#Felt like sharing hope this helps!

[buggywiththefolkmagic]

How to Vet Authors in Witchcraft-The Buggy Way!

So you’ve found an aesthetically pleasing cover for a book in your local New Age section and you want to know if they’re worth that $25 price tag? You’ve come to the right place! Vetting witchcraft books can be super tricky...especially if you don’t know what to look for! 

My process for vetting is pretty simple, but it covers enough bases to see if it might be something to glance at. 

Look at who endorses the book! Who has raved about it? Do you know anything about that person? For example when looking at a folk magic book with an introduction from Starr Casas I immediately know there might be some Hoodoo appropriation involved because that’s what she is known for! Having an idea of who the ‘big bads’ are in the type of magic you’re looking at helps considerably. 

If the first step isn’t applicable...then I always go to Amazon, Goodreads, Tumblr, etc and look up reviews for the book and author! If there’s even one negative review I read it first then go to the rest. 

I look for ‘trigger words’ in reviews or just by flipping pages of the book itself. Words such as (for what I want to avoid in a book): Kabbalah, mixing together wicca and witchcraft as the same thing, sour jars, smudging, totems, white sage, starseed or indigo children, honey jars, voodoo dolls, shifting, claiming magic can cure illnesses like epilepsy or cancer, having ‘control’ over a deity, can cause cataclysms like hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, etc. Astral Projection being for beginners, not suggesting cleansing/protection methods, Atlantian races, ‘sacred feminine’ without the opposite/masculine.

Check the authors social medias/websites! I can’t stress how easy it is to spot someone using hoodoo work like honey jars or (specific) cow tongue bindings when they post all their spellwork on their insta or website. 

Do they have a shop? Check out what the shop sells and where it’s located! A lot of Hoodoo and Vodun appropriators have French Quarter ‘conjure’ shops.

Check their bibliography! Is it decently sized for the amount of pages the book has? Does it seem small? Who have they referenced? Is it someone on your personal no-no list? (A decent bibliography for say a well-researched 300 page book would be about 10-15 pages minimum. A lackluster one would be say 5 pages or less.)

Of those references used in the bibliography...are any of them major problematic individuals? Have they referenced the Frosts? Or other big no-nos? If not, you might be good!

If it’s a small bibliography, flip through and see if any of the information sticks out as UPG (unverified personal gnosis) which means things they can’t verify as accurate? If so it might not be the book you need! (Unless you are looking for personal accounts of something.)

Is the author associated with controversy in other areas? A quick google of “Author name controversy” will likely pull up some results if so. Check over the author’s stances on important matters like race, religion, etc if applicable via their social medias. 

And there you have it! My quick and easy, google-able vetting process that when mastered only takes a few minutes while standing in a bookstore instead of wasting money on books that don't suit what information you are looking for! It isn't foolproof, but it should help you avoid some of the bigger let-downs.

[puppyeared]

i feel like im not making any sense but does anyone else feel like there are stories that let u run with them and ones that spell everything out for you

[mityenka]

the overwhelming americanness of the internet and in a similar vein the growing americanification of the real world puts me personally in such a weird spot because yes it's 'don't let the internet turn you into an american' however this line of thinking can so easily turn around and feed into patriotism in that resisting americanification would mean to fall back on identifying more strongly with my home country instead which is like not an option for me as someone who's incredibly wary of any kind of nationalism (i get that this is a complex topic that requires a nuanced approach and patriotism is not inherently reactionary but if i see someone being patriotic about my home country specifically i immediately get suspicious)

[nataliescatorccio]

i just wanted to say a quick thank you to all that have chimed in with the age discussion today. it's been really nice to share feelings and share support for each other, it reminds me of what a wonderful safe space tumblr can be at times. i have a birthday coming up and i have to admit i've been feeling some reluctance towards it (which we women are often taught to feel once head ever closer to this quote on quote 'big' number), and i've found talks today have completely dispelled any anxiety i've been holding. who cares about getting older, we'll all get older together and we'll still share our love and joy for whatever we feel like hyperfixating on

[helloiamacashier]

It's a travesty that I can't reblog gifsets of books.

[toxiccaves]

<3

[spideyhexx]

breasts hurt again💔

[end-orfino]

It just all feels more pointless now. I think i lost some of the spirit. I dont know if its temporary or how to get it back

[bisexualmaedhros]

transfem furries hornyposting online about the relatively niche/"out there" things they're into have inadvertently helped me accept myself more than the body positivity movement of the 2010s ever did

[shelbydelrey]

I've never been happier with my writing. Until a recent past my obssession with engagement and the lack of it stressed me to the point of hating to sit down and simply write. But i made peace with the fact that low feedback is a reality and started to focus on what i like the most about this activity: I get to spend time with characters that i love and to craft stories that i'm passionate about. This minset created a consistency that i'm been craving for a very long time.

Not all of these stories will see the light of day and not every day is sunshine and rainbows. But it's been enough for me.

[seaofreverie]

Wanted to start working on projects for my part-time school this weekend but instead all I have the energy to do is lay in bed and play mario kart or lay in bed and listen to music

[st4rstudent]

Questioni, whoms art thou? (What does your toon look like?)

👀

Orb Giblets (Imagine I'm looking off to the sky)

If you're talking about ingame, here's what he looks like!

I usually go with the right one bc I think it looks better, but the yellow hypno glasses were apart of the fit for so long (++ they help bring out the yellow) that sometimes I still wear them for fun

Art wise, here's a quick sketch-that-got-out-of-hand of him

I have an older post of the first time I drew him so the styles a bit.. outdated but its colored.

I'll write more about him in the tags as to not make this post longer than needed

[pinkautist]

i am strong.

i know i am strong because i am alive.

even though being alive hurts so much sometimes.

i am still here,

still able to witness the beauty in sunsets and music.

still able to learn what it means to love.

still able to learn what it means to be me.

i am hurt,

but i am strong,

and i am here

alive.

[tecchous-thicc-buttocks]

Hey can I ask if you’re an adult or not? Cuz I want to interact with you but I’m also not particularly comfortable interacting with minors either :/ Completely understandable if you don’t want to say either!

i am the unfiltered silent but deadly fart that lives in between two majestic cheeks of the ass of a fictional man. Age does not know me, it fears me. Only thing minor about me is my ability to stop myself from loving fictional little people whom only a strange individual with a funky pen name can draw and control. interact with these butt cheeks only if you are prepared for repercussions (threat)

[countrymikelover]

heyyy guys here are some gifs from the doc i watched last night :3 couldn’t stop myself from posting

[pinkmanswrld]

TW/// Drm SMP + Drm

Yknow what? It feels so fucking good to finally say this. But I’ve left the dsmp fandom. I’ve been gone for a while but saying it feels so good. I was so done with all the drama. All of it was stupid and could’ve been avoided had some of the cc’s made better choices. Especially the drm part of it. Yeah I’ll miss some of the content(sbi and beeduo only)but like I’m so much happier now that I haven’t had to deal w people I’m hyperfixated on getting canceled every damn day. Ykwim????? It’s so fucking nice. Definitely recommend stepping away from toxic fandoms if they’re harmful. Just sayin lol! Have a good day y’all.