The Cunning Wife

I took a little journey to the unknown, / And I come back changed. I can feel it in my bones.

[pokemon-personalities]

i jumped on the bandwagon… I’m leafeon!!! tag yourself :>

[naturalpalettes]

[st-chair-deactivated20220103]

japanese vs finnish

Japanese: hai, aisenai - yes, not love

Finnish: hai, ai se nai - shark, oh it’s fucking

[patthepatpat-deactivated2020051]

japanese vs polish

Japanese: daisuki - I really like you

 Polish: daj suki (you say it the same way) - give me bitches

[justanotherpurplebutterfly]

I love language

[thingsfromthedirt]

[womenintheirwebs-archived]

the one problem i have with people my age and younger is that a lot of us do not have hands on hobbies. like i have spoken to so many people my age who go to work, go to school and then fuck around on their phone/computer for hours and then ???????? like no wonder ur depressed and have low confidence in urself. u need to get ur hands on something, feed those dopamine receptors! learn how to play guitar, garden, scrapbook, fucking make model trains. i don’t give a shit, MAKE SOMETHING!!

it feels better than drugs when i finish making a thing—and then show it off or gift it.

and then so people my age say to me ‘well—i can’t draw/paint/knit/etc. like you can. my stuff would be terrible.’ yeah, well duh—a part of developing skill is sucking at something and then practicing it over and over and over again until you suck less. u’ll have a hard time feeling lonely or bored when you can’t stop thinking abt a technique you want to try or something you want to make for someone else. making things has SAVED MY LIFE. it gave me a reason to keep living day after day when i wanted to die.

making things improved my generational relationships (when i worked for the newspaper i would talk to customers abt jamming recipes or cross-stitch, one of my grandmas always gives me pattern books and tell me abt when she knitted things for mom, my other grandma is giving me a wedding quilt that HER grandma gave her 50 years ago because she knows i will appreciate it). it also got me likeminded friends who also make things.

take a ceramics class! pick up water colors, bake cakes! learn to work on cars! make soap. DO SOMETHING THAT DOESN’T INVOLVE STARING AT A SCREEN.

[allthingschristmasandwinter]

[queerqueerwitchcraft]

Thought on land spirits

Maybe land spirits are generally suspicious because they don’t trust settlers.  How can settler-witches have a land-based praxis on occupied territory without acknowledging the genocide that has taken place on the soil? I think spirits suffer from colonial trauma as the land does, and has indigenous bodies do.   Perhaps acknowledging traditional territory when you make your offerings to the land would help.  Marcii.

[thelaughingmandrake]

As an animistic witch, I’ve observed instances where spirits are outright hostile due to the fact I’m a settler-born person. Not all, but plenty of instances where they’ve sent things describing their disdain for me. It’s the same reason why folklore has the native European spirits being extremely hostile to Christianity. Trolls hating churches, elves showing dislike for Christians, familiar spirits asking their cunning ones to revoke god. Those spirits equally found themselves in a similar situation, where a group of people or philosophy encroached on their lands and led to them being ignored or demonized, or their people violated or forced to abandon their old covenants with the land. It’s why American witches must be extremely mindful with the land and its history. The land and those wights that occupy it don’t forget.

[saint-of-the-pit]

Sacred Trees and Their Virtues

 From “The Black Toad” by Gemma Gary.

ALDER           The Alder may be employed to provide protection and oracular virtues. This tree was sacred to the Druids. The pith is easily pushed out of green shoots to make whistles. Several shoots bound together by cordage, can be trimmed to the desired length for producing the note you want and used to entice Air Elementals. The old superstition of “whistling up the wind” began with this custom.

APPLE           Another sacred tree to the Druids. Use apple cider in any old spells calling for blood or wine. Apple indicates choice, and is useful for love and healing magic.

ASH           The Ash is a potent and famed aid to all workings of healing and may be employed for acts of protection, curse lifting, love and divination. A Druid sacred tree, Druid wands were often made of Ash because of its straight grain. Ash wands are good for healing, general and Solar Magick. Put fresh Ash leaves under your pillow to stimulate psychic dreams.

ASPEN           The Aspen is protective and healing in virtue.

BAY           The Bay is to be planted by the threshold to impart a protective influence upon the home, in addition to its leaves being bunched to hang inside the house as a charm for the same, and for the blessings of good health. The Bay is also of oracular virtue and is burned upon the hearth fire so that the behavior of the leaves may be read. Placed beneath the pillow upon retiring for the night it will induce good and prophetic dreams.

BIRCH           The protective nature of the Birch may be harnessed by the presence of bunches of its twigs which are kept to drive away evil spirits. Known as Lady of the Woods, Paper Birch and White Birch. Carefully gather strips of the bark at the New Moon. With red ink, write on a Birch strip: “Bring me true love.” Burn this along with a love incense, saying “Goddess of love, God of desire, Bring to me sweet passion’s fire.” The specific name of a god/goddess may be added. Or cast the bark into a stream or other flowing water, saying: “Message of love, I set you free, to capture a love and return to me.”

BLACKTHORN           The dark Blackthorn is of highly defensive virtues and an unrivaled ally in the works of blasting or ‘Owl Blinking’. Also harnessed for its virtues and potency for blessing, fertility and power. Blackthorn is a winter tree. Its white flowers are seen even before the leaves in the spring. It is black barked with vicious thorns and grows in dense thickets. The wood is used in the cudgel shillelagh and Blasting Stick. Its thorns are used to pierce waxen images. Blackthorn indicates strong action of fate or outside influences that must be obeyed.

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[witchesuncensored]

Which practices are closed besides Hoodoo/Voodoo? Because now it seems like a lot of Witchblr is sort of shutting off all practices like Seiðr. And only non racial practices like Wicca and the general "witch" is being left open. Just want to be careful not to go into any space I'm not supposed to be;;;

[themudangx]

korean shamanism is initiatory, so semi-closed.

[thecunningwife]

No, seidr is not closed. No one really knows the details of how it was historically practiced, so there are traditions with their own ideas and methods (the techniques of which could be closed, but only inasmuch as you're trying to align yourself with a specific tradition). Seidr in and of itself is open.

[thecunningwife]

Magical Animals in European Lore: Horses – The Cunning Wife

I turned Stumbling in the fever of a dream, down towards The dark woods, from the kindling tops, And came to the horses. There, still they s

New blog post up!

[oldfarmhousefallfeatures]

https://www.instagram.com/pixelkids/

[everybidenjusthavegoodtime]

*releases pack of dads into home depot* go……be free

[hotcommunist-deactivated2019032]

invasive species encroach on lesbian territory

[dreaming-shark]

This is a common misconception because they’re such similar environments, but you should be aware that dads are native to Home Depot, while lesbians are actually native to Lowe’s. At this point, however, both dads and lesbians have made themselves at home in both Home Depot and Lowe’s to the point that trying to separate them back into their original ranges would probably do more harm than good to the delicate ecosystem of large chain hardware stores.

[badpsychicadvice]

Hello, my name is Doctor Soulsong Starbreeze Windhaven, and I’m here to tell you about a special dietary supplement that, along with this groundbreaking new meditation technique, will energize and attune every cell in your body to constantly hum the melody to Enya’s Only Time.

[sanicdahedghog]

LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT MONTEREY BAY SPICE CO.

You need herbs in bulk and you don’t have a lot of money? This place has your back.

Here is the first order I received, ¼ pound bag each of sage, bay leaf, rosemary, basil, sea salt, and cinnamon sticks. How much did all this together run me? $22. 

That’s WITH shipping. I am so ecstatic about this place and I figured that everyone needed to know about it. You can find their website HERE. They also sell teas, essential oils, glassware, spice blends, and all sorts of supplies. I love this place and it is now a valuable resource in my life

[stormbornwitch]

If you’re in the US I would recommend using this website.

[songs-of-the-east]

Traditional Polish village homes decorated with floral motifs

[lady-lutra]

Idk, I’m kinda bummed that in all this talk of cultural preservation in the UK at the moment no one is talking about Wales or Scotland.

I grew up thinking the Welsh language was pointless and that Welsh culture meant nothing because it didn’t exist… ond syndod (surprisingly) that’s because of the lingering effects of past decisions made by English government. My grandmother couldn’t learn Welsh at home or at school for fear of punishment, and Welsh-speakers were actively isolated in the South and areas where English-speaking people had more control; they couldn’t work if they spoke Welsh.

If effectively outlawing the language wasn’t enough, the government closed railways, deliberately declined industry that lead to chronic poverty, closed schools and until very recently refused to represent the Welsh people in government and in the wider culture- we have one TV station but who knows how long that will stick around. No one talks about the overt xenophobia faced by the Welsh as recently as the 1980s. It’s always brushed off as banter or rivalries that only exist when the two countries come together for sports (etc).

Since moving to mid-Wales I’m touched and moved by the importance of the Welsh language and local history to peoples lives and I hope to do everything I can to re-gain a sense of cultural identity around my Welsh roots. Only 19% of the 3 million who live here speak Welsh and the number is falling.

So I guess I’m sorry for the years I’ve trivialised Welsh history and the lack of importance of the Welsh culture within Britain. It means something to me to be Welsh and I endeavour to learn as much as I can about the language, history, and stories of this ancient land.

[lady-lutra]

Reblogging myself because our language and culture is under more threat than ever :(

[celt-punk-nation]

Ours too, we gotta work together on this…preserve the Celtic languages!

[mathan-na-mara-deactivated20231]

I refuse to stop fighting for international Celtic awareness. That’s why my blog exists. It began as a passion project to help with my Gàidhlig as well as learn about the other cultures and languages. Now it has evolved into me standing on a wee soapbox shouting about my love for and the importance of Celtic identities on the regular.

[nutsacktorturer]

Mongolians are cool because they’ve merged their traditional and modern ways of life so rather than having poverty due to losing all their important skills they just live in their yurts with their cows and 827474874mbs internet

[nutsacktorturer]

sure their GDP in dollars is low but when you can survive like your anscestors did it doesn’t mean anything, nothing wrong with adding a motorcycle and wifi into the mix

[hieronymus-botch]

Everyone should live like their ancestors did 1000 years ago but with the addition of wifi tbh

[the-everything-man]

Adapt. Survive.

[peredurthefool-deactivated20200]

Mongolia will be the only functioning society after we descend into the Mad Max Era, they are already ready

[mariesminnow]

Not to rain on everyone’s parade here, but despite how legitimately cool the intersection of modern and traditional life is in Mongolia, there is actually a major societal and economic crisis happening there right now.

The environment, which Mongolia’s largely nomadic population relies on, is being absolutely wrecked by a combination of global warming and overgrazing. Mongolia is currently stuck in a cycle of dry summers and extreme winters called a dzud. The cycle is unique to Mongolia and has happened in the past, but every year since 2015 has had a dzud. The result has been a complete environmental disaster for Mongolia’s nomads. Dry summers mean less food for starving herds and extreme winters mean the weakened herds freeze to death in temperatures reaching -40 degrees Fahrenheit. According to an article from national geographic, over 9.7 million heads of livestock were killed in 2017. 700,000 heads of livestock were killed in the first two months of 2018 alone.

The effect on Mongolia’s nomadic people has been severe. Here are some excerpts from interviews with local residents:

“We used to have four seasons, but now we only have three,” Batjargal told Nicholson. “Before, June, July, and August were warm and with rain. Different types of grass would grow, and the animals would get fat. Now, we have no rain and the wind dries up the grass. It is not what it used to be.”

           - from an interview with a local governor by national geographic in 2018

“We are trying so hard to keep them alive,” 50-year-old herder Bayankhand Myagmar says, talking about her dead sheep and goats. “But nothing we do is working.”

 Dogoonoo lives with 13 others in three small gers in Uvs Province. The 72-year-old started this winter with 230 livestock but 210 of those have died since January. "Watching the animals die is breaking us apart,“ she said. “But even if I have only one animal left, I will do everything in my power to keep it alive.“ 

           - from a bbc article in 2016

About one fifth of Mongolia’s population has abandoned the nomadic lifestyle and moved to Ulaanbaatar, the capitol, where they live in ger (yurt) districts which make up two-thirds of the city. The districts have no running water and since there is no electrical grid families have to burn coal and wood to stay warm. This has resulted in some of the worst air quality in the world, causing a wide variety of respiratory health issues, especially in children.

So people literally can’t live like their ancestors did 1000 years ago.

Here are some links:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/mongolias-nomadic-way-of-life-threatened-by-climate-change-neglect-modernity/2018/07/06/4a22490e-68cb-11e8-a335-c4503d041eaf_story.html?utm_term=.753ef5ef48ad

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35983912

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mongolia-agriculture/mongolian-winter-dzud-kills-700000-head-of-livestock-idUSKCN1GQ12L

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2016/mar/10/climate-change-mongolia-destroying-pastures-nomadic-herders-dzud

https://reliefweb.int/disaster/cw-2016-000004-mng

http://time.com/longform/ulan-bator-mongolia-most-polluted-capital/

https://eurasianet.org/mongolia-harsh-winter-wiping-out-livestock-stoking-economic-crisis-for-nomads

[saja-star]

y’all I live in mongolia right now and this place is incredible and the integration of traditional ways of life with modern technology is incredible, and I don’t want to be negative but saying “sure their GDP in dollars is low but when you can survive like your anscestors did it doesn’t mean anything” is just wrong. 

it means I have to wear a mask every time I walk outside because smoke stacks all around the city are pouring out black smoke thick as pea soup 24/7. it means most people can’t afford pollution masks. 

it means that when you get black lung from all the coal smoke it’s difficult to get adequate medical care. anything beyond a routine checkup and you have to drive to the capital, which can be days away over icy roads. it’s a bitch for everyone, but it’s especially problematic for sudden and urgent issues and for chronic issues.

it means there’s a broader issues of massive brain drain towards the capital and from there, to other countries. that makes it harder for anyone outside the capital to get access to good health services, quality education, etc. I’m not saying there aren’t smart, skilled people doing good work in other parts of mongolia, but there’s a huge disparity.

it means russia can fuck over mongolia as much as it wants economically, jacking up tariffs on mongolian minerals, and mongolia doesn’t have the power to do anything about it. mongolia’s economic problems are, in part, the fault of russian and chinese colonialism, and they make mongolia vulnerable to continuing colonialism from its neighbors. 

y’all preserving traditional ways of life is a+. but having money? that’s still real fucking nice