whysperingwoods

[whysperingwoods]

HEY GUYS!!

GUYS!!!

FRANCE HAS REACHED THE REQUIRED NUMBER OF SIGNATURES ON THE CITIZEN'S INITIATIVE AGAINST CONVERSION THERAPY IN THE EU!!

ONE COUNTRY DOWN, SIX TO GO!!

We also need still quite a few signatures in order to reach the one million required.

As to date, the six other countries with the most signatures are:

Spain - 38.72%

Finland - 30.31%

Ireland - 24.86%

Netherlands - 24.15%

Germany - 23.54%

Belgium - 23.09%

So yeah, still a long way to go, but we ARE slowly getting closer. Don't stop now! Don't let this stay within the community, either, if you have any friends or family who are open to queer rights, get them to sign, too!

[whysperingwoods]

Witchy dates have been posted for February!

Crossroads: Witchcraft Discord Server for ages 23 and up

There are hundreds of servers out there for practitioners of all ages, and we saw a demand for a cozy place where older witchcraft enthusiasts could gather and exchange. We have a warm atmosphere and a server geared towards discussion, exploration, and learning. Our group is diverse and accepting of all paths and experience levels, so please feel welcome!

• LGBTQIA+ owned • Daily topics and discussions • Organized server library with free books and book recommendations • Airlock safety policy to keep out trolls and spammers • Practice hall available for testing out new techniques, exchanging readings, or gaining experience • Witches from diverse backgrounds and cultures

Join us here!

[whysperingwoods]

kind of wish there was a separate tag for devotion and witchcraft. i get that a lot of devotees are witches and theres some crossover there but there are some things that have no witchcraft whatsoever imo. devotional acts on their own are not witchcraft. if the post is related to both devotion and witchcraft, obviously that's not what i'm talking about.

same with tarot. yes there is considerable overlap between the people who practice tarot and the people who are practicing witchcraft, but there are not synonymous with each other.

its just tiring scrolling through the witchblr tag and 4/5 posts are devotional posts and pick a card readings.

[whysperingwoods]

Simple Gratitude Practice

I just lit an orange candle with Hungarian runes to express my thankfulness to the Sun god of ancient Hungarian pantheon. He is sometimes referred as "A Magyarok Istene", often mistaken as the X-tian god. But no. They're two different deities, as researches have pointed out. Quite interesting how he was probably worshiped before the X-tian oppress nearly wiped out the traditions. Instead it blended welll within the Catholicism, among folk traditions, the church could never truly erase them. I am so thankful that I still can return to Him, whenever I feel the need of his comfort. Even just saying a little thank you, He is so appreciative of small honorings, devotionals and offerings. As long as it comes from pure intentions of the heart, he'll treat you kindly and gentle. Yes. I have refraimed my own practice and pagan polytheism, returning to my ancestry and ancient pantheon by reconstructing as much as possible from the folklore helped me to a bit be less scared of cultural appropriation and the internalized racism we were tought to brush under the carpet. It is not healthy, try to talk it out, journal about it, try to ask for guides on how can you manage your privileges in a better method. For me what gave a little boost is to support BIPOC/disabled witchy content creators, small businesses. From introspective journaling I have came to the conclusion on what dragged me into deep depression was the internalized learnt freeziness. Activism fatigue. Too many contradictory informations regarding the topic of decolonization, anti-racism, what counts as cultural appropriation and what not can lead to severe confusion and it can seem pretty horrific and as if I cannot do anything right as a yte cis-bisexual woman. Starting at somewhere is the hardest part of doing the right things. Self-hatred is still there... in thoughts like why i didn't started it earlier. Why I have not known about certain aspects? I'm not sure if anyone had experienced something similar...? I'd be happy if you'd share your experiences, probably it would help out others too in starting their own decolonization journey and healing from generational trauma.

[whysperingwoods]

Based on what I'm seeing getting reblogged today, it looks like it might be a good time to share this article again from Waging Nonviolence:

This was published before the election, obviously he has won, but there are a lot of excellent points that I think are great to remember in these times.

It's a very long article, if you're on Firefox I use the extension Read Aloud to listen to articles while I'm getting other things done.

I have many favourite parts of the article, but I'm going to share point #5 because people are feeling like doing everything and that is not sustainable. This point is about finding the pathway that works for you over the next few years, and focusing your efforts instead of spreading yourself thin:

5. Find your path

[...]

One pathway is called “Protecting People.” These are folks surviving and protecting our own —  especially those of us directly targeted, such as trans people, folks choosing abortions and immigrants. This might mean organizing outside current systems for health care and mutual aid, or moving resources to communities that are getting targeted. Further examples include starting immigrant welcoming committees, abortion-support funds or training volunteers on safety skills to respond to white nationalist violence.

Another pathway is “Defending Civic Institutions.” This group may or may not be conscious that current institutions don’t serve us all, but they are united in understanding that Trump wants them to crumble so he can exert greater control over our lives. Each bureaucracy will put up its own fight to defend itself. 

Insider groups will play a central battle against Trump fascism. You may recall government scientists dumping copious climate data onto external servers, bracing for Trump’s orders. This time, many more insiders understand it’s code red. Hopefully, many will bravely refuse to quit — and instead choose to stay inside as long as possible. 

Institutional pillars understand a Trump presidency is a dire threat. The military, for one, is well aware that Trump’s potential orders to use them to crack down on civilian protesters would politicize them permanently. 

These insiders will need external support. Sometimes it’s just folks showing compassion that some of our best allies will be inside, silently resisting. A culture of celebrating people getting fired for the right reasons would help (then offering them practical help with life’s next steps). Other moments will need open support and public activation.

Then there’s a critical third pathway: “Disrupt and Disobey.”This goes beyond protesting for better policies and into the territory of people intervening to stop bad policies or showing resistance.

Initially a lot of that prefigurative work may be purely symbolic. In Norway, to create a culture of resistance during World War II people wore innocuous paperclips as a sign they wouldn’t obey. The symbolism is to build preparation for mass strikes and open resistance. In Serbia, protests against their dictator started with student strikes before escalating to strikes by pensioners (which were both largely symbolic) before finally escalating to the game-changing strike of coal miners. 

In effective “Disrupt and Disobey” type actions the ultimate goal is paving a path for mass noncooperation: tax resistance, national strikes, work shut-downs and other nonviolent mass disobedience tactics — the most effective strategies to displace authoritarians. (Training on how to do that in a new Trump era can be found here.)

Lastly, there’s a key fourth role: “Building Alternatives.”We can’t just be stuck reacting and stopping the bad. We have to have a vision. This is the slow growth work of building alternative ways that are more democratic. It includes grounding and healing work, rich cultural work, alternative ways of growing food and caring for kids, participatory budgeting or seeding constitutional conventions to build a majoritarian alternative to the Electoral College mess we’re in.

Myself, I’m attracted to “Disrupt and Disobey” — though I know when certain moments hit I’ll be pulled into some immediate “Protecting People.” I’m perhaps too impatient for most “Building Alternatives” and too unhappy with the status quo to do “Defend Civic Institutions.” However, I’m delighted others will do that work!

I’m reminded of another way of finding your role that comes from my friend Ingrid’s grandfather, who lived in Norway under the Nazi regime. He learned that the resistance was hiding people in the basement of a church near a cemetery. As a florist he already traveled to and from the cemetery — so he found a role smuggling messages in funeral wreaths, delivering them all over the city. 

He didn’t go out designing his perfect role. In fact, I’m not sure he would have looked at the list of possible “roles” and found his political path. Instead, he found his space by circumstance.

In other words: Your path may not be clear right now. That’s okay. There will be plenty of opportunities to join the resistance.

[whysperingwoods]

Billie Holiday unapologetically performing "Strange Fruit" as the final song in her set, circa 1939, with bold disregard to the controversial story it may have painted for her audience. 👑

[whysperingwoods]

Already seeing people on tiktok saying “I still hate trump but he ate with this one” like … babes … you just got propagandized … that’s literally exactly what he created this situation in the hopes you would say …

[whysperingwoods]

Crossroads: Witchcraft Discord Server for ages 23 and up

There are hundreds of servers out there for practitioners of all ages, and we saw a demand for a cozy place where older witchcraft enthusiasts could gather and exchange. We have a warm atmosphere and a server geared towards discussion, exploration, and learning. Our group is diverse and accepting of all paths and experience levels, so please feel welcome!

• LGBTQIA+ owned • Daily topics and discussions • Organized server library with free books and book recommendations • Airlock safety policy to keep out trolls and spammers • Practice hall available for testing out new techniques, exchanging readings, or gaining experience • Witches from diverse backgrounds and cultures

Join us here!

[whysperingwoods]

kind of wish there was a separate tag for devotion and witchcraft. i get that a lot of devotees are witches and theres some crossover there but there are some things that have no witchcraft whatsoever imo. devotional acts on their own are not witchcraft. if the post is related to both devotion and witchcraft, obviously that's not what i'm talking about.

same with tarot. yes there is considerable overlap between the people who practice tarot and the people who are practicing witchcraft, but there are not synonymous with each other.

its just tiring scrolling through the witchblr tag and 4/5 posts are devotional posts and pick a card readings.

[whysperingwoods]

[whysperingwoods]

There is a light that I can see But only, it seems, when there's darkness in me

[whysperingwoods]

I’m reading a paper that uses the term re-transition as opposed to detransition and it crystallised a lot of my problems with the term. detransition implies an ability to return to the “default” “normal” cisgender body that lurks within all of us, just waiting to be re-excavated after a period of intentional (deceitful) burial, and a turning “back” or away from the freakish mutilation and “deviance” of transgender transition to a more natural, more authentic body - a body that can never be transformed, only temporarily cloaked by medicine and social trickery on the part of trans people

[whysperingwoods]

exactly like i do tarot and use divination in my practice, but even still i've blocked the tarot reading tag because it was mostly pick a card's and people doing free readings. even in that space i'd love to see more discussion about tarot, different spreads and how people are using them (not just "spread for x y z", actual discussion on how a spread was used and how it worked).

idk if its just part of the sephorafication of witchcraft but it sucks

kind of wish there was a separate tag for devotion and witchcraft. i get that a lot of devotees are witches and theres some crossover there but there are some things that have no witchcraft whatsoever imo. devotional acts on their own are not witchcraft. if the post is related to both devotion and witchcraft, obviously that's not what i'm talking about.

same with tarot. yes there is considerable overlap between the people who practice tarot and the people who are practicing witchcraft, but there are not synonymous with each other.

its just tiring scrolling through the witchblr tag and 4/5 posts are devotional posts and pick a card readings.

[whysperingwoods]

kind of wish there was a separate tag for devotion and witchcraft. i get that a lot of devotees are witches and theres some crossover there but there are some things that have no witchcraft whatsoever imo. devotional acts on their own are not witchcraft. if the post is related to both devotion and witchcraft, obviously that's not what i'm talking about.

same with tarot. yes there is considerable overlap between the people who practice tarot and the people who are practicing witchcraft, but there are not synonymous with each other.

its just tiring scrolling through the witchblr tag and 4/5 posts are devotional posts and pick a card readings.

[whysperingwoods]

[whysperingwoods]

[whysperingwoods]

Herbal Explorations - January 18, 2025

It's been a difficult week to study, because work has been so busy (I have a day job in tech), but I'm finally finished with the bulk of the content of my current course, which is about the foundations of health (i.e. Water, Sleep, Movement, Sunlight). I have about two weeks to study before my final exam, so that has been my focus this week.

We all "know" these things are important, we know to drink water and exercise and go outside, but having a class about it put a lot of things into perspective for me.

The reason they call this class "Health Foundations" is because there are some things that simply cannot be replaced with plants.

Plants can help us, get things started, improve our condition, but if those pillars aren't being taken care of we will eventually hit a ceiling. Where that ceiling is will be different for everyone, but ultimately everyone hits it.

One of the things I found incredibly interesting was a study by Dr Vernikos, who demonstrated that standing up 30 times throughout the day has a more positive impact than standing up 30 times in a row. She formerly worked at NASA and has written books about how to be more mobile during the day. If you're like me and spend your whole day sitting at your desk, just setting a timer to remind yourself to stand up every 30 minutes is a great start!

Sitting Kills, Moving Heals

Designed to Move

(these are not affiliate links)

I have also been doing a sleep treatment this week where I move into bed at about 8:30pm and relax in bed (without screens) for at least an hour before going to sleep. I've been improving my sleep hygiene in general (no bright lights after 6pm, waking up with my alarm, wearing a sleep mask, no caffeine after 12pm) and I've seen a big difference. I won't keep going to bed so early, but keeping the lights low after a certain time and avoiding screens I will continue moving forward.