. You, as a white person, do not have the cultural BACKGROUND to even know how it works. At all. Period.

3) please, for FUCKS SAKE, stop making posts here on tumblr where you tell other white people about cultural appropriation and what they can and cannot do. Please stop, your license has been revoked because none of you bother to get the facts right. We native people are FULLY CAPABLE OF DOING IT OURSELVES. Consider instead: a) reblogging our posts where we talk about it! We’re here! We have made posts!! b) Making a post that states what we said and then LINKS BACK TO US. Screenshot with a link if you must. Stop centering your own voices in these conversations. You are already centered in everything, stop centering yourselves in a native space.

I’m tired of this nonsense, y’all.

Thanks for coming to my TedTalk ™

[nowyoukno]

[fangirling-so-hard-rn]

Crows are scary They

use tools

Can be taught to speak (like parrots)

Have huge brains for birds

like seriously their brain-to-body size ratio is equal to that of a chimpanzee

They vocalize anger, sadness, or happiness in response to things

they are scary smart at solving puzzles

some crows stay with their mates until one of them dies

they can remember faces

SIDENOTE HERE BECAUSE HOLY SHIT.  They did an experiment where these guys wore masks and some of them fucked with crows.  Pretty soon the crows recognized the masks = douchebag.  But the nice guys with masks they left alone.  THEN, OH WE’RE NOT DONE, NO SIR crows that WEREN’T EVEN IN THE EXPERIMENT AND NEVER SAW THE MASK BEFORE knew about mask-dudes and attacked them on sight.  THEY PASSED ON THE FUCKING INFORMATION TO THEIR CROW BUDDIES.

They remember places where crows were killed by farmers and change their migration patterns.

Guys I’m really scared of crows now. (q) 

[doctormemelordmd]

Yeah but have you seen this 

[stultiloquentia]

A colleague of my dad’s lives next to a lake, and looked out the window one morning to see a duck trapped in the ice. A crow swooped down. “Oh hell,” she thought, expecting carnage, because crows are opportunists. But the crow chipped at the ice with its beak until the duck was free.

[warwyrd-deactivated20170724]

Idk of this counts but a few crows saved me from a magpie swooping attack once ,they’re bros who can tell when magpies are being unreasonable and need to chill

[reallymisscoffee]

I love crows so damn much. When I was fifteen, I hit a pretty serious bout of depression, to the point I was in my room for months. Well, a family of crows made a nest in a tree outside my window. There were two parents and two chicks. One chick was healthy and strong. One was weak, and had a caw like something being strained. It sounded more like a rooster crowing and so my parents jokingly named him ‘Buck’.Well… months passed and Buck’s sibling was taught to fly. His parents focused on the sibling because the sibling was strong. The father stayed behind to try and teach Buck, but I saw him try to fly, fail, and crash to the floor. His father helped him back up into the tree.

Every day, I would watch Buck from my window until one day I opened it and started talking to him. He was small and gangly and he couldn’t caw right. His feathers were all over the place and I felt a kinship. So I made a deal with him. I told him that if he could do it, if he could fly, then I could find the strength to get up. Well… near the end of the season, after talking with him every day, I finally saw him get out of the nest. He went to the edge of his branch, braced himself, and jumped… and just before he hit the ground, he soared back up into the sky. I cheered harder than I ever had before.

That winter, Buck left the area. I was crestfallen. I felt like I’d lost a friend. But I was so damn proud of him. 

Cut to the next spring? I’m walking up the driveway one day when suddenly I hear a sound… a broken caw. I look up, and Buck is sitting in a tree above my head. He stared at me and puffed his feathers, then hopped down in front of me and cawed again. I was so damn thrilled, and I told him how proud I was of him. He ruffled his feathers and then soared off into his old tree. 

That summer? I heard two broken caws. One from Buck… and one from his chick.

Cut to ten years later? We have a family of crows who all have a very distinct caw and they come here and spend every spring, summer, and fall on our property. Buck still greets me every spring.

[ruggie-bucchis]

that last reply made me wanna cry. that’s so beautiful.

[avianawareness]

Don’t forget the Russian Crow SLEDDING DOWN A ROOF not once, but twice. 

[odpixel]

this one morning i kept hearing really loud caws, i remember it was like 5am, LIKE REALLY LOUD AND ANNOYING AND AGGRESSIVE, so loud that i could hear it through a closed window, and i eventually went outside to check it out. there was a crow on my front lawn, it had an injury on its head and couldn’t fly and there were two other crows circling right above it, and they were cawing like mad. 

i tried to get close and take a better look and one of them dived super low and tried to attack me. so i went back in the house and chopped some sliced raw meat and tossed it at him from a distance.

a few more times later, very soon after, they could tell i was trying to help, and did not attack me. i was “allowed” to walk up close and pick him up, he couldn’t drink water properly so i had to dip my finger in a bowl and stick it in his mouth.

i did this few times a day and it went on for about a week before he disappeared, i thought he recovered and left, but he came back the next day and lands on me, and i see him around the block quite often, and he would come sit on my shoulder for a few minutes and then fly away again. i feel like i’ve adopted a son.

[lilith-knight]

Best birbs !!

[221cbakerstreet]

your son is Beautiful and Strong

[solitarelee]

every time I see this post it has different crow stories and every time I reblog it again because all crow stories are good stories

[betheothergirl-deactivated20180]

Like, I wouldn’t want to be on bad terms with a crow, but they are a really smart animal, they aren’t scary You just want to be nice to them because they will know and they will remember, and they will pay you back if you treat them a certain way.

As a side note, I volunteered at a rehab (Hope for Wildlife), where they were rehabbing a crow with a broken wing–who was named Russell Crow. He kept pulling his bandage off so a sleeve was cut off some old clothing and put on him like a little sweater. 

[blackwoolncrown]

!!!!

[birbiebabies]

I don’t think I’ll ever not reblog this. This posts makes me cry and smile at the same time.

[gaymerlvl-pharmercy]

He’s so handsome!!

[hotcommunist-deactivated2019032]

a jay once gave me a piece of hair.

[thatgrandmalife]

Life loves moving along at its own pace. So often I think I'm ready for something and try and try to make it happen, only for everything to magically fall into place once the moment is right. Rest here. Let the path unfold as it will. Set goals that leave a little room for unknowing. We miss so much when we are always focused on where we want to be. Give yourself permission to be where you are. . . . #affirmations #anticapitalistlovenotes #selflove #selfhealing #selfconfidence #radicalselflove #loveyourself #healyourself #selflovecoven #motivational #positiveaffirmations #inspirationalquotes #radicalhealing #witchlife #witchtips #motivation (at Baltimore, Maryland) https://www.instagram.com/p/Brk-qfNHV0o/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1odgnbmhk8dm5

[ma-demoiselle-cherie]

[thebelladonnaboy-deactivated201]

[thatgrandmalife]

Did your parents teach you how to iron? If not, Ms. Bee is here to show you everything you need to know!

[thatgrandmalife]

Let's talk about #divination! I like to use different methods for different purposes: 🃏 Tarot helps me clarify my own thoughts + feelings when I'm unsure about a situation. I tend to avoid traditional spreads and instead get into conversation with the cards (my mom always gave me readings using the Motherpeace deck growing up and it remains my tried-and-true favorite). 🔮 Crystal scrying connects me to direct cosmic downloads. I never approach scrying with a question and instead allow the visions to speak for themselves. Ⓜ️ I'm still very new to runes, but I'm finding them helpful when I need guidance on how to proceed in a given situation. I often use them in conjunction with tarot or crystals when I'm like "ok I know what this situation is all about, now what do I DO about it?" One of my goals in 2019 is to make my own set of runes. ⚡ Divination is such a personal process that I rarely read for others. But I've had a few requests recently and it has been fun to see how much my connection to my intuition has grown over this past year. What's your relationship to divination? Do you have a favorite method? Do you read for others or keep it strictly personal? I'd love to hear your thoughts! . . . #witchesofinstagram #witchesofig #witchesofinstagram #greenwitch #hedgewitch #hexthepatriarchy #hexwhitesupremacy #sjwitch #sjwitches #spellwork #witchessociety #witchthings #tarot #crystals #fortunetelling #runecasting #tarotreading #witchlife #ipreview @preview.app (at Baltimore, Maryland) https://www.instagram.com/p/BrStuqCHPch/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=q0tbf8ke24m8

[thatgrandmalife]

Let's talk about #divination! I like to use different methods for different purposes: 🃏 Tarot helps me clarify my own thoughts + feelings when I'm unsure about a situation. I tend to avoid traditional spreads and instead get into conversation with the cards (my mom always gave me readings using the Motherpeace deck growing up and it remains my tried-and-true favorite). 🔮 Crystal scrying connects me to direct cosmic downloads. I never approach scrying with a question and instead allow the visions to speak for themselves. Ⓜ️ I'm still very new to runes, but I'm finding them helpful when I need guidance on how to proceed in a given situation. I often use them in conjunction with tarot or crystals when I'm like "ok I know what this situation is all about, now what do I DO about it?" One of my goals in 2019 is to make my own set of runes. Divination is such a personal process that I rarely read for others. But I've had a few requests recently and it has been fun to see how much my connection to my intuition has grown over this past year. What's your relationship to divination? Do you have a favorite method? Do you read for others or keep it strictly personal? I'd love to hear your thoughts! . . . #witchesofinstagram #witchesofig #witchesofinstagram #greenwitch #hedgewitch #hexthepatriarchy #hexwhitesupremacy #sjwitch #sjwitches #spellwork #witchessociety #witchthings #tarot #crystals #fortunetelling #runecasting #tarotreading #witchlife #ipreview (at Baltimore, Maryland) https://www.instagram.com/p/BrStUd4HXee/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1c8p1nxupxawd

[thatgrandmalife]

Let's talk about #divination! I like to use different methods for different purposes: 🃏 Tarot helps me clarify my own thoughts + feelings when I'm unsure about a situation. I tend to forgo traditional spreads and instead get into conversation with the cards (my mom always gave me readings using the Motherpeace deck growing up and it remains my tried-and-true favorite) 🔮 Crystal scrying connects me to direct cosmic downloads. I never approach scrying with a question and instead allow the visions to speak for themselves Ⓜ️ I'm still very new to runes, but I'm finding them helpful when I need guidance on how to proceed in a given situation. I often use them in conjunction with tarot or crystals when I'm like "ok I know what this situation is all about, now what do I DO about it?" One of my goals in 2019 is to make my own set of runes Divination is such a personal process that I rarely read for others. But I've had a few requests recently and it has been fun to see how much my connection to my intuition has grown over this past year. What's your relationship to divination? Do you have a favorite method? Do you read for others or keep it strictly personal? I'd love to hear your thoughts! . . . #witchesofinstagram #witchesofig #witchesofinstagram #greenwitch #hedgewitch #hexthepatriarchy #hexwhitesupremacy #sjwitch #sjwitches #spellwork #witchessociety #witchthings #tarot #crystals #fortunetelling #runecasting #tarotreading #witchlife #ipreview (at Baltimore, Maryland) https://www.instagram.com/p/BrStIl2nTNq/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1b9l18hr36aww

[fruitsaladchewits-deactivated20]

[millennial-review-deactivated20]

[violentwavesofemotion-deactivat]

Miguel Hernández, tr. by Robert Bly, from The Selected Poems; “Death,”

[allthingsshabbyandbeautiful-dea]

[thatgrandmalife]

I used to think that my ideas had to be 100% unique and original to be worth pursuing. I have a bad habit of constantly comparing myself to everyone around me and giving up the ghost as soon as I realize I've got competition. My scarcity complex runs so deep that it never felt like there was room for me to bring my ideas to life. My perspective has slowly begun to shift lately and I'm realizing that this is an incredibly self-defeating perspective. Capitalism teaches us that we have to fight each other for scraps of success, but in truth there's more than enough abundance to go around. My attachment to scarcity is simply an excuse to stay small. It gives me an out from working toward my Really Big Dreams. It protects me from failure because it never allows me to devote my attention to what I want to grow. I spend more energy on doubting myself than on creating. So I'm letting it go. And I can't wait to see what grows in its absence. . . . #affirmations #anticapitalistlovenotes #selflove #selfhealing #selfconfidence #radicalselflove #loveyourself #healyourself #selflovecoven #motivational #positiveaffirmations #inspirationalquotes #radicalhealing (at Baltimore, Maryland) https://www.instagram.com/p/BrNfZKjnfgb/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=12mw7s2tagt3t

[thatgrandmalife]

Forest bathing. . . . #witchesofinstagram #witchesofig #ritualbath #witchesofinstagram🔮🌙 #greenwitch #hedgewitch #hexthepatriarchy #hexwhitesupremacy #sjwitch #sjwitches #spellwork #witchessociety #forestbathing #forest #witchlife #witchthings #ipreview @preview.app #bmorecreatives (at Vermont) https://www.instagram.com/p/BrF5njVH19I/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=w9reie4dlap1