🖤QUINN🖤 @urlocalwitchyho - Tumblr Blog

Fun DIY Mouse & Rat Toys!

Easy, made at home ways to keep your pet mice and rats entertained! Never let your animal become to bored, as it can lead to depression and negative behaviors.

Newspaper Huts: Tear an old newspaper into strips. Dip the strips in a bowl of water and then drape them over a small, overturned bowl, thoroughly layering the wet strips. Set the bowl aside to let the paper dry. When dry, the newspaper should slide off together and form a sort of hut. Cut a small doorway, and hooray! A hiding spot/new area to explore/ destroy-able object for them to play with! Use different size bowls to make different size huts.

Gym Class: Be sure to always provide wheels, as in the wild your pet you potentially travel miles every night. Make sure the wheel is large enough that your pet’s spine does not have to arch. If their back is arched it’s time for a new wheel. If your cage is wired, run ladders and ropes from shelves or within reach for your pets to climb and scurry along. Ropes and ladders can be strung from aquarium lids as well, but that requires getting a little inventive and figuring out what works for you. Ropes can be made from twine and other safe sting/rope and ladders can be made with clean, new, unused Popsicle sticks and Elmer’s non-toxic glue. Get creative with your ideas.

Tunnels: Mice love toilet paper rolls, and they are the perfect size for them. Put treats in the middle and then stuff each end with toilet paper or some sort of burrowing material that way they have to work for the treat, and then have material for their nest as well. Rats are too big to fit inside of toilet paper rolls, but love working at them when you put treats inside. For rats you can buy them large PVC type pipes or those ferret tubes. (OKAY, so everything on this list isn’t quite free. But its much cheaper than buying specialty toys from pet shops.)

Burrowing: Rodents love to burrow. Burrowing can be a little hard to provide for mice, since you can’t exactly let them free roam an area like rats. A good option is taking an old tissue box, removing all the plastic, and then stuffing it with bedding and hits of hay and tissues. Leave it loosely packed, (and hide a few treats in there.) Instant success. For rats you can provide a similar option, or fill a tub with old cloths, shredded paper, cardboard, ect. Toss in a few treats and let them go to town.

Pinatas: Grab a couple paper towels and layer them over one another. Put a few small, non-perishable treats in the center. Gather the paper towel up and tie it with string, and then hang it juuuust within reach of them. You can also experiment making them with the paper-mache method used on the huts above.

Houses and Huts: Your rodent needs somewhere to hide and somewhere to play. An easy way to home make a house is with new Popsicle sticks and non-toxic Elmer’s glue. You can make simple boxes or teepees or castles. Just be sure that it is sturdy, and if it starts to show signs that the glue is wearing off you should remove it for repairs or replacement. Make sure that roofs and upper levels have the necessary support that they may need.

Hammocks and Tunnels: If you have any sewing skill, you can make hammocks and tunnels to hang in your pets home. Fleece is a pretty safe material, and the possibilities are endless.

Parrot and Bird Toys: At my local wholesale/discount store I can find parrot and bird toys that are usually marked down to $1 or less. Ratties and Mice love to climb on them, swing from them, and generally just destroy them.

Chew Toys: Rodents have teeth that need a lot of wearing down. A good way to do this is to provide them with chew toys. Dog milk bones, safe, untreated wood, hard-shelled nuts, uncooked pasta. Take a stroll down the rodent aisle at your local pet store and see what sort of ideas you can come up with. Be creative! Just be sure to double check any materials you use are safe.

Hanging Snacks: Remember those necklaces you probably made as a kid with cheerios and fruit loops? Mice and Ratties love those too. Take a string and thread on popcorn, dried fruit, cheerios, cherry tomatoes, nuts, dog treats, any safe treat you can get on a string Hang high in the cage and watch them go to work. Hang above ladders and perches to give an extra challenge.

Toys Made For Other Pets: You’re at the Pet Store and find a wooden bird perch for ridiculously cheap. If you have a wire cage that can provide another level of climbing and fun for your pets. The smallest size kong toy can be filled with treats and given to rats, (just watch that they dont chew it up too much). Cat toys can provide your little furry friends with hours of fun, (Once again, watch for chewing)

Use your imagination. These things are all fairly simple and take little to no time. The possibilities are virtually endless to what you can provide your pets with. Remember, you control their world. Don’t make it miserable. Provide them with the best life imaginable.

rappsrats

Lots of useful tips for rat and mouse owners.

aesethewitch

Personal protection doesn’t have to be complex or difficult. I rarely do any kind of elaborate working to cast protections over myself and my energy. Instead, over the years, I’ve adapted the mundane everyday activities in my life into a net of protection that I naturally renew every day or so.

Here are some of the things I do to protect my energy every day:

My dresser and closet are warded and charmed so that I can easily choose an item and activate the protection of every item I put on. (I’ll publish a post about the method for charming a piece of furniture at some point.)

When I add sugar and milk to my coffee, I am adding sweetness and richness to my day. Before I drink it, I offer the first taste to my house spirits in return for their protection for the day. (You could do this with your deities, ancestors, etc.)

If I’m looking for a boost to my protections for the day, I’ll have a hearty breakfast to keep my energy up. This usually includes eggs, toast with peanutbutter and a jelly of some kind, and turkey bacon since these are things I associate with a good day and extra energy. You can replace these with whatever you like as long as you’re cooking and eating with the intent of protection and boosting your energy.

Greet the house plants and rub the leaves of the plants whose energy I would like to carry with me (usually this is rosemary, basil, and the spider plants for me).

I rarely leave the apartment without a hat on. As I choose one (to match my outfit, of course, but also to match my mood and goals) and put it on, I will trace a circle around it and activate the same protection that my other clothes hold. This is my version of veiling; you can use scarves, headbands, bandanas, sunglasses, or even the hood of a jacket or hoodie to the same effect.

The best defense, in my opinion, is a good offense. When I know I’m going to be around someone I can’t stand or who has a history of invading my boundaries, I’ll carry a nail or screw that’s been anointed with something spicy - often pepper-infused oil or spicy pickle juice, since that’s usually what I have on-hand - to mark myself as “Not An Easy Target, Asshole” and repel their efforts. I recently added an anointed clothespin to my favorite denim jacket that’s holding a patch in place (a heart that says “nope”) for the same effect.

To help absorb extra energy, especially in crowded environments, carry something absorbant. Usually this is a piece of kitchen sponge for me, but you could do this with a small potato also, a la @lazywitchling!

I don’t wear perfume, but I will occasionally make a simple herbal spray to spritz my coats and shoes with protective energy. I have a recipe for this coming soon!

Speaking of shoes, to give myself another boost of protection, I’ll place a sigil in the bottom of my shoe. This could be a piece of paper or a pencil drawing directly on the inside, depending on the shoe.

These are just the everyday things. It’s important to me that I use what’s around me in my home so that I bring a little bit of home with me everywhere I go. It’s my main source of comfort and power as a hearth witch.

Pretty much everything I’ve mentioned here will have a separate “tutorial” or recipe post at some point, so keep an eye out for those things! :)

jessimoonflower

Fire Cider Herbal Folk Tonic

Fire Cider is an age-old remedy, folk tonic, used by generations as a remedy to ward off colds and flu’s and boost the immune system.

“This magical and simple tonic was coined “a health tonic that was created back in the 70′s by an herbalist named Rosemary Gladstar, and lots of people swear by its ability to keep their immune system in tip-top shape.” via greatist.com.

This folk remedy inspires us to take our health back into our our hands, going back into the kitchen to create our own medicine is such a beautiful creative process. It is truly inspiring to learn that we can become our own wise women, we can be our own healers. We are inspired and empowered to remember that nature provides us with the medicine we need to not only survive, but to thrive! ❤ Nature is medicine, plants are medicine, our food is medicine and fire cider is just that!

“Fire cider is used to prevent and treat colds by supposedly boosting your immune system. It’s also claimed to improve blood circulation and digestion, among other benefits…” via healthline.com

Stimulating our lymphatic system as well. This is an easy, non-expensive way to stay healthy and empowered by creating your own nature’s medicine. Most of these ingredients can be found in our very own kitchen cupboard, local grocery stores, and even in our very own backyards.

“Certain ingredients used in fire cider have been shown to offer immune system benefits. For example, garlic and cayenne pepper have anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties, which may be beneficial to the immune system.” via greatist.com.

Vinegar is a great extractor of vitamins & minerals, as well as a detoxifier of toxins. Don’t forget to be as creative and experimental as you may like, follow your intuition, maybe you would like to add various immune boosting herbs such as but not limited to: dandelion, echinacea, or nettles! Infuse your tonic with positive, loving, healing intentions, as you create your wellness remedy.

Image credit: Madison Safer

saboramii

Te for la ‘rona 🌱 🍵

*do your measurements intuitively & I like to make enough tea for at least a day*

In blender: Blend 1 part garlic, 1 part ginger, 1 part onion, a tad water and a shot of apple cider vinegar (optional). It’ll turn into mush.

In a pot: water, 1 part cinnamon sticks, 5 whole cloves, 1 part powdered tumeric or grated fresh tumeric. Add whatever herbs or tea bags you got—I used echinacea, lemon balm, chamomile, gordolobo (mullein).

Simmer on low for at least 20 mins. Add your herbs at the end and steep for 10-15 mins.

Strain some steaming tea from the pot into your cup + add 1 spoonful of mush from blender to your cup.

Drink 4-6 cups a day or very 2-4 hours. It is helping with bringing back sense of taste and smell.

Baño for la ‘Rona 🛀

Draw a hot bath, as hot as you can take it homie. Add 7 cups of Epsom salt, and as much dried rue, mugwort and eucalyptus as you want.

Turn the light off and listen to a 15-30 min meditation. Don’t pass out.

Bathe everyday, if you can, as long as you have symptoms. Omg it’s so amazing for the body aches! And virus’ hate high heat (which is why our amazing bodies create fever). Seriously que milagro. 💚

🙏🏽 feel better

imllhumanity

An herbalist shares step-by-step instructions for making your own natural remedies at home. Whip up therapeutic creams, oils, and salves with these 6 herb-infused recipes.

broomsick

Pagan affirmations

The Gods are real

The Gods are there for me

The Gods know my struggle

The Gods forgive

I am human

I make mistakes

I learn

I heal

I grow

I am capable and strong

I act and achieve

I know myself

I honor the Gods with everything I am

I am enough for Them

spirits-child

What are epithets & their importance

if i got anything wrong feel free to correct me + add info! and as always let’s ignore my bad grammar, english is not my main language.

Huhuhuhuhu thanks to my history teacher and librarian for inspiring this post. There’s always a muse out there.

So today while my classmates had a heated debate on Zeus (act surprised) I realized most of them didn’t know what an epithet was. I mean, they are not into the greek gods as i am (I worship them, duh) so it’s no surprise they don’ know, but I also realized many baby hellenic polytheist might not know either. So here I am, you’re non-gender-conforming godparent giving you one of the most basic lessons when it comes to the gods.

The gods are not plane, they are round, they have multiple faces, they are deities, not just characters from myths and books

When I first started I didn’t know what the hell an epithet was, I was always so confused when they said Apollo Lykheos (lets pretend this is not the only epithet i know by memory) and then Apollo Phoebus because I thought they were different deities, to my disgrace I had no one to explain it to me.

So what the hell are epithets?

Literal definition of epithet: an adjective or phrase expressing a quality or attribute regarded as characteristic of the person or thing mentioned.

Let me give you an example: A friend of yours loves reading, they love it so freaking much, so one of your teachers is like “oh pepito the reader”, it’s obvious that pepito is a reader.

Now examples with deities. Demeter Chthonia (of the Earth). WHAT DO WE ASSUME KIDS?! That Demeter is an Earth deity. Duh. And like that with all the deities.

It’s basically a title the greeks gave to their deities, my mom calls it as “specializations” or aspects. Now, what’s the importance of this epithets, titles, specializations, whatever you wanna call it?

Because they give the gods multiple faces that give us a context of what they are, which we will never fully know because the gods are complex beings. An example, Zeus has the epithet Stratios (Of War) but he also has the epithet Meilikhios (Merciful).

Another utility I find is the one of giving us an idea aside from what the myths tell us. The people who attack so ruthlessly Zeus surely haven’t read his epithets, have they?

So next time you’re going to say “OH X DEITY IS SUCH AN ASSHOLE, THEY DON’T DO ANYTHING POSITIVE (add any bs people say)” em… don’t?. Research first, if they were so terrible they wouldn’t have epithets and groups of worship saying how amazing they are.

Learn about epithets, it’s important, it’ll give you a new idea of your deities, new aspects of them… please please do.

I hope this was not as confusing as I think it is…. good luck kids!

thecorefather

anyone wanna come with?

traegorn

Beginner Witch Tips

Fight a God. Just go for it, dude. Why not. If you fail, just keep trying until you either win or the god gives up and moves on.

Learn to cast some protective wards. That god has friends, and they're going to come for you. You best be ready.

Curse your enemies. Do it. Destroy them all. Make them pay. Everyone's like all "Don't start out by cursing people! Boo!" and I'm like, those people should get cursed too.

Try to befriend a Crow. You'll probably fail, but crows are neat.n Why not give it a try?

Pace Yourself. Like sometimes take a break, read a book, and maybe have some tea. You can't just sprint your whole way -- you gotta rest too.

Curse your enemies again. They are your enemies and they deserve it.

Buy a neat hat. Seriously, no one tells you to get a neat hat -- but you should. Neat hats are neat.

kilimiria

Hand-painted wedding suit, 2020

I wanted something unique to wear to a wedding, so I painted a second-hand suit with symbols celebrating love, nature and the union of the Stars with the Moon. This took me about 30h to complete, but I love the result (More pics)