magical-glimpse

[magical-glimpse]

hello ! I recently saw your post about starseeds, and I wanted to ask a genuine clarifying question. as someone who is familiar with the otherkin, plural, and queer communities, I wanted to ask/clarify that the starseed identity is tied to new age spiritualism and the erasure of neurodivergence, and that the concept that one is divine / alien / celestial isn't what makes the starseed concept problematic ? asking because when I first saw the term I was imagining something like stargender or alienkin, but its obviously based on a specific ideology / mindset that is harmful and has harmful roots, more than a focus on an identity. is that understanding correct ? (which isn't to say that stargender, alienkin, etc aren't capable of problematic thinking or adhering to problematic ideologies based on their identity, but I hope you can tell what I'm asking.) I did a bit of my own research and it does seem like there is a distinction between alienkin and identifying as a starseed ? but that there is also potential overlap within the community.

this is coming from a genuine and confused place, sorry for the awkwardness. hope you are well ! - confused baby witch

@creature-wizard has a lot of resources on their blog and their pinned post on New Age and how it stems from a place of racism, antisemitism, white supremacy, and spiritual eugenics.

In a nutshell and as far as I know, otherkin is not the same thing as starseed. Starseed is a New Age concept, otherkin is not. I have linked some basic explanations for the origins and concepts of starseeds in my reblog here.

[magical-glimpse]

Practicing discernment: Some ways of testing and ruling out the mundane

As many folks in the witchcraft community say, "mundane before magic." That is, before assuming that your problems have a supernatural cause or require a magical solution, look into mundane causes and fixes first. So, I made a list of stuff to consider and try out before committing yourself to something supernatural/magical. This of course a generalized list, so not everything is going to apply to everyone. (The kind of people who get mad at a bean soup video because they don't like beans are advised to skip the rest of this post.)

(This is inspired by that bit of advice going around that's like, "If you hate everyone, eat", etc, which is very good advice.)

I know some of this stuff might sting the ego a little bit, but in all of my experience these problems really are super common among people who feel or suspect certain things. And a little kick to the ego is a lot easier to deal with than the fallout of completely detaching yourself from the real world.

If you feel like the apocalypse is near: examine your living and financial situations (are they stable?), cut down on your consumption of bad or politically-charged news, examine your childhood religious/political indoctrination, and socialize with normies more.

If you feel like you're under spiritual attack or you're constantly sensing bad energies: examine your unresolved tensions with people, work on your social skills (especially your ability to set and maintain boundaries), and examine whether you might have PTSD or C-PTSD (such as from childhood trauma).

If you're stuck on the idea of meeting your soulmate: work on your self-image, work on your social skills, and socialize more.

If you feel like a supernatural or divine being stuck in a mortal body: examine whether you might have autism and/or ADHD.

If you show symptoms of trauma but can't think of a reason you'd be traumatized: examine whether you might have autism and/or ADHD, whether adults were more supportive or invalidating when you were a child, whether you were more often included or excluded at school, and how stable and relaxed your home life actually was.

If you feel like you have a purpose presently unknown to you: build a skill or get into a hobby. Also socialize more.

If you feel called to be a spiritual healer or teacher: examine whether adults emotionally neglected or invalidated you as a child.

If you feel like the gods hate you: examine how your parents treated you when you were growing up, and examine childhood religious indoctrination.

If you feel like you've been cursed for a long time: examine whether you might have ADHD, autism, some form of mental illness, some form of chronic illness, poor social skills, or shitty doctors.

If all of the spells you cast seem to be weak: work on your self-image (including your faith in yourself) and work on your social skills (including your ability to set and maintain boundaries).

If you feel like there has to be a massive conspiracy or global deception: examine whether you might have some form of mental illness, consider childhood indoctrination (were you raised with highly polarizing or conspiratorial beliefs?) and socialize with normies more.

[magical-glimpse]

Friendly reminder to my anxious animist witches that while the tools and accoutrements of your craft may have an energetic signature that resonates with your intuition, and while you might personify them in your own perception, they are not sentient and they are not angry with you.

If you are experiencing feelings of guilt or anxiety connected to your pendulum, cards, wand, etc, that's coming from your own worry or an imagined sense of inadequacy, not animosity from the items themselves. If you feel like your tools aren't working properly, it's because there's some internal or external factor affecting your ability to focus, not because the objects are somehow refusing to work.

Please know that you are always enough and that your tools are extensions of yourself, rather than independently intelligent entities that might randomly decide to thwart you. If something doesn't work, it does not mean that you suck and everything is against you. It just means try again later. 💜

[magical-glimpse]

cant stop thinking about this this was sooo crazyyyyy

[magical-glimpse]

Watching the politics tag fill up with exhausted liberals talking about how they're too drained to keep resisting and no one should blame them for that and like. Yeah, you're right this sucks and you shouldn't be forced to do it to be treated as human and you shouldn't need to be able to be on and in activist mode all the time either and ALSO

I've been doing this since 2002. My mother did this from 1981-2015. My auntie marched in Alabama during civil rights and my childhood minister has been in resistence since the Vietnam war and has shown no signs of stopping as she collects civil disobedience arrests across all 50 states like badges of honor.

And you all are burnt out after 8 yrs of some of the biggest (and therefore LEAST DEMANDING ON YALL PERSONALLY) movements we've ssen in decades because you feel too poor and tired???????

My mama would go around to every grocery store she had friends working at in the valley and collect all the food they were gonna toss, then host educational salons where she fed everyone in the neighborhood and performed innoculation work. She was a single mom raising a deeply disabled child ALONE on a salary half that of her male coworkers you think she had money? You think she had TIME????? NO!

If you are tired now, I'm sorry to be harsh, but it is BECAUSE YOU DID NOT LISTEN when you were told you needed to settle in for the long haul. You DID NOT LISTEN when organizers shared with everyone their practices around self-care, specialization, community care, and communication, and you spent the last 8 years burning the candle at both ends in person and online with no regard for the actual WORK only for your own fear and feelings of reassurance.

This will never sustain change. I'm sorry. I truly am. I never wanted this for anyone who came after me and I have so much grief that it's here. But I also do not have time to force yall to fucking listen to us when we talk.

Stop trying to assert that only the wealthy and energetic resist. Anyone I see doing so will be bitten repeatedly until fucking dead.

[magical-glimpse]

ur so lazy with the tarot asks ☠️

i know that patience doesn't come easily to those suffering from addiction... and can make them act careless and immature in moments of withdrawal

maybe put your phone away for once and focus on healing 😉

[magical-glimpse]

Hello, chicken! I am interested in knowing your opinion on the meaning and purpose of correspondances. How does one go about charging correspondances? Are they charged with energy or intent or a combination of both? What would you say is the exact role of correspondances in a spell?

Good morning! I found this ask thread from @traegorn to be interesting, you might like to check it out :) I want to link this because I think my views are less common, and might be less helpful.

As it's discussed in that linked thread, dealing with correspondences very much comes down to personal belief. My beliefs are deeply rooted in animism and spirit work. I will do my best to not be too long-winded, but since you asked me, here are my opinions on the matter:

I believe there are different ways to accomplish magic. A person might cultivate personal energy, and primarily accomplish magic through secular energy work.

Another person might accomplish magic purely through creation of sigils and hypersigils without ever using correspondences.

Another person might work magic by praying psalms and using folk methods like a stone from the garden and a bucket of water, but the stone is used to hold sickness and isn't worked with as a proper correspondence.

Correspondences are not necessary for all forms of magic, even within witchcraft.

If that is the case, then why use them? And if you can use objects in magic without them being correspondences, then what makes something into a correspondence?

My beliefs are that something becomes a correspondence when it brings its own unique and vital imprint into your spell (vital in the alive, animated sense, not in the necessary sense).

In other words, a correspondence adds active influence to your spell that wasn't there before.

A common belief about correspondences is that they hold a sort of pattern, like a cookie-cutter or a resin mold. The sorcerer then manually raises their own energy (or perhaps they channel energy from the earth, or sun, and so on) and pours this energy into the physical correspondence. The correspondence then patterns or shapes this energy into a new resonance - one that supports the intent of the spell, of course.

Another common belief is that there is no inherent meaning in any natural thing; there is no inherent cookie-cutter or resin-mold properties in the object at all. Rather, it is the practitioner's own beliefs about the correspondence that shape energy that goes into it. Once again, it is the sorcerer's job to manually charge the object so it becomes suitable for spellwork. In this belief, you can see that the practitioner's own belief systems and intent play a much larger role.

In most cases, there seems to be a shared understanding that the correspondence must somehow be worked over in order for it to become prepared and suitable for spellcasting.

If you share these beliefs, then correspondences may be charged in any number of ways.

Manual energy work: The sorcerer exerts their will upon the world and manually raises energy and puts it into the object. (I don't have a really proper guide, but I have a couple helpful posts: Employing Power Therein | Basic Shielding [Step-by-step tutorial])

Passive charging: The sorcerer places the object in the presence of a free-flowing power (very often, this is the sun or the moon) and either anticipates that the correspondence will be automatically charged, or works some charm or spell to influence power to go into the correspondence. The sorcerer then comes back at some later time and collects the object.

Gathering empowered things: Objects found in the world around us may already be imbued with magical power. A sorcerer might collect rain water, a very special-seeming stone, or harvest from a powerful plant. Special steps may be taken to ensure that the power does not leave the object upon collection or storage. In this situation, the practitioner does not need to charge the correspondence at all.

Prayer: The sorcerer petitions some higher power, including a concept of the Higher Self (although I don't see this one often any more, maybe it's fallen out of style?), ancestors, gods, and so on. For example, someone might ask Hekate to bless the correspondence with magical power.

Visualization: The person simply imagines that the correspondence is imbued with energy (I have reservations that this often doesn't work, especially if visualization is not combined with any actual energy work or magical actions).

Transferring energy from candles or incense: The sorcerer might waft incense over the correspondence, or hold it within the warmth and light of a candle flame, perhaps while repeating a charm intended to transfer power, employing visualization, and/or energy work.

To answer one of your questions directly, Anon, if you believe that it is your personal intent which is shaping the energies, all of the above steps should definitely be combined with intent.

I do not believe that intent alone does anything. Just like I don't believe visualization alone does anything. So my opinion is that charging must always be done with energy, but depending on belief system, you may or may not need to combine that charging with intent.

However, even if you believe that natural objects carry inherent metaphysical structures that shape energy, you might still want to include your intent. For example, rosemary is commonly believed to correspond to both sleep and cleansing. A person might want to focus on their intent to use rosemary for cleansing while they are charging it, so they don't put themselves to sleep instead.

I believe all of the above "works" on a magical level. I think it's hazardous for any person to try and modify their beliefs to explain external magiospiritual systems, but none of the above is counter-indicated by my own current beliefs.

However, the above is not currently how I deal with correspondences in my own practice (although I have in the past, and may some day again).

As I developed a greater need for meaning in my practice, I found the above paradigms to be spiritually unsatisfying. I questioned if there was supposed to be anything more. It made the world feel a bit empty to me, I suppose.

I had thought there was supposed to be power in nature, but apparently there wasn't; or if there was, it was somehow within the earth but not within the plants and stones I wanted to use - because it was my job to "raise" that power and put it there, and these plants and stones themselves were apparently interchangeable with a ceramic mug for all the inherent meaning they carried.

So the above theories just faded out for me into a puddle of nihilism (I've got them back, now; but for a minute there it really didn't work).

In the interim, my practice significantly evolved and became almost exclusively spirit-working. Now, the paradigm I use to work with correspondences goes something* like this:

There is inherent power in nature, which flows upwards and outwards from the underworld (or innerworld, if we like - same thing. It's the primary source of power for some types of witches).

Correspondences - a sprig of rosemary, say - is or was the literal physical body of a spirit, flowing upwards and outwards from the underworld.

As a spiritual being, rosemary has a personality, skills, and interests. He likes to do certain things, but not other things. He is able to do certain things, but not able to do other things. This is why he corresponds to some things, but not others.

Unless harvested under special means, once a sprig of rosemary is harvested, the living spirit stops tending to it: it withdraws its power. Why would it bother with what is gone when it has its own life to live? (this also goes for rivers, stones, and so on)

In order to gain the aide of rosemary within a spell, the spirit must be evoked back into the harvested sprig. The spirit is called with praise, petitions, and offerings.

In order to employ the aide of rosemary within a spell, the spirit must be given instructions or a purpose, or asked to do specific things.

Because all things take energy, the rosemary spirit must be supplied with energetic offerings (perhaps through the avenue of energy work, or with food offerings, and so on), or else the spirit will have to draw on their own reserves to assist.

(*Please be advised that this summary is painted in broad strokes for the purposes of explaining correspondences and is not meant to be a full-fledged standalone explanation of any complete magical praxis or belief system, because it is definitely not that)

Note that even within this substantially shifted view, there are still practical similarities:

The correspondence must still be worked over in order to "activate" it.

Intent (in this case, "instructions") is still required.

A supply of energy must be provided.

So my answer to the question of what the exact role of correspondences is, is this:

Correspondences can be active links to the power of the underworld. They are active links because they are vital spirits.

Their role in spells is one of community, friendship, business, or diplomacy.

They help us because they love us, or they get something from us, or for any number of reasons.

They are fed instead of charged; they are evoked instead of imprinted.

They are friends and allies. They are alive.

[magical-glimpse]

I really don't think animism is that easy of a worldview to adopt, actually, either that or I'm just bad at it

Shortly after embracing the animism worldview, and this is a true story, I had a meltdown over whether or not my soup spoon was mad at me for not asking it for permission to eat my lunch.

Witchcraft and spirituality are supposed to make you empowered, you say? Nonsense, I say. Try being paralyzed over your increasingly soggy bowl of cereal because you're too exhausted to perform spirit work to request permission from cutlery. That's real witchcraft.

And if I asked the spoon for permission, what did that say about my treatment of the bowl? Of the milk?

I think people treat animism sort of as paganism lite, like you get all the mysticism and wonder of everything being alive, without actually having to like pick a pantheon and research specific gods and spirits. Sort of like easy magic - all you gotta do is believe.

I'd actually like to propose that adopting a worldview that everything might be alive is in fact terrifying and requires a lot of forethought, integration, and personal development in order to internalize in a way that makes your life better instead of worse.

And after several years of soul-searching, experience, and a heaping dose of UPG, I've come to the following conclusions that has helped animism move away from a destructive force in my life and into a stable platform that inspires harmony and communication.

Here are my thoughts on it. Take what you will and leave the rest behind.

No, not everything is alive.

The reasons why I believe this is a whole metaphysical discussion, but no. Not everything is alive. Plastic sporks mass-produced in a factory are inert hunks of matter. There is no point in that process where the spork gains a soul.

(Mass-produced tarot decks, runes, wands, pendulums, spirit boards, etc., roll off the factory line with about as much soul as a spork does, by the way)

In fact, not even lovingly hand-crafted things are automatically "alive," not even lovingly hand-crafted magical tools.

It actually takes a lot of work to imbue life into an object, so much work that it's not easy to have happen on accident.

This ain't a post on how to alive an object, but suffice to say if you've really set your heart on it, it's not that complicated.

It's just also not really that easy to do on accident.

You can use your magical bell, wand, tarot deck, etc., for years, and they will simply never become alive.

Spiritual life doesn't "just happen" just because you interact with something a lot and involve it in a lot of energy working or magic or whatever.

You are not in a perpetual mating dance with your magical tools. They are not in a state of permanent ovulation. You are not the spirit of divine fertility. You're not going to accidentally put a soul into your tools.

Objects can appear to gain personalities and aliveness, but that doesn't mean they're actually alive or sentient.

I'm not sure if this is necessarily discussed enough, but an energy reader's (/spirit talker, same thing really) personal beliefs play a huge role in how they personally perceive the energies and spirits they're interacting with.

For example

If I tell you, "spirits are not real, even things which appear to be spirits are just complex layers of energy that, like a computer program, can mimic life," (and you believe me)

There is a really heckin good chance that even if a fully-formed spirit being approaches you and says, "hey, I'm the spirit of that tree over there," you'll just say, wow, this pattern of nonliving energy has a call-and-response inquiry style; I can ask it questions and due to its friendship-oriented programming, it will give me responses back. Neat!

Or, on the other hand,

If I tell you, "spirits are incredibly real, in fact literally all energy is just a spirit in one form or another, and every object and living thing and area and concept you can imagine has a spirit within it," (and you believe me)

There is a really good chance that even if you encounter a very typical, mundane, and nonliving energy pattern , you will say, wow, this is a very precious and smol spirit, its favorite color is red and it likes being taken care of. It's alive in every meaningful sense of the word!

When, in reality, you are anthropomorphizing a nonliving object and reframing this has warm, cozy vibrations into "this object has preferences and needs," which is exactly how we get to having a panic attack over forgetting to ask your spoon for permission to eat cereal.

Which is all to say, just because objects you regularly use may gain unique energy signatures and repeatedly respond the same way under the same circumstances does not mean they are alive, any more than a baseball bat making a loud sound when it hits a baseball means that the baseball bat is alive and yelling.

Even if things are alive, it doesn't make them complex or self-aware

I just don't know how to step this out because it seems incredibly self-evident, but people really are out here acting like just because something is imbued with spiritual life it gives them the depth and mental complexity of a very advanced brain, like a pig or a dolphin or a 45yo human from Fresno, California.

You can, through willful magical action, imbue life into a tool. But that doesn't spontaneously create a self-aware, fully-formed being with a human-like mind.

Spiritual life can be as simple as a single-celled spiritual organism that eats one kind of energy and poops out another kind. Just because it's alive doesn't mean it's psychologically complex and emotionally advanced.

Even if it's complex and self-aware, that doesn't mean it has human concerns or needs

So the problem comes when people decide that all life must in some form or another reflect their own personal understanding of the human condition, so if something gains sufficient complexity it must mean it's essentially human.

Which is how we get to, "now that I've ensouled my tarot deck it will feel taken advantage of unless I take it out on a friends date and watch a movie with it, because it's a complete human trapped in a deck of cards. My tarot deck prefers Film Noir and fruit-palate desserts, and needs me to be a good listener."

(Protip: spirits can take many forms. Just because a spirit appears to you as a human doesn't necessarily mean it is human)

And because people really do believe stuff like that, they then get to, "oh my god, I wasn't performing mindfulness enough while I took my tarot deck out to the park, it's offended at my inattention and that's why my readings aren't working,"

Because there's nothing better than your spirituality making you feel like you're the problem friend desperately seeking approval from a group of cool kids who could take you or leave you.

If your animism makes you feel like you have to prove yourself to inanimate objects, it might be helpful to reconsider your worldviews.

The idea that anything could be alive is not the same as everything is alive, and even if everything is alive, the spectrum of aliveness shifts greatly from a single nonsentient repeating pattern, to bona-fide biological organisms.

Animism can be a wonderful worldview that encourages us to consider that the world around us is imbued with life. But that doesn't mean that your socks have opinions about your feet.

(inb4 "but this isn't what historical animism is, real animism was agreed to by our ancestors in a prehistoric Zoom call and there's only one right way to do it!")

[magical-glimpse]

Sources of Power in Magic

I have recently been educated on this topic, so I thought I would share. I am familiar with three basic sources of power when it comes to magic.

Thaumaturgic Power

This power comes from the witch themselves. It is when you make things happen by adjusting the threads that weave the world around us. An example of this is casting mental magic, doing a spell with no plant-spirits or earth-spirits (herbs and crystals), or the creation of amulets and talismans which you charge yourself. The ‘pros’ of thaumaturgy is that you just need yourself, and nothing else to rely on. A thaumaturgist improves themselves first. The ‘cons’ of pure thaumaturgy is that you are left alone, without allies to help you if the going gets rough; in addition, some people just don’t have much power and can’t work up a good storm if they need to. Another important 'con’ is that some people do not believe their magic will work without the aid of gods or spirits, which sort of stunts the DIY ideal of thaumaturgy.

Theurgic Power

This power comes from mighty spirits, such as gods. Theurgic magic can be impersonal – for example, you just select a god that rules over what you need to change. Other times, witches will have a deep and personal connection with the god they petition for magical change. The god is petitioned, sometimes with gifts and offerings, and their presence is often evoked in spells. It is hoped that the god will take notice of the witch and choose to act on their behalf. The 'pros’ of this system, from a magical standpoint, is that if you succeed you have a god working on your side. There is not a whole lot that can beat that. The 'cons’ of this system is that gods are not so easy to rouse. Even people with a highly personal connection with a god may not be able to attract their attention or benevolence on demand. Of course, experiences vary – it is not my place to say if a god will or will not help someone. Another big 'con’ to this system is that some people, such as myself, feel uncomfortable petitioning gods for things unless it’s really, really important.

Familiar Power

Familiar power could go by many names. We could call it 'relationship power’, 'ally power’, 'spirit power’, or 'friendship power’. This is the power a witch accumulates by having positive relationships with familiar spirits – including the classical witch’s 'familiar’, but also spirits which are familiar to the witch. Examples of such spirits would be plant and mineral allies, animal spirits, land-wights, the dead, fey, and sometimes saints, angels, demons, and other religiously affiliated beings.

We can differentiate 'familiar power’ from 'theurgic power’ by considering the familiar spirits to be our neighbors and friends, while gods may be considered as vast and powerful beings which are disconnected, to a degree, from our worldly concerns. A familiar spirit may understand and appreciate our needs in a way that gods do not.

Relationships with familiar spirits are build on mutual respect and trust. If you ask the basil plant to help you with a money spell, and in return use some of that money to buy plant food for your basil, you have established a two-way relationship of giving and taking care of each other. A witch who works with familiar power is necessarily a spirit worker, although he or she may not realize it at the start. I was granted gifts by the plant spirits I worked with long before I realized they were spirits at all. These spirits, while they may eagerly aid in spellwork, can also aid in other aspects of our lives, such as teaching us divination or herbalism, helping us write spells, giving warnings of danger, watching over us during soul flight, aiding in attack or defense, and even taking care of situations for us before we realize there is a problem at all. The 'pros’ of this system is that familiar spirits – if the relationship is properly tended – are willing and ready to act on our behalf for any of our human needs, and they can certainly perform amazing feats. In addition, a witch with many familiar spirits is no longer 'alone’ and forced to face issues on their own. The cons to this system is that it does take a great deal of work to maintain all your spirit relationships, and for those with 'spirit anxiety’ it would probably be very stressful to have a house full of spirits, even friendly ones.

Which One?

The good news is that we don’t have to choose between one or more 'types’ of power. A successful magician could be able to wield all three of the varieties listed here, even together in a single spell. This does not mean you need to worship or petition gods, or use spirits, to be successful. But if your primary goal is powerful sorcery, you may wish to broaden your sources of power.

[magical-glimpse]

Zine #10 - The FAFO Method of Learning and Mastering Magic

Download the print file here.

[magical-glimpse]

Saw a post pointing out that the idea of a Saturday-Sunday weekend is in itself cultural Christianity being applied to the whole “secular” world, that in Israel the weekend is Friday-Saturday and in some Muslim-majority countries the weekend is Thursday-Friday or only Friday (in others it’s Friday-Saturday as well.)

Anyway to make a truly secular and inclusive world I propose a Monday-Wednesday work-week and a Thursday-Sunday weekend. I think anyone of any or no religion could all get behind this.

[magical-glimpse]

The ceaseless work of trying to love others as you wish to be loved, eclipsed only by the work of trying to love yourself as you wish to be loved.

[magical-glimpse]

it's that time again! looking for new blogs to follow so please like or reblog if you post about:

witchcraft

video games

anime

cars

cute animals

nature

space

photography

nostalgia

retro anything

tysm!

[magical-glimpse]

Resource Masterlist (aka the soup)

LAST UPDATED OCTOBER 14 2022

disclaimer: most of these will pull up my reblog, not the original link. this is in no way me trying to take credit, but it was just easier and more efficient to get the links this way.

if you see your post on here and would like it removed or credited in a certain way, send me a message. i’m more than happy to do that!

this will be continuously updated. click the original post to check if the date has changed.

you can also search “updated version” in my blog to pull up the most recent edit

Gardening + Gardening DIYs

Urban Gardening 101: Heirloom Seeds

Guerrilla Gardening

Seed Saving

Vegetable Growing Cheat Sheet

How to create a bee-friendly backyard or garden

Harsh Winter Gardening (look in notes)

Gardening for Climate Resilience

Sustainable Lawns

Farming While Black

Free Seeds

App for Finding Florida Compatible Plants

Forest Gardening

Making a Dead Hedge

Gardening with Plastic Bottles

Acquiring Gardening Soil

Financially Accessible Gardening w/ Native Plants

General DIY + Non-Sewing Activities

Book: Making Stuff and Doing Things

How to Make Paper

Feeding Birds

Recording Stuff with A Cassette Recorder

Moss graffiti

Dying Fabric with Plants

Plarn (Plastic Yarn)

- Plarn Idea

Wii Gay, U Crimes (nintendo hacking)

3DS & Wii Hacking Guides

Cooking/[Finding] Food

Cooking for Dummies (made up title)

Feeding Large Groups

Where To Dumpster Dive

Frugal Eating Resources

Finding Communal Fruit Trees

Dumpster Diving Legalities

Urban Foraging Safety Advice

Testing Ways to Eat Acorns

Repair/Mending/Sewing

Mending PDF Resources Drive

Free Sewing Patterns that Adjust to your Measurements

Mending Basics

Visible Mending

Cleaning Clothes Tips

Mending Silk

INDEX: Sewing, Mending and Crafts

How to Make a Scrap-Pieced Belt

Accessibility and Mending

Mending a Notebook

Adapting Clothes for Disabilities

Make Your Own Socks

Situational Tips

Small Ecopunk Things You Can Do to Make a Difference

Living in An Abusive Situation Tips

Safety Planning

Bedbound Activism

Coping With Extreme Heat

Accessing Banned Tumblr Posts through IOS

Preparing for a Job Interview

How to Prepare to Die

Thrifting Online Tips

Inspirational Posts

Little Free Boxes

Climate Change Checklist Example

Pallet Bench

Communal Ideas to Change Your Neighborhood

Giving Away Shop

Solarpunk Fashion Inspo

Cottagepunk/ecopunk activities

Shopping

Indigenous Shops Masterlist

More Indigenous Shops

Ultimate Guide to Buying a Bra

PCs over Apple Computers

Misc. Resources, Lists and Google Drives

Solar Energy Stuff You Can Do Now

Mutual Aid App

Replacing Google & Internet Privacy

Youtube Videos on Life Skills

An Anarchist Free Herbal

More Google Drives to Movies, TV Shows, and Books

PDF Textbooks

An Intermediate Guide To Solarpunk: Activism, Vision, and Sharing Ideals

Random Solarpunk Resources

Solarpunk Anti-Boredom Activities

Resources on Ecosocialism

Free Online Courses

What Foodbanks Want

Get Your Vitamin D

DBT Workbook

Baby Punk Masterlist

Want to Learn Something New in 2022?

TooGoodToGo

(Legal) Access to Books/EBooks

The Current Political Spectra

Self Managed Abortion

Supporting Protestors

Resource Doc for Supporting Black Lives

War Anxiety Self Help Resources

Preparing for an Ecologically Unstable Earth

[magical-glimpse]

Pick A Pile - Who is your inner Huntrix idol? ⊹₊⟡⋆

Pile 1

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Pile 2

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Pile 3

Hi lovelies 💖 , welcome back to another Pick A Pile! I'm like so excited for today's reading, been so obsessed with Kpop Demon Hunters. So get ready for a long yap session haha! Also it's my first time doing a PCE reading so any feedback will be great! <3

(had trouble posting this, turns out it was just formatting error, i was so upset 😭, and i promise the next Pick-A-Pile will be part 2 of the classic literature quotes to describe your fs, click here for part 1!)

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Without further ado, let's get started!

Trust your intuition, pick the pile that calls to you most (header image), and let’s see what guidance the cards have to offer. Remember to take what resonates and leave what doesn't! ♡

!! Disclaimer: My readings are for entertainment and insight purposes, they are not meant to substitute advice from professionals, please consult professionals in cases of physical, mental health, legal, finance, etc. Please do not copy or redistribute my content, thanks! 🫶🏻

Pile 1 - Rumi (The Caregiver)

9 of swords 8 of wands reversed The Devil

Kpop idols: Irene (RV), Taeyeon (SNSD), Jisoo (BP)

Your inner Huntrix idol is Rumi! Just like her, you are both fierce and tender. You are both the leader and the glue of the pack. You love and treasure your loved ones so much and you will give everything to see them happy. You are so charismatic and charming, a natural born leader and everyone you meet is drawn to you, they love how you are genuine and down to earth. You make them feel so welcomed and that you’re approachable, perhaps even the perfect person to exist in their life, ambitious and someone that can make things happen. They admire you for that. Rumi’s weapon being a sword only enhances her elegance and poise. A weapon normally used by the main character, you embody the main character energy: perfect, elegant and clear-headed. You are disciplined and precise with your actions. You help others cut through their mental fog with your sword.

Yet, beneath that perfection, is a hidden side that you may be scared to show the world. The imperfect version of you, the shadow version. You may be caught up in being perfect, that you may have a hard time being vulnerable with the people that you are close to, you don’t want to appear weak in front of people that love and respect you. In a sense, you are being chained to the prospect of being perfect, and ironically, it’s limiting you instead of helping you grow. You may tend to overthink, especially your image, how will others perceive you when you do this or that. There’s no freedom in your actions, and when that vulnerability is exposed, you may feel naked or bare, and that’s probably the worst fear, not just for you, but for everyone.

As mentioned above, you help others cut through their confusion with your swords, but you don’t allow people to help you. There could be a hint of loneliness in your heart, maybe you feel that no one will be able to understand what you’re going through, that’s why you fear opening up, which could be why you may feel a little disconnect with people sometimes, feeling like you never truly belong.

You’re ambitious as well, as mentioned above, as it’s a very good trait to have. You want to aim for the top and you are so very willing to put in the work, but there could be a tendency to be a little impulsive. You want things to happen quick and you will put in the effort to make it happen, but it may come at the cost of both your mental and physical health. They may not be able to keep up with the work you’re putting in. You want to carry everything by yourself as you feel that it’s your responsibility (especially if you hold a leadership position), but sometimes, the weight gets too heavy.

Your inner Rumi gently encourages you that it’s ok to rest sometimes. You need a break sometimes too. It’s also ok let down your guard and be a little imperfect sometimes. Imperfection is what makes us humans. Don’t be afraid of the potential judgement what may come, in fact, people will all the more respect and find you relatable. You may even find that letting down your guard and opening yourself up helps you to connect deeper with others as well. Let others help you out as well, you don’t have to bear all the burden of carrying everything on your shoulders. And you deserve all the love that’s coming to you, so be open to receiving it with grace! Treat yourself like royalty, your inner Queen/King deserves it.

“Waited so long to break these walls down  To wake up and feel like me  Put these patterns all in the past now  And finally live like the girl they all see”  - Golden (Huntrix)

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Pile 2: Zoey (The Lover)

6 of Pentacles The Empress reversed Strength reversed

Kpop idols: Yeri (RV), Hani (EXID), Chaeyoung (TWICE)

Your inner Huntrix idol is Zoey! Just like Zoey, you’re the life of the party, the social butterfly. You are so bubbly and happy, it seems nothing can keep you down for long. You face every challenge with an optimistic mindset, believing that you and your group of friends will overcome everything and anything that stand in your way. You are practically the soul of the group, people LOVE you. You love to crack jokes and make everyone around you happy. You are like their super supportive little sister/brother. Zoey’s weapons are multiple daggers as well, therefore she loves to get close and personal with people, just like how you may genuinely want to be friends with everyone you meet (unless they give off bad vibes that is).

You love to give, especially to your loved ones. You love to support them wholeheartedly and seeing them succeed and happy, but sometimes you have a tendency to over-give for validation. You tend to be a people-pleaser as well, giving all your energy and effort to over-compensate for something else that you are unable to give or do, in order to feel accepted into a group. Perhaps this may be your ‘defence mechanism’ when you’ve faced the experience of being disconnected with a group of people, especially your loved ones.

You want people to like you, not because you like attention or anything, but because you probably hate confrontation. You don’t like to fight, it brings in negative energy from your past experiences. In a sense, you are the peacemaker of the group, trying to soothe conflicts for other people. Which could be why you may have the tendency to try and please people as much as you can, sacrificing your own voice and opinions in the process trying to tell people what they want to hear. This also leads to you being very careful with your words, perhaps not able to get your true opinions out. And because of this, you may not be taking care of yourself properly, trying to avoid conflicts. It may and probably will get draining to keep watching what you say so you don’t upset people.

Which brings me to link back to Zoey’s weapons, the daggers. When faced with a fight (with the demons), she uses quick movements to fight them off close ranged, almost like she’s deflecting rather than fighting head on, which still gets the job done but she’s not exactly facing the problem head on. She prefers to deflect a conflict than confronting with the person head on. She’s also known to be the cute, goofy and the little one of the group, her true self shadowed by her looks and outer personality. And that true self only comes out when she starts rapping, her true voice and feelings that were unspoken.

Likewise with you, your inner Zoey gently encourages you, don’t be afraid to voice your true opinions. Don’t try to deflect a conflict just because you don’t want to fight, stand up for what you believe in bravely. Don’t hide your true self and instead, let it shine brightly. Most importantly, put yourself first. Prioritize yourself first before helping others. And it’s ok to let people fight sometimes, that’s how people reach a mutual understanding. If the fight gets too heated, you can gently try to step in and cool them off, give them advice but try not to be their peacemaker as much. They need to learn to make peace on their own. Sometimes, you need to protect your own energy as much as you want to help others protect theirs.

“I broke into a million pieces, and I can't go back But now I'm seeing all the beauty in the broken glass The scars are part of me, darkness and harmony My voice without the lies, this is what it sounds like Why did I cover up the colors stuck inside my head? I should've let the jagged edges meet the light instead Show me what's underneath, I'll find your harmony The song we couldn't write, this is what it sounds like” - What It Sounds Like (Huntrix)

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Pile 3 - Mira (The Rebel)

3 of Cups Page of Cups 9 of Swords reversed

Kpop idols: Lisa (BP), Jessie (solo), Cheetah (technically a k-rapper not an idol haha)

Your inner Huntrix idol is Mira! You’ve got that rebel in you just like her! You’re someone who doesn’t like to fit into societal norms, you don’t like to change yourself just for that. Instead, you’re unapologetically you, and you’re loud with it. You don’t keep that side of you hidden, because why would you? Just like how Mira isn’t your conventional textbook kpop idol, her deep, raspy voice and her powerful rap that she does, she’s breaking the norms of the kpop industry. You’re like the no nonsense big sister of the group. You take care of everyone, making sure they’re all fed and healthy, and you will stand up for them whenever needed. You’re basically their ride or die, even when you don’t show it externally. You’re like their shadow warrior, protecting your loved ones in the dark. You love them despite their flaws and you will do anything for them.

As a rebel spirit, you love to explore as well, trying out new things and just living life to the fullest. There’s no point in holding back, you only live once! You don’t care about what others say about you or any gossips surrounding you. In a sense, you don’t let the negativity of others bring you down, and that alone, inspires so many people around you, especially the ones closest to you, as they get to see your almost true self.

And you’re so honest with them (and strangers too), you don’t like to engage in gossip and don’t sugarcoat whatever you say. After all, you don’t believe in gossip, you will say it to their face, and many people appreciate that. Just like how Mira’s weapon is a woldo that can pierce through anything and hit right into the heart of the demon, your words can too. Your words help bring clarity right to the heart of the problem. However, others may find you too honest that it’s too blunt that it may sound a little rude, and it could potentially ruffle some feathers. So it may help if you are able to soften some words, maybe instead of saying ‘this painting is bad/sucks’, you can try ‘this painting can be improved, followed up by constructive feedback’. But other than that, your inner Mira encourages you not to change, your honesty is possibly the best part of you as it bring clarity for people. You don’t tell white lies and give false hope to people, nor do you talk behind other’s back.

And while you may do everything to see your loved ones happy and satisfied, there may be a small part of you that is a little scared of letting them in and opening yourself to them, and maybe that bluntness in your words could be a shield for you, to prevent yourself from letting your guard down, even to your loved ones. Perhaps you’ve had a bad experience when you opened up to someone, maybe they betrayed or backstabbed you. Just like how Mira has a woldo, she prefers to keep everyone at arm’s length, not letting people near her. But inner Mira gently comforts and encourages you that it’s ok to be scared of opening up. But you have so many trusted friends and family around, let them take care of you just like how you take care of them, it’s ok to put down the spear. They will be happy to get to know you, even just a little bit better.

You may seem like you don’t have a care in the world, but secretly, you may be scared of judgement. You’re scared of people finding out that you’re ‘too much’ and you tend to tone down your ‘wildness’ or ‘craziness’ in front of people that you don’t know what well. It may come off as cold or aloof, even though it may not be your intention at all.

Inner Mira wants to remind you not to hide that wildness in you, don’t be scared of that judgement. In fact, people are more likely to open up to you more easily when you are comfortable around them. You don’t need to shrink or hide yourself, the people meant for you will never be afraid of your fiery energy, instead they will be warmed by it. In a sense, master the art of controlled wildness. To others, you may seem like a fun and crazy friend, but there it’s focused, not reckless. There’s a difference between wildness and recklessness, and a purpose behind it too. Know when to go all out and when to hold back, that will be your greatest strength.

“Called a problem child, ’cause I got too wild But now that’s how I’m getting paid” - Golden (Huntrix)

(I couldn't find matching images of Mira similar to the ones of Rumi and Zoey😭)

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This concludes the reading! Hope you enjoyed and the readings resonated with you! Leave a comment if it did, I would love to hear about what resonated with you! Feedback is always welcomed and appreciated as well! 🫶🏻

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Homemaking, gardening, and self-sufficiency resources that won't radicalize you into a hate group

It seems like self-sufficiency and homemaking skills are blowing up right now. With the COVID-19 pandemic and the current economic crisis, a lot of folks, especially young people, are looking to develop skills that will help them be a little bit less dependent on our consumerist economy. And I think that's generally a good thing. I think more of us should know how to cook a meal from scratch, grow our own vegetables, and mend our own clothes. Those are good skills to have.

Unfortunately, these "self-sufficiency" skills are often used as a recruiting tactic by white supremacists, TERFs, and other hate groups. They become a way to reconnect to or relive the "good old days," a romanticized (false) past before modern society and civil rights. And for a lot of people, these skills are inseparably connected to their politics and may even be used as a tool to indoctrinate new people.

In the spirit of building safe communities, here's a complete list of the safe resources I've found for learning homemaking, gardening, and related skills. Safe for me means queer- and trans-friendly, inclusive of different races and cultures, does not contain Christian preaching, and does not contain white supremacist or TERF dog whistles.

Homemaking/Housekeeping/Caring for your home:

Making It by Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen [book] (The big crunchy household DIY book; includes every level of self-sufficiency from making your own toothpaste and laundry soap to setting up raised beds to butchering a chicken. Authors are explicitly left-leaning.)

Safe and Sound: A Renter-Friendly Guide to Home Repair by Mercury Stardust [book] (A guide to simple home repair tasks, written with rentals in mind; very compassionate and accessible language.)

How To Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis [book] (The book about cleaning and housework for people who get overwhelmed by cleaning and housework, based on the premise that messiness is not a moral failing; disability and neurodivergence friendly; genuinely changed how I approach cleaning tasks.)

Gardening

Rebel Gardening by Alessandro Vitale [book] (Really great introduction to urban gardening; explicitly discusses renter-friendly garden designs in small spaces; lots of DIY solutions using recycled materials; note that the author lives in England, so check if plants are invasive in your area before putting them in the ground.)

Country/Rural Living:

Woodsqueer by Gretchen Legler [book] (Memoir of a lesbian who lives and works on a rural farm in Maine with her wife; does a good job of showing what it's like to be queer in a rural space; CW for mentions of domestic violence, infidelity/cheating, and internalized homophobia)

"Debunking the Off-Grid Fantasy" by Maggie Mae Fish [video essay] (Deconstructs the off-grid lifestyle and the myth of self-reliance)

Sewing/Mending:

Annika Victoria [YouTube channel] (No longer active, but their videos are still a great resource for anyone learning to sew; check out the beginner project playlist to start. This is where I learned a lot of what I know about sewing.)

Make, Sew, and Mend by Bernadette Banner [book] (A very thorough written introduction to hand-sewing, written by a clothing historian; lots of fun garment history facts; explicitly inclusive of BIPOC, queer, and trans sewists.)

Sustainability/Land Stewardship

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer [book] (Most of you have probably already read this one or had it recommended to you, but it really is that good; excellent example of how traditional animist beliefs -- in this case, indigenous American beliefs -- can exist in healthy symbiosis with science; more philosophy than how-to, but a great foundational resource.)

Wild Witchcraft by Rebecca Beyer [book] (This one is for my fellow witches; one of my favorite witchcraft books, and an excellent example of a place-based practice deeply rooted in the land.)

Avoiding the "Crunchy to Alt Right Pipeline"

Note: the "crunchy to alt-right pipeline" is a term used to describe how white supremacists and other far right groups use "crunchy" spaces (i.e., spaces dedicated to farming, homemaking, alternative medicine, simple living/slow living, etc.) to recruit and indoctrinate people into their movements. Knowing how this recruitment works can help you recognize it when you do encounter it and avoid being influenced by it.

"The Crunchy-to-Alt-Right Pipeline" by Kathleen Belew [magazine article] (Good, short introduction to this issue and its history.)

Sisters in Hate by Seyward Darby (I feel like I need to give a content warning: this book contains explicit descriptions of racism, white supremacy, and Neo Nazis, and it's a very difficult read, but it really is a great, in-depth breakdown of the role women play in the alt-right; also explicitly addresses the crunchy to alt-right pipeline.)

These are just the resources I've personally found helpful, so if anyone else has any they want to add, please, please do!