My name is Damien and this is my spiritual sideblog. Here I talk about paganism, witchcraft, and I also shitpost about anything vaguely pertaining to those. I also occasionally talk about language/linguistics on here.
I do not respond to/post fundraisers. I also [likely] will not respond to DM's, especially if we have not interacted much before. However, feel free to say hi in my inbox :)
Bigotry of any kind is ridiculous and will not be tolerated. This is not an 18+ only space, however, I ask that minors do not DM me, and be warned that mature topics may be posted.
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i hate to hand it to sir lancelot of the lake of all people but unfortunately retreating into the woods when you’re feeling insane actually does make you feel more normal
humans will see a soft cellulose plant material or downy animal coat and say is anyone going to twist that staple fibre in order to make a cohesive thread and then not wait for an answer
Seriously, spinning as a craft is ancient. Archaeologists recently discovered three-ply fiber that’s around 46,000 years old, blowing the previous “oldest fingers” out of the water by thousands of years.
But get this: It’s made from fucking TREE BARK. Can you imagine the dedication, foresight, and experimentation involved in figuring out how to harvest and spin that? On top of everything, it’s also lace weight. What the fuck, Neanderthals?
it’s very cool that neanderthals managed to get yarn out of bark fiber, but i think you might be under the impression that all tree bark is like, oak, or sycamore, or something, and only exists in ‘thick chunk of wood’ or ‘flake of wood’ form. but there’s lots of bark like elm and cedar that peels away from the tree in long, tough strips, like so:
like, look at it. it’s string. it’s obviously string. you don’t actually have to be a genius to look at this and think ‘ah! string time :)’
i’ve picked up shed pieces of elm bark on a golf course, stripped and combed out the fiber with just my fingernails, and started hand-twisting good strong cordage right then and there as i walked. you don’t even have to soak it first, though i think if you want finer/softer cordage it helps to soak, beat, and comb the fibers.
the people of the pacific northwest, where there’s so many cedars, developed really wonderful textiles out of cedar bark fiber, pounding and soaking and combing it a bit like linen. i’ve never gotten to touch any, though i’d really like to.
Many plant fibers can be used to make cordage. Here I'll demonstrate how to process different kinds of plant fibers from the inner bark of t
here’s a whole page on all the different stems and barks that can be used for cordage! how cool is that?
so, not to denigrate the skill and intelligence of ancient people, but if you already know how to hand-spin grass and hair, then spinning bark is an extremely obvious and easy thing to do as soon as you encounter the right kind of bark.
A question I get asked a lot while working at a public library is "how do you deal with homeless people?"
And the answer is, we don't.
The unhoused people who come here seeking refuge 99% of the time understand that they will be kicked out if they misbehave.
The people you have to watch out for are Jessica, who only came because the kid she didn't want had to visit for a homework assignment and she just *needs* to yell at her child for asking to borrow two books or stay an extra five minutes, or Michael, who came in to look at porn on our computers for whatever fucking reason, or Karen who just wanted to come by to throw a fit that the particular book she wanted was checked out and harrass our staff about our collection being too limited.
99% of the time, the people we need to ban are middle to upper-middle class white people while the homeless and mentally ill/disabled people mind their own damn business and are honestly some of the best patrons we have.
I bring this up because today we had a man come in. He stopped at the desk, pulled up a chair and said "I'm newly homeless and was living in my car. I'm disabled. It was impounded. It's raining. I don't have a phone and I don't know where to go tonight."
And we did what we could to help. He was incredibly kind and patient despite his obvious anxiety and stress, more than most able bodied, housed patrons are to us under much less dire conditions. I liked knowing that we were the first place he came.
We have so many people like this who come in everyday. Many are quiet and keep to themselves, but sometimes they talk to us.
They tell us about how they're taking a few courses on a scholarship they applied for from our library's computer at the local community college to get their diploma. Or ask about a manga or dvd or book we might have to help them pass the time.
One woman, who comes in daily with her tattered walker always says hello to me and likes to work on the new jigsaw puzzle with me when we set one out.
So like, treat unhoused people like people. Treat disabled people like people. I don't want my library to feel like the only safe space in the world, but I'm glad it can be one of them.
I'm so sick of hearing about how "the homeless are ruining everything" when they are some of the kindest, most respectful people here. Sometimes they mutter, might not have had a place to shower, and might need a little extra space for their backpacks but that's FINE. It Doesn't Matter Actually. None of that is a problem or any of my business to care about (unless they request help/services), and I also don't think it's any of yours.
libraries provide vital and lifesaving services and i will die on the hill you have to let people who are mentally ill and disabled and homeless and politically disagreeable to you still access those rescourses. its simply too important to society
Use weirder shit in your spell work. Use your cats shed whiskers for luck and stability, use paperclips and staples for connections and bindings, use the loose feathers from your pillow to represent rest and dreams, use burnt through matches to represent closure and ending things. Do you guys see the vision or nah
I recently saw a skit on YouTube where someone said that they have religious exemption from using Ai for theyre job and then I realized that I actually do have a religious exemption from using Ai. Im a witch. I am a worshipper of earth. I pray to the deities of the world. I harness the power of nature. Ai does the opposite. And I want nothing to do with it
Legal experts say employers must take AI-related religious objections seriously, as a 2023 ruling raised the bar for denying such accommodat
You would not be the first! So yes, go for it!
"Maus, a Unitarian Universalist, said she proposed the special treatment in April, citing environmental and ethical objections to AI that don't align with her religious beliefs. She also said she consulted an employment lawyer and her local chapter's minister to help make her case."
"The technology has also recently drawn scrutiny from Pope Leo XIV, who warned last month that AI could undermine human dignity and displace workers if left unchecked, in a more than 42,000-word encyclical.
Some people have interpreted the pontiff's letter as grounds for religious objections to using AI in the workplace."
The world is violent and mercurial — it will have its way with you. We are saved only by love — love for each other and the love that we pour into the art we feel compelled to share: being a parent; being a writer; being a painter; being a friend. We live in a perpetually burning building, and what we must save from it, all the time, is love.
"Learn the fundamentals first" seems like really sound universal advice, and as a former classical musician, I can vouch for it. You will have a more solid foundation for increasing complexity if you put in the time to study in a structured way. If you don't, you'll have a lot of shit to fix later.
As a former music teacher, I can also say that "learn the fundamentals first" is the death knell for a vast percentage of beginners, especially adult learners.
I've run into this with drawing several times, where some well-meaning artist has lectured me on needing to study anatomy properly or not use shortcuts like CSP brushes. And oh, believe me, I know. I know exactly how to learn an artistic discipline in a structured way. I just...don't want to!
The thing is, I'm not aiming to be a professional artist. I want to draw my gay little anime guys. I would undoubtedly improve at art much faster if I approached every gay little anime guy drawing as a study exercise. But I would also have quit drawing a decade ago if I couldn't just let myself enjoy drawing imperfect fucked-up little guys with whatever shortcuts I needed to body myself across the finish line.
With my adult piano students, my approach was always "What's your goal?" If their goal was to learn exactly one Elton John songbook to play at parties, then...that's what we did. We'd put tape on the keys to label the notes, and just fuckin go for it. Learning exactly one Elton John songbook is a good and noble musical goal, full stop.
Some of my students needed and enjoyed a more structured approach to learning; if they wanted to be able to play classical music, then yes, scales were going to have to enter the equation at some point. And yet others would learn the Elton John songbook, catch their white whale, and realize they wanted to explore more of the ocean. The scales were still there for them to learn!
Often the choice isn't between "learn art well" and "learn art imperfectly" - the choice is between "learn art imperfectly" and "don't do art at all." To which I say, learn imperfectly! Or, what the hell, don't 'learn' art. Just do, and enjoy the doing of it.
You have official permission from your local pretentious classical music snob: fuck the fundamentals. You can always unfuck them later (but only if you want to).
I hear analysis that Loki betrayed the gods in the mythology stories but i read it as sometimes what happens when you build a community and don’t watch out for everyone.
In all myths where Loki betrays the gods. Loki is first kidnapped and tortured into an oath. He keeps his word on forced oath and in return help fix the problem he caused.
The gods failed Loki because he went missing, no one noticed or rescued Loki before he’s forced into an agreement. Loki is left to be tortured. They were quick to get their apples and hammers however. Cared more about golden hair than a person in their group.
I do wonder if Loki snapping at the gods is result of someone who while in a community was not treated as equal, was not cared for, often abandoned to violence. The rebellion that happens when someone is not treated as equals.
On topic of demonology and practices based on what’s considered ‘profane’ or bad in a practice or religion.
The norse pagan or heathen version is more complicated.
Overall the religion is still very unknown to us as it essentially stopped being worshipped and changed completely with knowledge lost completely. Any and all mythological texts were written centuries after conversion and adapted over that time to match that era worldview. The archeological evidence is more reliable but it doesn’t say enough to really recreate it exactly. There’s still too many gaps over time and location too, beliefs could have been looser between houses and tribes. Plus our lives are not the same as it was centuries ago. If i time traveled in my own country i would be a cultural stranger that far back.
As a lokean I often hear ‘you cant worship loki he’s evil’ but thats based on text thats not reliable. Archeology evidence is showing mixed signs where we do have potential objects and talismans. We do have place names and personal names and linguistics and later folklore that paints complex pictures of the god/spirit.
Same with giants. As someone growing up in uk giant folklore isn’t all ‘evil’ there are many where they appear as guardians over certain towns. Only considered bad to rival towns. Like loki some archeological or texts paint a more complex story. Especially since gods decended from giants (maybe too copying greeks and titans)
Loose reconstruction within pagan spaces is worse place to use dogmatism or ‘x is evil’. We often do not know. It helps to cite or argue why your perspective where possible
Also not everyone practices historic reconstruction. If your space does you need to make that clear and establish rules for upg. You need to explain your flavour of reconstruction and of you yourself decided rules (and not pretending it’s ancient law)
We should question or take opportunity in that if we are recreating or reconstructing a religion. Do we really need to have absolute evil as built in. Because we see reality of social issues this creates in society. Why can’t we reconstruct with contemporary philosophy and intellectual thought
Also, full-on reconstructionism is... Problematic, to say the least. At that point, we're talking about thralls and classism, and those need to stay in the past.
Hey idk who needs this but helpful reminder that "virgin blood" in any witchcraft shit that requires that means "virgin" in the same sense as "virgin hair" means hair that hasn't been dyed or processed in any way, natural in the default sense. So no, "virgin blood" doesn't mean blood from a virgin, just blood that hasn't been used for any other kind of witchy shit earlier.
Whether nor not someone has fucked before is completely irrelevant. Any act of fucking doesn't instantly make someone contaminated or un-magic any of their shit. You're just not supposed to re-use blood for blood magic. That's just not. Just do not. Like that's just weird who does that.
Unles you've like, poured out ALL OF YOUR BLOOD, used it for a spell, and then somehow SIPHONED THE WHOLE THING BACK IN, that doesn't mean the blood on the inside of you is also used. And even then, if you'd had your sacrifical blood IV'd back into your body-
actually nevermind, I need to draw a graph to illustrate:
WARNING do NOT start reading books and comics or watching movies or looking at art!!! you will start wanting to create art yourself. or god forbid. writing.
A Book of Creatures by @a-book-of-creatures doesn't update these days but is another thing along these lines, really huge, fully illustrated all by the author and cites all sources
