#genealogy journey

[epicstoriestime]

A Grandfather I Never Knew

James Elwood Burchfield Jr. passed away on April 30, 2021, at the age of 93. He lived a long life, filled with stories I’ll never get to hear firsthand, but it’s clear he made an impact on the world around him. He served in the Navy during World War II, retired from Wheeling Pittsburgh Steel, and was a proud Mason. Born in Steubenville, Ohio, in 1927, he saw decades of history unfold, and I can…

[berryberrybeautiful]

Well, nice to meet you 10th great grandad.

[museenkuss]

“How I transformed my body in 90 days” type video but I’m becoming a Renaissance Woman. Vlog footage of me reading the classics for hours on end, writing vocabulary lists, drawing in my sketch book to epic music. On day 15 I talk about how I’m slowly adjusting to my elaborate home cooked meals and how I struggle with the genealogy of the Borgias. There are montages of me educating myself on history, astrology, astronomy and dressing well, I take horseback riding lessons and go to museums. Erasmus, Machiavelli and Lucretius are stacked on my bedside table.

There’s a segment where I say “it’s day 53 and I’m really struggling… I can’t even write a sonnet. I don’t see any improvement in myself. Is this even worth it?!” The stakes are rising. I’m shown ripping up pages of rhymes in calligraphy. I swear as I rush around the kitchen, trying to prepare my oysters. I sit at my desk and sigh, head in hands, my desk covered in stacks of notes, huge volumes on art history and printed out articles. The dramatic moment comes when I for the nth time try to walk and gesture with sprezzatura while balancing books on my head for better posture. I fall. The books topple to the floor. I’ve reached rock bottom.

Black screen. Voice over: “It was really hard. I felt like Dante, in the dark forest, having lost my way. And then, I realised what I needed: I had to go on a grand tour.”

Music swells again, there’s a montage of me packing and travelling in busses and trains. Landscape rushes past. I read Goethe’s Italienische Reise on the journey. Finally, there are snippets of me in Munich, in Vienna. I take a selfie in front of Parmigianino’s self portrait in a convex mirror, showing off my own elegantly contorted hand. I’m in Florence, breathing heavily with excitement as I walk along the outside walls of the Galleria degli Uffizi. “Oh my god, there he is—“ I film the Petrarch statue, the phone visibly shaking. “I can’t believe I get to meet him…” I whisper with awe. Cut. I’m blowing a kiss at the right Grace in Botticelli’s Spring (I have a crush on her). I’m in the Loggia di Psiche in Rome, I’m kneeling on a bridge in Venice to touch it, “Tintoretto walked on these very stones..”, I’m filming the ceiling of the Camera Degli Sposi in Mantua. I’m in the streets of Grasse showing off a bottle of Fragonard perfume I bought, I’m teary eyed in front of the Concerto Campestre in the Louvre. Cut.

I’m back home. “It’s now day…79. Those were the most unrealistic two weeks of my life. And the most expensive. But now I’m back on track. I feel like I can really do this.” With newfound vigour I get back to my battered Reclam German/Latin edition of Ovid’s Metamorphosis. Day 81, 85, 89. Emotional/hopeful music. I show a Shakespeare sonnet written in beautiful calligraphy. I’m in the museum sketching the composition of an annunciation and taking notes on a Venus by Cranach. I practice a speech I’ve written following Cicero’s rules on rhetoric. I’m back on horseback. I present a cake of some sort.

DAY 90. I’m at my desk. “Wow, what a journey. Now let’s see the transformation I underwent in those 90 days.” I show side by side footage of me from day 1 and day 90. I look the same, except day 90 me is wearing all black, Castiglione style, and has better posture. Back to the desk. “I changed so much. I learned so much about myself and my limits. I’m still not fluent in Latin or Italian. But what I learned is that beauty is everywhere, especially in the struggle, and it’s worth cherishing. And now, I’m back and stronger and more curious than ever. If you haven’t followed me on tumblr @Museenkuss at this point, what are you doing? Click the follow button and give this post a like because NOW, the fun really begins. A renaissance woman never stops learning.” From under the desk, I grab two books and put them on my desk. The Tale of Genji and Sei Shōnagon’s pillow book. “It’s time to expand my horizon.” Black screen.

[trikaranos]

TRIKARANOS CHAPTER II: THRESHOLD (part 1)

TRIKARANOS is a comic about Crassus until it isn't. Intended for an adult audience.

SO! Chapter 2 clocked in at over 20 pages, which means I'll be posting it in batches of like, five or six pages as I finish lettering because trying to format 20 pages in a single photoset is a nightmare and I'm not going to do that lmao

⭐ Trikaranos will always be free to read. In the near future, you’ll have the option to support this comic & my ability to spend time making it through Patreon! currently, I have a tip jar!

⭐ There is no set update schedule (chapters vary in length and will be posted as I finish working on them)

⭐ alternative places to read it (coming soon!)

CREDITS all additional art used are in the public domain, and the specific images used are open access, etc

📌 The Mouth of a Cave, Hubert Robert

📖 PREVIOUS CHAPTER | START HERE | ToC (under construction!)

UNDER THE CUT entirely optional: the creator’s commentary, ancient citations, stuff I thought was neat, etc.

on the topic of legendary ancestors and gods and heroes, T.P. Wiseman's Legendary Genealogies in Late-Republican Rome is a really fun read

also have you ever noticed that caves are fucking weird. like. what's up with caves. however: caves perform the same function as a forest (and a maze)

Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita mi ritrovai per una selva oscura, ché la diritta via era smarrita.

-Dante, Divine Comedy

(it's a transformative journey) (a transformative underworld journey, even!)

speaking of which. parents. brothers. oof. can't think too hard about how crassus grew up eating meals with his whole family otherwise I'll feel like I have to walk into the woods and start screaming.

Sophocles’ Antigone (trans. Ruth Fainlight & Robert J. Littman) / Catullus 101 (trans Anne Carson)

[cursecuelebre]

Ancestral Veneration and Why it’s Important

This is going to be a post about a topic that people seem to forget or deem unimportant even fearful about with either good reasons or just never thought about it. I just wanted to mention YOU DO NOT HAVE TO WORK WITH ANCESTORS IN YOUR PRACTICE this blog is mostly for those who are interested in it and not sure what ancestral veneration is.

I’m a pagan and a witch that practices Ancestral veneration in my practice, not around it but it’s definitely a big part of why I practice certain paths. I’ll go in beginner tips, what to expect and the myths, the offerings and the recommendations. But let me go a bit into the importance of Ancestral Veneration and worship in human history since it’s still prevalent today.

Historical importance of Ancestral Worship

Ancestral worship and veneration has been at least one of the oldest religions that humans have ever believed in. Archaeological evidence shows the early humans taking care of their dead and burying them for respect and dignity maybe even courtesy to the deceased. It became sacred to them, imagine back then without fully understanding about the world someone that you spoke and saw now gone, it’s a profound moment one’s life that they must believe that their spirit lives on and they themselves wanted a peaceful resting place. It’s a cycle, many cultures and religions believe that life is a cycle, death is never the “end” rather an end of a journey to a new part of one’s life.

To this day people honor their deceased loved ones, visiting their graves, offering them gifts at their resting places, speaking to them, having their picture on a table surrounded by their favorite flowers, etc. Honoring the dead and respecting the dead is a very revered part of human life and something that we all would like to expect when we’re gone from our living family. Spirits also related or not, the dead as well should be treated with outmost respect and dignity like our ancestors did.

Some cultures like the Romans believed that if the spirits especially ancestral spirits (Lares) weren’t appeased they become angry if worshipped improperly or their will have not be been fulfilled. In Ancient Greek tradition they would place a coin in the mouth for the deceased to make sure their spirits would go into the afterlife safely and less traumatic. Each culture and society had a different way of how the ancestors would live in the afterlife.

Even in the Christian Bible shows the significance of ancestors, there is a reason why genealogies are included in the Bible. How Jewish people revere Abraham as their founding father since he is the first Hebrew patriarch which is very important to them and their religion. How even Jesus is related to David on both sides. Even immediate family is important like Jesus’s mother Holy Mary. In Norse Paganism it’s said that the kings were descend from gods like the Swedish Royal family related to Freyr. In Shintoism it is said that the First Emperor of Japan is related to the Sun Goddess Amaterasu. Japan and other many East Asian countries have a strong relationship and traditions regrading Ancestors.

Why Ancestral Veneration?

Ancestral Veneration is generally taken outside of paganism and witchcraft a very sacred thing for families, they can heal, they can come together, grieve together, reminisce together especially if they knew that person in life. But also asking the deceased loved ones for guidance and protection, to help their family in life whom they love the most. Plus this can help especially if you are into past life regression, we reincarnated with our ancestors many times and they have been able to see us in their time and now. It can be really insightful to understand of who we were in those lives.

Whatever legacy they left behind that you admired from them is continued for generations to come as well as heirlooms, a mother passing down her sentimental items to daughters or their children alike it’s a remembrance of what they were known by as well.

“Cows die, family die, you will die the same way . I know only one thing that never dies: the reputation of the one who’s died.” Havamal, Stanza 77.

If you’re going into paganism or witchcraft or both that are related to your ancestry. Your ancestors are the best teachers and mentors especially if they also have been in these specific practices and traditions. If you want to learn Seidr for instance a magical practice rooted within Scandinavian traditions and you have said Scandinavian roots you can contact a ancestor that practiced it in life and willing to help and teach you. What’s unfortunate about ancestral veneration looking down upon for many centuries making people turn away and against the practice is that it’s said that spirits can become lost if they aren’t being honored or remembered that makes them fade and lost.

Five Myths about Ancestral Veneration and what to expect. This is not going to be sugarcoated, I’m being honest and this what I’ve experienced in my own practice and how many others have experienced as well. I would add on if I forgot anything but these are most common misconceptions I have heard. The red are the myths if you are wondering.

Myth #1: All ancestors on the other side have my best interest and support all what I’m doing This is a common misbelief, now there is ancestors that will support you no matter what and your actions. But if you’re a pagan and a witch there is going to be Christian ancestors who won’t support you at all. Their human spirits with still human functions and beliefs. Not to say you can’t communicate but set your intentions and boundaries before meeting them, some will tolerate and some will make their opinions and beliefs known possibly even try to convince you. I know it sounds like fear mongering but it’s to what you would expect. This doesn’t mean you cannot make contact or venerate them because of it. It’s a choice that is a two way street, even spirits in the other side have freewill just like we do.

Myth #2: All Ancestors are well in spirit No, not exactly, when humans on earth do horrible things or experience horrible things it will take affect in the spirit world no matter what. Keep in mind time works very differently in the other world that it will take centuries for those who are healing to fully recover and those to actually realize their problems, messed up life on earth if they choose to recognize it. Again as I said just humans in the physical world human spirits also have free will and choices.

Myth #3: Only Human spirits are ancestors Nope commonly yes when we think of Ancestors we think of human beings that lived either with us or before us. But this isn’t the case, pets for instance that became our beloved family members and part of our inner circle are our ancestors. My cat that recently passed I had him since I was nine years old, I always thought and treated him like family because of that he merged into my family circle. Also animals can symbols of family, like a bear, an owl, an elephant, etc. that they can be represented as your ancestors as a whole.

Myth #4 : Ancestors are limited to just blood family Also a misconception, close friends and even adopted family members are considered to be close family. Some people won’t have blood relatives in life and find their found family which is just as valid and meaningful like a blood family is. This also goes to if you’re a person that likes to write you might venerate your favorite author, if you like to draw or paint you can venerate an artist that you admired a lot. Your family might have patron saints, deities, or local heroes and spirits that have been part of your family for generations. That’s why it’s nice to know where your family originated from what country, village, city, etc.

Myth #5: No Ancestors of mine did anything wrong Everyone’s ancestors did something horribly wrong in their lifetime, some were messed up people. But there are good ones that aren’t like that anymore, if you want to venerate them that’s up to you and your practice. I personally don’t do it because especially if they did something wrong and have no remorse for it I ain’t venerating none of them.

There is no reason to be afraid.

I know I seemed to be fear mongering in the previous part that’s because I don’t want to sugarcoated of which is most likely to be expected.

The Bottom line when contacting (if you want to have contact with them) and venerating your ancestors is that their no different from a human person in this physical realm. They will have personalities, likes, dislikes, opinions, beliefs like any other human being BUT from my experience a lot of my ancestors are very wise, humorous, kind, and non-judgmental. My advice if you really want to contact someone who is going to be supportive and helpful in your paganism and witchcraft, ask specifically for that person I usually ask for ancient ancestors pre Christian wise but there many folk witches and pagan ancestors that are more modern and recent that can most definitely help you! Speak to them like any other human interaction would be as if you’re talking to a living friend, family member or complete stranger you’re meeting for the first time.

How to Communicate with your ancestors

I have mention “contacting” your ancestors you can speak with them it’s not impossible.

1. Meditation and dream work: Most common and effective way to really get them to communicate you and send signs is through dreams. Meditation for a clear and close connection with them.

2. Tarot: Very common and just as effective, my most recommended first step when communicating with your ancestors. Using a tarot deck can help with putting your foot through the door. There is a great book which will recommend at the of the blog that does ancestral and tarot together.

3. Pendulum and a spirit board: This is more in depth but it has been very effective for me and many others to really connect and communicate with my ancestors. It’s good to state your intentions and boundaries before doing any of said above, but this is where you really need to set it. Before starting grab the pendulum over the board don’t let it swing and say, “I ask of the good and supporting ancestors that have me in good intent and support of my path and practice, I would like to meet you”. Of course you get specific like “I would like to meet an ancient Roman ancestor” that’s just an example of how it would go safely and respectfully.

4. Just talking to them. Yep sounds easy enough, you would just get something that represents ancestors or even a specific ancestor. For instance your grandmother’s rosary and just talk to them or pray to them. It’s a very simple and comforting way to bond with your family.

Offerings

This is going to be a “it depends on the ancestors” but there has been a universal notion of what ancestors do really like. From items, food, drink, etc.

Rosaries for catholic ancestors or the cross for Christian ancestors generally speaking

Pagan symbols for your pagan ancestors

Statues of ancestral gods or saints or other important entities

Sweets: Cookies and cakes are very popular

Alcohol: my Germanic ancestors love it when I offer beer, mead, ale. But also wine and other alcoholic beverages for others.

Regular libations like water, coffee, tea. juice, etc. good substitute if you cannot use alcohol.

Their meals from their home country, my Italian ancestors, recent and ancient love it when I make them pasta.

Incense some cultures call it the food for spirits

Heirlooms

Family photographs

Candles

Coins

Book of the dead, if you meet an ancestor you can record them down into a book that is solely for your family and to be passed down on and on. It’s a memorial service to them that someone knows their name and who they were.

Specific traditions that your ancestors came from for instance libations of wine for your Greek ancestors.

Good ancestral veneration books that personally helped me a lot and I know a lot of others to get started.

Ancestral Tarot by Nancy Hendrickson she helps how to contact and connect with your ancestors and ancestry using tarot

Ancestral Grimoire by Nancy Hendrickson like Ancestral Tarot she goes how to connect with your ancestors but this time how to really work with them. One of the exercises is to work with an ancestor for a month and a different for the next one.

Honoring your Ancestors by Mallorie Vaudoise she gives good information on different ways to connect with your ancestors, the different types of ancestors, she does have a Southern European and Catholic folk magic take to it which is fine but it’s not the sole focus of it but she does put good information in the book to help someone get started. 

Badass Ancestors by Patti Wigington also good beginners guide to ancestral veneration and how to connect through meditations and develop relationships with them even how to deal with problematic ancestors. She goes into how to research your genealogy and useful tips!

[goldentigerfestival]

The journey of the kiddos continues!

Genealogy of the Condemned/Convicted novel manga third chapter!

You can read it here and here.

Things to be aware of with this manga:

This is a short manga of six chapters. It doesn't cover even the entire childhood arc, let alone the whole novel.

Some lines are taken directly from the novel, while others were similar but not identical, and others were changed to fit manga style dialogue bubbles.

Not everything in the manga is 1:1 with the novel, but it's all pretty close.

I hope you enjoy!

Translation by me.

Scans by @suguelya.

Cleaning by @jennerarts and myself.

Typesetting by me.

First chapter here. Second chapter here.

[aspenrockymountainhigh]

𝐆𝐢𝐦𝐥𝐢 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐠

After the coronation of Aragorn, Gimli said farewell to his old friend Éomer, who begged for pardon as to his words on Galadriel, though he added that he still didn’t think she was the fairest in the world. When he added that he considered Arwen the fairest instead, Gimli was content with this.

During the return journey he visited many places with Legolas, including Fangorn Forest and Aglarond. Eventually he returned to Erebor, to find it nearly devastated by war.

Dáin II Ironfoot had died, and Thorin III Stonehelm was now King. Eventually, though, he returned to the Glittering Caves with a contingent of dwarves, becoming the "Lord of the Glittering Caves". He rebuilt the gates of Minas Tirith with mithril and steel, and in both Gondor and Rohan accomplished great works. There he met his friends Merry and Pippin and the history of his people made its way to the Red Book; he also set out the genealogical tree of the Dwarves of Erebor for King Elessar.

In Aglarond, it is assumed, he lived on until he was old, and in Fo.A. 120 he sailed with Legolas his friend across Belegaer to Valinor, becoming the first and only Dwarf to do so.

•Art by Ted Nasmith.

[llyfrenfys]

Followers- Dw i angen eich help / I need your help

This is a post I've been sitting on for a while and it's time I finally write it to let you all know how I am, where I'm at and the progress of Prosiect Llyfr Enfys.

So, as I alluded to in previous posts, I had a health scare at the end of May which landed me in the hospital. I've spent June recovering from that and dealing with a few life changes as well (which I will talk about later).

Unfortunately, me and my partner had to deal with an unexpected bill of £200 this month which had to come directly out of my savings and is a huge chunk of it.

I've been doing research in preparation for hopefully doing a Masters at Aberystwyth in September on the topic of LGBTQ+ Welsh terminology before the 20th Century. My undergraduate dissertation was on the topic of 20th-21st Century LGBTQ+ Welsh terminology (which is currently unmarked due to the marking boycott). Hopefully after graduation I can share it with you. But my research into older terminology means needing to travel to different archives and libraries in Wales, which at the minute, I just can't afford. The closest place would be Bangor, but I have no money to spare at the minute and Prosiect Llyfr Enfys is not funded by any scheme or grant- it's currently all funded by myself.

For the first time in my life, I've been considering using a food bank. We're not quite at that stage yet, but it's precarious. It's another unexpected bill away from a critical situation.

Currently, my monthly expenses for anything related to the dictionary totals around £40 (subscriptions to archives, libraries, genealogy research tools) which have been instrumental in my work. For example, I couldn't have written my articles for Hanes LHDT+ Cymru without access to ancestry sites or online newspaper archives. This does not include other expenses such as bus tickets to get to the National Library of Wales when I need to, or costs of purchasing dictionaries in order to source them in my work.

All of this is to say that i need your help:

I have a patreon which I will be posting in next in July- if you enjoy Prosiect Llyfr Enfys and want to help keep it going, please consider subscribing today by clicking the link above or in my bio. The lowest tier is affordable and if you have the cash to spare, will enable me to keep on working on the project. If you want to make a one-time donation, I'm considering enabling tips on tumblr for those who would prefer that.

If enough people are able to subscribe to keep the project going, I can start to make some concrete plans for a trip to Bangor and share my journey with you all and involve you in the trip. If I'm unable to raise enough funds, I will have to make the decision to pause the project until after my Master's. I do not currently have a publisher, which is also a big factor in that decision, if I need to make it.

All your support is greatly appreciated- if you cannot donate, please share this post.

As ever, huge huge diolch yn fawr to everyone who has supported the project so far- with your help, we can get this dictionary published to help benefit the whole Welsh LGBTQ+ community and beyond.

[metamorphesque]

Barev my friend. Forgive me for taking up space in your inbox but I had thoughts and nowhere else to put them. I’m American with armenian heritage. I’ve been trying very hard to track down information on my family and genealogy to no avail. Stories of my more recent ancestors were passed down to describe them as ashamed of their armenian heritage. This has lead me to believe that somewhere along the lines they forged documents or changed names in order to more seamlessly assimilate into white America. Small pieces of armenian culture were passed down, but not much.

I feel as though I’m a pomegranate seed cast very very far from my tree. Unable to grow, but still distinctly /from/ something. I’ll do all I can to honor the heritage that my family had stripped from them, and to support Armenians wherever they are, but it will always break my heart that I have to do this as an “outsider”

I pray that the future is filled with many Armenians and a strong, beautiful culture that they can proudly hold onto. Groves upon groves of pomegranates and apricots and grape vines. 🇦🇲

Barev 🌻 my friend,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. Your words and your story moved me deeply, moved me to tears. Even though you feel distant, your connection to your heritage and your roots is evident in your dedication and desire to honor your ancestors and support the Armenian community. Remember that identity and belonging are not solely determined by proximity or documentation but by the love and respect you hold for your culture. As you continue your search, know that your efforts contribute to the preservation and celebration of Armenian heritage. You are not an outsider in spirit, for, it’s as clear as day that your heart beats in tune with the Armenian soul. May we see groves of pomegranates, apricots, and grape vines flourish, may we live to see our nation and our country prosper, retrieving what’s been lost.

What I need you to know, my friend, is that your journey honors your ancestors and enriches the Armenian heritage. 🇦🇲 ❤️💙🧡

[yamayuandadu]

Is the fact that Enlil fought Kur to rescue Ereshkigal an actual thing according to Gilgamesh's epic or was it just a mistranslation?

There's no such a myth. There is no such a being as "Kur" in Mesopotamian mythology. Not only is the alleged "dragon Kur" a mistranslation, it's a mistranslation which was NEVER ACCEPTED BY THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF RESEARCHERS. And we’re not talking about modern researchers, we’re talking about researchers in 1946 already. There is a brief discussion of this in Alhena Gadotti’s ‘Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and the Netherworld’ and the Sumerian Gilgamesh Cycle (p. 3):

However, it’s basically a matter which deserves no real consideration. I have no clue how does the dragon that never was spread online considering it’s the idea on the most fringe of fringe areas of this discipline, and it’s not like it’s hard to access a standard modern translation of Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and the Netherworld (or its Akkadian adaptation, tablet XII of the SB edition of the Epic of Gilgamesh). The word kur is obviously not a given name. It has three possible meanings depending on context - "mountain" (like ex. in the epithet Kurgal and the temple name Ekur; this is likely the oldest use since the sign started as a schematic drawing of a mountain), "land" or "underworld". A brief summary can be found in Wayne Horowitz’s Mesopotamian Cosmic Geography (pp. 272-273), more detailed discussion - in Dina Katz’s The Image of the Netherworld in the Sumerian Sources. Needless to say, in the discussed passage it refers to the underworld. Obviously, the myth does not involve Enlil (or anyone else) “rescuing” Ereshkigal. The passage simply refers to the bestowing of her position on her, courtesy of Enlil and Anu. This is a standard motif in Mespotamian mythology - Enlil, sometimes assisted by other big names like Anu or Enki, was supposed to appoint other gods to their positions. 

Gadotti argues that Ereshkigal specifically receives the underworld as dowry (p. 11). The term used is saĝrig which can also more generally refer to a gift (p. 13); ultimately both options appear in discussion about the passage in scholarship (summary on pp. 244-245). ETCSL goes with "gift".

Note that Gadotti’s interpretation would have interesting implications for Ereshkigal’s genealogy - it would appear as if Enlil and Anu provide her with a dowry in absence of her parents. It is worth stressing that her genealogy is indeed a mystery, and Inanna calling her “sister” doesn’t necessarily imply kinship (p. 13; cf. kings who viewed each other as equals calling each other “brother” in official letters); Ereshkigal never appears in association with Inanna’s standard parents (Nanna-Suen and Ningal) so she has a less firm claim to being one of her siblings than Ningublaga or Numushda do. Gadotti expanded this idea in a separate article, Never Truly Hers: Ereškigal's Dowry and the Rulership of the Netherworld, which is worth checking out just because of how entertaining it is:

I got convinced by her arguments, but that’s a topic for another time. The Enki passage is unrelated to the Ereshkigal one beyond also involving the underworld and thus setting up the core plot of the story, and most likely references a hitherto lost myth involving his journey to the underworld (Gadotti, p. 17). Needless to say, there is no evidence this myth, if it existed in the first place, has anything to do with the definitely nonexistent “dragon Kur”.

[propheticeve]

Prophecy and Mediumship in Hoodoo

♠️♦️♠️♦️♠️♦️♠️♦️♠️

Hoodoo, born in the Americas through the experiences of Black Americans, holds diverse meanings for different practitioners—some see it as a spiritual system, others as a way of life, and some, like myself, view it as a religion. Within the depths of hoodoo, there exists a myriad of practices, all stemming from the spiritual beliefs inherited from our ancestors, albeit tempered by the harsh realities of slavery.

A distinct spiritual trait that resonates strongly within the Black community is our innate ability to heal and see, particularly in the context of prophecy. Prophecy, often associated with characters in Christian philosophy acting out divine will, extends beyond religious boundaries. Prophets, far from being relics of ancient religions, exist in the present day. Whether you explore Black religions, spiritual systems, or those influenced by Black spirituality such as Islam and Christianity, you'll find an abundance of seers—individuals capable of sharing insights gained through spirit, dreams, or visions.

Traditional hoodoo, predating modern divination tools like cartomancy, dice, dominoes, and tarot, relied heavily on dreams and visions. Our elders would nap in prayer and awaken with revelations—a form of Black American divination. Every cultural spiritual system has its unique form of divination, and for us, it encompasses dreams, prayers, visions, and even casual conversations.

Have you ever been engaged in conversation and pieced together information seemingly from nowhere? Or encountered an elderly Black woman who warned you about potential troubles? This, too, is prophecy—an integral part of our cultural heritage.

Mediumship plays a pivotal role in hoodoo, with practitioners thriving on ancestral veneration to uplift and work with the spirits of the dead. As one progresses from a novice to a hoodoo conjurer, channels open to allow contact with spirits. Practices such as graveyard walks, visits to crossroads or forests are acts of mediumship, as conjurers commune with the spirits residing there.

In hoodoo, many of our spirits were once living, and they yearn to collaborate with us. Engaging in rituals at these sacred sites not only uplifts our spirits but also allows them to guide and support us. Authentic hoodoo practice opens channels and leads to a form of self-initiation. As you delve deeper into your journey, gifts you never knew you possessed may surface, often traced back to a specific ancestor in your family.

Genealogy, an essential aspect of our mediumship, unfolds through ancestral veneration. As you honor your ancestors, they guide you to where you need to be. Mediumship in hoodoo is not a hurried process; it's a journey of self-discovery and healing. Eventually, you may find yourself interceding for others, but first, there's a personal healing and transformation that awaits each practitioner.

prophecy and mediumship serves as a profound tool for both personal healing and acting as intermediaries for others. Those seasoned in the craft, having traversed the intricacies of life, acquire the ability to peer beyond the veil. In my understanding and based on research, it's evident that spiritual gifts are inherently woven into the fabric of most, if not all, Black Americans. Many, unknowingly, harness these gifts in their daily lives. However, for those consciously developing and nurturing these aspects, spiritual and tangible rewards unfold.

As a prophetic medium, my daily routine involves moments of meditation, reading, and yes, even napping—I have the privilege of being a stay-at-home wife, after all. During the rhythm of my household chores, I engage in the act of conjuring spirits, invoking protection, healing, and love, while simultaneously binding spirits that may pose a threat. This deliberate practice is an embodiment of mediumship.

Hoodoo, in essence, is an intricate tapestry of mediumship and prophecy. It transcends the conventional notions of a spiritual system, demanding more than the mere arrangement of altars and the creation of honey jars. Hoodoo necessitates an inward journey—an exploration of self that goes beyond the surface. At its core, there is no hoodoo without acknowledging and venerating the ancestors. In the practice of hoodoo, progression is contingent upon a profound acknowledgment of one's lineage.

For Black Americans, this work is not just a choice; it's a necessity. Generations of healing beckon us, stemming from the profound scars of slavery and other malicious acts directed towards our community. The true essence of hoodoo lies in the depth of this self-awareness and the unwavering commitment to healing the wounds passed down through generations. As we engage in this work, we embark on a transformative journey that not only heals the individual but also contributes to the collective healing of our people.

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Be sure to support My Mind and Me inc and Temple of Living Word LLC project The Peoples Praise House where we are raising a Building Fund for our home fot ATR practitioners to practice freely!

[thehutpoint]

As you might remember Lawrence Oates, despite being born in a rich, upper-class family, therefore a gentleman by birth, was not a typical English gentleman, not exactly fiittng to his class with his behaviour, views or fashion sense. I already wrote a bit about his adventures with sewing (the sack-cloth balaclava, the chest pockets on the woolen jacket and probably the famous DIY canvas pants) , which was not exactly a typical skill for someone of Oates's social strata and profession, I mean even a second lieutenant in the army had two servants tending to his needs, so he did not need to learn how to operate a needle.

Today, dear ladies, gentlemen and scientists, we will focus on another atypical set off skills Soldier had, the carpentry. The carpentry was not exactly an often seen hobby among the upper class in Edwardian society, it was more like something a lower class man, or na aristocrat with such position and family history he could afford any excentricities he fancied without any harm to his reputation, might do. Oateses were not that high in the society though, despite being an old family, Domesday Book and all that jazz. There was no single aristocrat, not even a baronet, on Titus's genealogical tree for all I know, and families from this layer of the social piramid were usually behaving more aristocratic than actual aristocrats.

After that overly long introduction, displaying Titus's hobbies on the background of his social strata, let's get to the carpentry itself. Soldier, sent initially to help with renovating Terra Nova in the West India Docks, made such an impression on the crew with his skills, that Teddy Evans begged Smith to leave Titus at this task, not sending him anywhere else. This way Laurie landed the position of carpenter's mate onboard the Terra Nova and there is absolutely no evidence that the ship's carpenter, Francis Davies, ever complained on his skills.

First construction he made on his own I know about were the horse stalls on Terra Nova, built during the stay in New Zealand. That's where the ponies, bought by Meares in Vladivostok got transported to after a long journey that killed not only two ponies, but also any relations between Meares and Scott's brother in law, Wilfrid Bruce, who was supposed to help, but was pretty useless avoiding any dirty job. Let's get back to my Soldier and his carpentry adventures though. Lo and behold, the stalls:

You can see, that the planks are quite smooth and straight, what is supposed to be vertical is vertical, what should be horizontal is horizontal and everything fits together neatly. Overall it is a good, solid carpentry work, done by someone who had, I think, more than elementary knowledge with it. The crescent shaped indentations were made by the horses, as a number of ponies had a bad habit named windsucking. A windsucker hooks his teeth on the edge of the trough, or the stall board, extends the neck and swallows the air. It wears the teeth a lot and can cause neck muscle issues, the cause is usually boredom. Many bored horses humour themselves also with chewing on whatever they have in their reach, leaving marks like that.

Building the stalls was not an easy task, due to the fact they were on a ship, they had to have a certain size, They had to be wide enough to accommodate the ponies, of course, yet tight enough so the ponies wouldn't be tossed around with every stronger movement of the ship. They gave Soldier a lot of anxiety, as the letter he wrote to his mother from New Zealand and quoted by Bernacchi in his shitty bio of Titus (to be honest Laurie has only shitty bios though), attests.

A you can see Titus was not as imperturbable and calm as he is usually depicted, here he anxieties the living crap out of himself in such a style that I, a seasoned anxiety pro can give him the highest note for his performance. The stalls were all right, ponies fitted in them perfectly and getting them out was not much of a problem.

That's how they were unloaded in Antarctic. Man in the white hat on the right is Rennick, the one in the dark clothes and the one next to the pony are unrecognisable to me. If someone can recognize them, please, chime in. If you look directly above the pony unloading device, you will see a man in white shirt and black woolen hat. That's Titus.

And here we have the stables at thee hut on Cape Evans, built by Titus himself (visible on the left). Also a good quality carpentry in my honest opinion, so it begs the questions: where did this man learn the carpentry? From whom? Who taught him? As for what pushed the rich young man from the idle caste to learn that, well I think there are two things at play here. First, he simple liked to work with his hands. Second, I get a strong impression that he hated to be helpless and dependent on others, that's why he learned how to do things on his own. In one thing I do agree with Bill Wilson: there is more in Titus than meets the eye.

[u-mspcoll]

Next week! Victor Perera Papers: From Chaos to Cataloged

Join us on the 6th floor of Hatcher next Thursday, 21 November between 4-6p for our next Third Thursdays at the Library event of the semester! 

This event will showcase the recently processed papers of Victor Perera, a Guatemalan-born Sephardic Jewish-American writer, journalist, and political activist. Learn about archival processing and the collection’s journey from a basement to library accessible via a finding aid. See highlights from Perera’s collection, including original drafts, materials from his time at the University of Michigan, and his research on Guatemala conflicts, whales, the Loch Ness Monster, his Sephardic Jewish genealogy, and the Perera family curse!

[kohakhearts]

deeply curious abt mentally ill timeskip goh and his ditto. but for some reason mostly his hair??? did he grow it out on purpose? does he take care of it? just brush and go or does he use products? not important or something he takes pride in?? idk why

hi anon thank you SO much for asking!!

(ok so disclaimer the premise of this timeskip is like what i think would be a natural future scenario for the characters. most of my fics are AUs so essentially unrelated, but in terms of designs and stuff this is kind of what i’m playing with in those fics too. the short answer to the hair thing is i just think it’s neat. but dw there’s also a long answer :p)

“mentally ill timeskip goh” is perfect btw. that’s him in a nutshell. if he’s not mentally ill what’s the fucking point /j

i think that goh is someone who, in canon, uses his ambitions as a distraction from things that actually upset him - i mean, we see him as a kid from his parents’ perspective so invested in research that he barely acknowledges when they say they won’t be home for the holidays because they have to work, but his own memory of the same scene is coloured with a little more emotion lol. so we get the impression that he tries hard for his parents’ sakes to be unbothered by their lifestyle. i wrote about how goh is a quintessential parentified child here and doing that to your kid is basically just asking for them to grow up to become a neurotic workaholic which is why He’s Like That. but in canon meeting ash opens him up to other opportunities - where he is valued and appreciated by someone who, like him, is so driven by his goals he’s willing to. you know. jump on the back of a a giant god-bird mid-flight.

but then he and ash go separate ways. and even though goh comes out of their shared time together every day a little more friendly and open, he’s still himself, right??? so while ash is off journeying, i think goh would eventually take more of a gary path where he does stay in one place for an extended amount of time in order to further his education (as an aside, at this time gary is between kalos and hoenn studying primal reversion). he tries the ash thing first, but it’s not the same on his own. using his goal of catching every pokemon as a distraction from the fact that he gets lonely without ash only works so well. but he’d rather eat his own arm than admit that to anyone, let alone ash (who keeps in touch…to an extent), so he eventually pivots and seeks out other opportunities. one of those opportunities results in a cerulean cave expedition where he meets his ditto, whose goal is stirring as much shit as it possibly can and as a result it’s very talented at transformations. i don’t have the whole story there figured out yet, but for one reason or another ditto decides to go with goh (who is very impressed by its ability, and sees that it could be a huge asset to his research).

goh’s field of research is pokemon genealogy - quite literally working his way up to mew! (as a result, he winds up consulting frequently with gary, who is a pokemon palaeontologist. so they’re not actively coworkers but they still work together. here are your crumbs shigegou nation.) ditto is the perfect research assistant because its transformations are a cellular reconstruction. so yes it can transform into any other pokemon but it can also in theory transform into any other pokemon moved-slightly-to-the-left. meaning that it can replicate less evolved (in the real-world definition of evolution, not the pokemon definition) versions of pokemon based on models and simulations.

but going back to the being lonely thing, that’s why he got the early 20s depression beam LOL (imo there are other things wrong with him but thats a whole other essay). his hair getting long initially is just a result of never getting it cut (first because he’s travelling and doesn’t have time for that, then because he’s “too busy” in general) but i think he’d come to like it because it’s easier to manage in the sense that he can just pull it back and ignore it lmao. also it’s a little Gender and i think he would grow to appreciate that quality. so it’s not something he takes pride in necessarily but i don’t think he’d have any kind of dramatic “i’m not too depressed to cut my hair anymore” moment or anything. he doesn’t have the patience to style it himself but i think he’d be willing to let chloe tackle it now and then!

[qldqueerboy]

A new passion starts to emerge today as you begin the process of researching your family genealogy. There is a plethora of information and documentation online but questioning the accuracy will require a sharpness of mind in sorting out the facts from the fiction. You may very well find yourself looking at planning an interstate or overseas journey sometime in the future as a way of obtaining proof of your descendancy as a sure means of getting to the truth.

[ancharchist]

Hey I'm Charlotte I'm a 24yo transfem nonbinary woman thing. I got social anxiety but I'm down to talk.

Favorite Animes:

Revolutionary Girl Utena/Shoujo Kakumei Utena (also my favorite piece of media in general)

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Trigun

Bloom Into You/YagaKimi

Steins;Gate

Kaguya-sama: Love is War

Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War is my favorite game. Juri Arisugawa, Misato Katsuragi, Himeno (CSM), Utena Tenjou, Vash the Stampede, Kino (Kino's Journey), Kurapika, and Rukako are some of my favorites characters. I watch things besides anime I swear lol. Also shout out to Touhou Project fav touhous are Satori, Kaguya, and Meiling.

Also DNI minors (under 18), homophobes, transphobes, racists, anti-Semites, bigots of all kinds, ableist, MAPs, conservatives, and "centrists".

Also hornyposts are common here typically Sapphic and t4t. Dom/Sub, kink, all that good stuff. I have a boyfriend and we're in a monogamous relationship so no sexting but friendly flirting and discussion and openness about sex is cool. I'd say I'm a Sub leaning Switch.

My b-day is in October . My hrt anniversary is 8/25/2022.

Tags:

#vibe is mostly memes but it's kinda just a vibe

#<3 is positivity <3

#hornyposting is horny posts

#sapphic is sapphic horny posts

#ancharchism (don't llaugh) is political stuff

I'll expand on this later ♥♥♥