#Looking at my playlists getting more and more secular songs feels like healing

[fennthetalkingdog]

I'm just figuring out how important music is in my life! This is coming from a long while trying to cut down on my music use, mostly because I was listening to it so much that it felt more like I couldn't do anything without popping in some earbuds, and partially because of other personal reasons. Some of my routines changed, forcing me to not listen to music while doing certain things, and it ended up becoming that besides working on homework or drawing, I didn't listen to music at all. But I've given myself a break today since I have nothing to do and since, for reasons, I'm feeling just a lil crappy today—and boy, I'm starting to realize again just why I love music!!

I love the diverse music taste I've developed over the years! My family is not only big about music but big about listening to it loud, so the majority of my music taste for most of my life has just been Christian hiphop (Lecrae, KB, Andy Mineo, Trip Lee, and ironically Tonex, whose album where he was struggling hard with his gayness has been my favorite concert movie since I was 5) and gospel music (Kirk Franklin, Tye Tribbett, etc.). And music was one of the few connections between me and my race (I grew up feeling pretty estranged from my blackness as a kid, but the popular songs they played at the YMCA in the 2010s were some of the few things I could use to feel more connected) and between me and my classmates/friends at the Y (I still have fond memories of playing FNAF songs in mat forts and reciting lyrics at pool parties). But I got tired of knowing I could never bond with anyone besides family friends music taste-wise when I was in high school, and so I started listening to secular music on my own time. And that's how I first found Ghost and Pals, a vocaloid artist and one of the first secular music folks I listened to as a kid (can you smell the religious trauma yet? Lol), and that's how I bonded with one of my best friends in early college (ironically, also my first time being publically queer). Now I listen to Kpop, anime songs, songs from warriors MAPs, songs from musicals (Hamilton and In the Heights <3), latin songs, metal songs, and even some secular songs young me would've been too scared to listen to.

And music has always been one of my biggest sources of stimming! I can't dance to save my life, but music will sure get me to flick my fingers and hit my fist against my shoulder furiously. Music was one of the first clues that I like stimming with vibration too (since I love laying against the car door and turning up the music loud enough to feel the world shake around me). And music was one of the first things that made me look into ADHD or autism (specifically, listening to Ghost and Pals songs for a month straight and getting my friend at early college [who also has ADHD] to start looking at me funny when I was discovered doing chores and listening to one of three songs for the fifth time). Music is so cool it'll get me to wax poetically. It was one of the things that kept me together during my roughest times and soothed me during my best. I listen to it while I write, while I cry, while I hang out with my friends and family and while I chill by myself. It's how I relax after a long day, and it's how I feel safe. I feel kinda emotional finally having music hit that spot in me without feeling like I need it to do stuff.

[ramona-ratguider]

Different types of witches

To start off this post I am going to clarify that as a witch you don’t need to label yourself in order to be a witch. Witches are as diverse as they come and I simply enjoy posts like this because it is fun, I enjoy the aesthetics and sometimes when setting up altars or holding a ritual it is satisfying to stick to a particular theme with your attire and decor.

Here is everything I could find on the different types of “witch aesthetics”

Traditional witch

Witches following the Old Path or the traditions of old witchcraft. This is one of my favourites, I get the feeling of long layered cloaks, melted down candles in a barely lit cottage, herbs hang up from the ceiling to dry. Witches following this path tend to take a look at a lot of historically know witches and their stories, their rumoured practices and follow in their footsteps.

Sea witch

Witches whose practice is linked strongly to the ocean. They usually use aquatic creatures, plants, beach sand and salt water religiously in their practice. Using Neptune and Poseidon to lead their workings. Doing spells associated with a lot of folklore surrounding the ocean (mermaids, sirens and otherworldly sea beasts).

Kitchen witch

My grandmother was the closest thing to a kitchen witch I have ever seen to a kitchen witch. Hovered over a crock-pot, humming beautiful melodies and stirring with the utmost focus. These witches can work a healing spell into homemade bread and a hex into a bowl of soup. Lovely cooks as well, good luck trying to figure out what is in that wonderful smelling pasta. This path is also similar to Hearth witchcraft.

Hedge witch

This is the one path I know very little about, but am dying to figure out. These witches work in what is know as the “Otherworld” and in order to reach it you must jump over the “hedge”. Working with spirits and creatures from the Otherworld.

Elemental witch

Witches on these path base their practice on the four elements : earth, air, fire and water. They will use the elements in every spell working, ritual and craft they do.

Ceremonial witch

These witches will not do simple spells or magic without the full workings of a ceremony. This is a very sophisticated path and witches on this path tend to be very anal about the set up of any ritual or spell work. Great detail is put into the moon phase, time of ritual and they ensure the working is carried out in a specific, step-by-step manner.

Green witch

Witches with strong ties to plants. I myself have never had much of a green thumb, as much as I try to keep my house full of beautiful plants I can never seem to keep them alive. My housemate has more skill with this. Trust these witches to be caught whispering to their succulents, using their plants to heal loved ones and being happiest when lying on the grass surrounded by daisies.

Hereditary witch

These witches come from a line of witches, raised in a household where witchcraft is practiced or are simply born with gifts and abilities that run in the family (in my case it skips a generation and one woman of every second generation inherits the ability). You don’t need to be born into it in order to practice the craft, but it sure helps.

Cosmic witch

These witches focus their practice on the cosmos. The stars, planets and in some cases even extraterrestrial beings. Spells performed by these witches usually follow the alignment of the stars, the planets and the moon and sun. So much knowledge can be generated from the universe and these types of witches are almost otherworldly. Focuses on astronomy and astrology are common.

Secular witch

These witches still practice the craft as any other witch would, but remove the aspect of deity or a higher power from their practice. Their work is in most cases not very spiritual, but rather practical.

Solitary witch

Not much to this type of witch, other than they don’t work in covens or do any work with other witches. They prefer to work alone.

Eclectic witch

A witch not limited to a particular practice or belief system, but rather incorporates them all or a select few into their practice. I myself like to mix and match in my workings so I could consider myself eclectic in broader terms.

African witch

This is a bit of an umbrella term as their are so many types of magic done within the traditional African community. The one crucial note to take is that in order to maintain the balance one does have to be of African descent in order to label oneself and African witch.

Ancestral witch

A witch who solely works with ancestors and no other spirits or otherworldy beings. These witches either work with their own ancestors or other historical ancestors that they feel strong connections to.

Animal witch

These witches tend to work mostly with animals, whether it be live animals, skins, bones or other remains, They normally have a really strong bond with living animals and in some cases animal spirits. This is the type of witch who gifts shiny things to the local crows and builds an army of loyal crow subjects.

Art witch

These witches are spewing with talent and creativity. Whether working spells into their beautiful oil paintings, clay figurines or embroidery. They will work healing magic into handmade jewellery and bindings into beautiful portraits.

Augury witch

Witches who interpret omens and symbols. They don’t exactly foresee the future, but more so to guide certain paths or receive messages from the other realms or higher powers.

Celtic witch

Witches who base their practice on Celtic magic, mythology and Celtic deities. These witches work with beings like fairies, gnomes and other beings from Celtic folklore. Normally quite into earth magic as well.

Chaos witch

A witch who’s practice is exactly that, chaotic. No common structure is used and this path is all about using whatever seems appropriate in the moment, even if it is contradictory to previous practice. Most unorganized of all the witches.

Crystal witch

A witch who uses crystals and gems strongly in their practice. This witch knows the properties of every crystal and stone and has quite a vast collection.

Divination witch

A witch who’s practice focuses solely on divination. Usually works with tarot cards, scrying and/or any other methods on divination. Use it to foretell the future, receive messages from other realms and the list goes on.

Earth witch

Similar to the ��Green witch’ but broader. These witches use plants, stones, animals and other earthly elements in their practice. The hippies of the witch community. Almost always barefoot and getting lost in a forest somewhere. Most likely an environmentalist.

Flower witch

A witch who’s practice surrounds flowers more specifically than plants. Colourful gardens, always smells beautiful and will most likely make you a flower crown in spellwork. They know the properties of most local flowers and cast circles using daisies.

Hearth witch

A hearth witch’s practice revolves around their home, it’s very similar to kitchen witchcraft. They incorporate their spellwork into domestic activities within their household (like cleaning and cooking). When in a hearth witch’s house, you can almost immediately feel it.

Lunar witch

These witches use the moon and all her associate deities within their practice. The phase of the moon, moon water, moonstone, everything moon will make this witch. Guaranteed night owl, they draw all their magic from the moon itself.

Music witch

A music witch will use songs instead of spells in their craft. Incantations are songs they wrote themselves, songs they grew up with and even (similar to pop culture witches) mainstream media. They have a playlist for every ritual, celebration and find a way to incorporate music into all their workings. A music witch’s voice or instrument is their power.

Tech witch

Tech witches use modern technology within ritual and practice. Uses coding for spellwork and relies heavily on their devices. Utilizes mobile applications built for witches. Personally, tech witchcraft never worked for me because I found it to break and interrupt my energy lines, let me know if you are a tech witch how you overcome this.

Alexandrian witch

This is actually a path of Wicca, founded by Alex Sanders. It is very similar to Gardnerian Wicca and is highly ceremonial. This practice focuses on the relationship between the Wiccan God and Goddess.

Shaman

Not exactly witches, but based on the practice I felt it fitting. In Shamanism, contact is made with the spirit-world to heal the sick, commune with the spirits and ancestors, and in some cultures even escort the dead to the afterlife. This is normally a very indigenous practice and in my opinion the knowledge of true Shamanism can only be passed down from another Shaman.

Gardnerian witch

Another path of Wicca, named after Gerald Gardner. This is the earliest known created tradition of Wicca. In order to be considered Gardnerian one does need to be initiated into a Gardnerian coven, covens within these traditions are known for their secrecy. They celebrate the Wiccan God and Goddess and follow the Wiccan Rede.

Water witch

Similar to the sea witch, but some of these witches find themselves inland, far from the ocean and thus draw their power from streams, lakes and rivers. Thus adapting their path to follow the deities of these smaller bodies of water, and even work with animals and plants that are associated with these.

Air witch

These witches work with tools associated with the element air. Incense, feathers, the wind. Some witches base the elements they work with solely on their birth element (mine being Air as I am an Aquarius, but I have never practiced solely with air myself.) others just feel more drawn to a single element.

Fire witch

Witches taking the path of fire are considered the rebels of the Elemental Witches. Same as the others, they work with all the tools associated with Fire.

Pop culture witch

These are witches who use the elements of fiction and other pop culture in their practice. Following sample spells from movies like The Craft or creating their own spell from a scene from a movie not even remotely about witchcraft. This is not just limited to movies, but also pop songs; taking the lyrics and using them in spells or replacing the lyrics with spells. This is another one I am not too fond of myself, but I do like to see how other witches incorporate pop culture into their magic.

Forest witch

These witches spend all their time practicing the craft within the forest. Gathering their tools within her, holding rituals within her. These witches are incredibly drawn to the forest and draw their energy from within the forest.

Swamp witch

Same as the forest witch, but swamp.

Desert witch

Same as the swamp witch, but desert

Weather witch

My personal favourite, the weather witch uses weather to draw her energies or in some cases is able to actually manipulate the weather. These witches use things like storm water and other such tools in their craft.

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These are just the few I could think of. If you know of any more please message me and I will update it. :)

[wendyhermansongeller]

Lindsey Stirling explains the magic behind her 'whimsical, different' Christmas album

When violinist Lindsey Stirling decided to release an album of Christmas music, choosing a theme of the most magical time of year seemed a perfect fit for the performer. After all, the lithe viral sensation already has a resume of unforgettable music videos featuring her in a variety of dreamy visual scenarios, with her ethereal violin work all poured over the top. Who would be better to take on the fantasy of the season? Fans seem to agree. Stirling’s album, Warmer in the Winter (which dropped in October) debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Classical Crossover Chart, No. 9 on the Digital Albums Chart, and No. 32 on the Top 200 Album Chart; and continues to perform admirably in a year that saw an exorbitant amount of new Christmas releases. Stirling’s careful curation includes 10 holiday classics (both secular and non-secular) as well as three original numbers she penned herself.

It was a labor of love that kept her quite busy — in an already busy 2017 that hasn���t let up even in the final weeks of December. Indeed, Stirling’s schedule is so packed at the end of the year that she almost (just almost) seems to forget that Christmas is just around the corner.

When asked about her Christmas plans, she seemed a little dumbfounded for a second. “Let’s see, what am I doing for Christmas?” Stirling wondered, before joking, “I hope I have plans. Just kidding!” As it turns out, she’ll be wrapping her holiday tour Dec. 23 in her home state of Arizona, and is looking forward to what sounds like very nice plans directly afterward: A big traditional family gathering, plus a well-deserved couple of weeks off.

Before rushing back into her swirl of activity, Stirling took a few minutes to chat with Yahoo Entertainment about the challenges and rewards of recording a Christmas album, as well as her experience on Dancing With the Stars (where she placed as first runner-up even after suffering a painfully debilitating rib injury).

Yahoo: This is your first Christmas album. What put it in your head to approach a full-length holiday release this year?

I wanted to do a Christmas album for years. Every year I do a Christmas song and put it on my YouTube channel, just throw it out there to the world. They’ve always done really well, and fans have always really liked them. So, just the idea of getting to add to people’s Christmas memories with my own music was such an exciting thing. There’s so many Christmas albums that I have that tie me back to my childhood and family traditions; they bring back these very tangible memories. So it was like, it would be really awesome if my rendition of these holiday songs could possibly become a part of other people’s memories, in the ways other artists helped create my memories.

What Christmas albums are your personal favorites? 

Mannheim Steamroller’s albums were my favorites, I loved those as a kid. Still to this day I hear those songs and I get so happy, even though they’re completely dated. I’m like “No, I love them, they’re lit!” Michael Buble as well — you can’t beat Michael Buble. Mariah Carey. And my new favorite from last year was Jordan Smith, from The Voice. He had a killer Christmas album last year that got added to my holiday favorites.

This year had literally dozens of Christmas album releases, from all genres, and from quite a few big names in addition to your own. Were you surprised at how well your album did even in the midst of such unusual holiday competition? 

Yeah, I was talking to my manager just yesterday, “How’s it doing?” — the overall scheme, not just on iTunes — and I was shocked to hear how well it’s done on all the different platforms. Because, yeah. Gwen Stefani, Sia, just to name two, but those are two of the biggest artists out there. So to hear that my little album was doing so well in this sea of new music–that’s really cool!

How challenging was it to narrow down a list of selections for a holiday album? There are hundreds and hundreds of Christmas songs out there to choose from! Did you find it intimidating at all when first facing the task?

It was a whole different type of challenge than writing an original album. I didn’t realize until I started exactly how challenging it would be. It was like, oh my goodness, there’s so many songs … and there’s also so many different types of Christmas “flavor.” Religious, secular, fun…there’s the jolly, and then there’s the emotional. So it was really kind of a fun challenge, and I decided I wanted to fulfill all the different buckets. I wanted songs that make you want to dance, I wanted songs that make you feel classic — the way Frank Sinatra does. And I wanted some songs that felt whimsical and magical. Once I made these buckets, I filled them in, and I picked a couple different songs for each bucket. It was really fun; really different from anything I’d ever done.

But…how did you choose?!

[Laughs] I literally spent a week and a half just sitting on my couch listening to Christmas music. I literally didn’t leave the couch for almost two weeks. Just figuring out playlists and putting together spreadsheets–treating it almost like it was a big math problem.

Given that this was a pretty big and different project overall, what was the most difficult aspect for you personally about creating the album? 

There’s only one track on the album that’s electronic, that has no instrumentation on it, which is really different for me. In the past, all my albums have been completely synthetic — done on the computer, and I play over them. And so it was really cool this time to work with a full orchestra. We went to Capitol Records and recorded some amazing big-band players — trumpet, saxophone, live drums. It was so different, not only the recording process, but also the writing process.

Do you have a favorite song on the record, or one you felt you put a special amount of work into? 

“Angels We Have Heard on High” was one of the more special songs to me. It’s one of my favorite Christmas songs for the meaning behind it, and it’s very close to my heart. So I really wanted that one to be special, and it turned into my favorite on the album, but it took a little bit of work to get it there. I wanted it to be almost like a film score, so you could see something while you listened to it. But in order to make it sound really special, it took quite a bit of time to figure out what exactly it was going to be.

Were there any Christmas songs you wanted to include, but couldn’t make them work for whatever reason? Any runners-up? 

There were plenty that I loved that didn’t make it on, but the one that I tried several times to figure out and it just wasn’t coming to me was “Mary Did You Know.” I originally had it on my “definitely going to be on the album” list, but it wasn’t happening. I couldn’t figure out how to make it my own and make it special. So, that was one of the ones I had to set aside. But instead I ended up writing [original song] “I Saw Three Ships,” which came as a last-minute idea, and it turned into one of my favorites.

Where do you feel you made the greatest creative leap, or pushed the envelope the most, on this record? 

Stylistically, for me, I’ve never done big-band music before. So that was a bit of a risk. Because it’s unlike electronic music — where if you hear it and if you don’t want to use it, it’s pretty much you and a computer and a producer, and you can decide not to use it. Big-band style music, we actually had to get into a room with the arranger, and record with the band–you really have to invest in something like that. You can’t just be like “Well, those three songs, we’re just not going to use them,” after you’ve recorded it and paid all those musicians. It was a big risk because I’ve never done it, but I really wanted to do it because it’s a big side of Christmas music. I’m really glad we did. Violin with trumpet and horns and saxophones–it’s definitely a little different to have a violin featured in that way.

You’re out on the road now and seems like everything is great, but just to put fans’ minds at ease — has your rib injury completely healed? You’re feeling okay and fine? There were so many concerning reports about the severity of it, even though you managed to finish Dancing With the Stars. 

It was quite amazing how quickly it healed! I was in pretty severe pain for about two and a half weeks, and then it began to subside and become more manageable. And now I don’t even think about it. I’m 100% better, which is such a miracle and such a relief, because when the injury happened I honestly wondered if I would have to cancel the beginning of my tour until I got better. It hurt so badly to play, to move. But amazingly enough, nothing got canceled, I made it through Dancing With the Stars somehow, and worked through it. And I feel all better!

Speaking of Dancing With the Stars, you did so well on the show. Any plans to return to reality TV in some form or another?

I’d definitely decided i was done with reality TV forever after America’s Got Talent (in 2010). I was like, “Nope, never going back there.” But Dancing With the Stars was such a different style of reality TV. It was a night and day difference from my experience on America’s Got Talent — just the way you were treated, it’s pretty straightforward, they’re not trying to make you look or act a certain way. You just are who you are and they capture it. I don’t think I’ll be doing any more reality TV now, I think I’m done with it, but I did love doing Dancing With the Stars. I learned so much and had so much fun.