Latest Posts by blue-skys0 - Page 2

Endgame Spoilers:

If Endgame was for fans who have seen all the movies and know all the characters (and with all the callbacks and cameos, this really is indisputable), then why does the movie keep having to remind the audience about who Peggy is, what she means to Steve, and how Steve never got over her?  Shouldn’t the audience already know this?  Why keep emphasizing it?   

Going from memory alone here, the Peggy references were: - Steve in the ship on the way to Titan, looking at Peggy’s picture inside the compass. - Steve at the group therapy session referring to Peggy as the love of his life. - Steve fighting the 2012 version of himself and revealing the picture in the compass again. - Steve seeing the picture of himself on Peggy’s desk. - Steve not being able to help himself from watching Peggy through the window in her office.

This is… really excessive foreshadowing.  Did the fans really need to be bashed over the head this much?  If they’ve seen the movies and are fans of the character, shouldn’t they already know what Endgame keeps telling us over and over again?  That Peggy, even after her death, is still the most important person in Steve’s life, that Steve is full of regrets about her, that nothing in the modern world, not even after Thanos is defeated and everyone is un-snapped, could possibly be more dear to Steve than Peggy, and that he would do anything to finally have that dance with her, even give up being Captain America?  Because this is precisely what the audience MUST believe in order for Steve’s ending to feel right and satisfying.  

But if instead, you went into Endgame believing that the living, breathing Avengers were the most important people in Steve’s life, that Steve more or less made peace with his regrets at some point between Peggy telling Steve to move on and start over in 2014, and Steve kissing Sharon in 2016, that the dearest thing to Steve in the modern world is his best friend Bucky Barnes, for whom Steve would do anything to protect, including storming a Hydra base single-handedly with little more than a costume prop, let a confused and volatile WS!Bucky beat him almost to death rather than continue to fight him even in self defense, defy his nation rather than hand over Bucky, brutally fight a good friend so violently that he feared you would literally decapitate him, give up being Captain America, become an international fugitive, and live in hiding/on the run for two years?  If you believed that, then Steve’s ending was at best confusingly out of character and at worst, premeditated character assassination.

I think the filmmakers knew very well that Steve’s ending would not work unless the audience believed Peggy was everything to Steve, and in order for the audience to believe that, they were going to need to establish it in Endgame.  Because the prior movies featuring Steve sure as hell didn’t.  And thus, we get Endgame “reminding” us of things that directly contradict everything we’ve seen from Steve Rogers in prior movies.

Cinemalogue

Avengers Endgame: Male Entitlement Undermines Steve Rogers' Core Characterization and Story Arc - Cinemalogue

In my previous editorial, I explored transformative fandom’s movement to embrace Steve Rogers as not only a champion of the LGBT community,

“Every aspect of  Peggy’s life suggested that she deeply loved her husband over the course of decades.  In spite of this, Steve Rogers unilaterally decides that heis the true love of Peggy Carter’s life—a choice superior to a man she knew on a soul-deep level.”

“Presented from Steve’s point-of-view, the film frames this act as “romantic”. From any woman’s point-of-view, what’s done to Peggy is a worst-nightmare scenario. A man entitled to her body, her time, and her emotional labor decides he’s owed his happy ending because he’s a ‘nice guy’. ”

“Instead, the filmmakers clumsily include a photo of Steve on Peggy’s desk while omitting pictures of her circa-1970 family. Had Steve looked at the faces of her children and still made the decision to erase them, it would have appeared monstrous.”

“Compounding this issue, Steve recounts his long lost love from the 1940s in a survivor’s therapy group dedicated to coping with the loss of loved ones in Thanos’ Decimation. He doesn’t spare a word for the friends he saw turn to dust.”

“The poignancy and potency of Steve and Peggy’s relationship has roots in the metaphor of two ships passing in the night—a bittersweet concept of what could have been. But there’s nothing else there, not enough shown to establish real, reciprocal love. A man this obsessed (more than a decade after the fact, from Steve’s perspective) with the first woman to be civil to him is neither healthy nor romantic.”

Considering I never create anything of my own - because I’m just not that talented - and rarely reblog, the fact that I even *have* a couple of mutuals is surprising to say the least. So thank you!!! 😊

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but how is the word “parure” pronounced? I’ve recently become interested in tiaras and royal jewels, and your page is great for learning obscure facts (I really liked the “unusual tiaras” post), but I’m American so I’ve never encountered some of these terms before. Thanks in advance!

Thank you, I’m glad you are enjoying the blog and tiaras.  It’s not a dumb question at all, I’m American too so I also have trouble pronouncing parure.  Every time I say it out loud it sounds wrong so I’m probably not the best person to ask.  Here’s a couple of links to pronunciations just click on the button that looks like the sound icon.  Some of them sound different so I’m not sure which is correct.  I believe @countessofmonpezat is French, maybe she could help us?

Merriam Webster Dictionary - Parure

Wiktionary - Parure (you have to scroll down a bit for the audio but I like the way this one sounds)

How To Pronounce in English - Parure

How To Pronounce in French - Parure

Something I want to keep as I keep pronouncing it wrong myself.

So I put these gifs side by side and they just went so damn well with each other. Now it looks like an interview where Steve and Bucky are talking about their relationship. Bucky seems to be doing more of the talking and goofing around.

I couldn’t help but laugh at what I’ve done here. Can’t help it. I love these two.

Couldn’t resist that bonus pic 😂

Inspired by that scene from Spirited Away where Haku remembers his real name

Bonus:

an important gifset

The Zodiac Signs as Pokémon Generation One & Explanation.

PAGAN CREATIONS

SHAMANISM

Shaman are spiritual beings with the ability to heal, work with energies and ‘see’ visions. The essential characteristics of shaman are mastery of energy and fire as a medium of transformation.

Shamanism is a range of traditional beliefs and practices that involve the ability to diagnose, cure, and sometimes cause human suffering by traversing the axis mundi and forming a special relationship with, or gaining control over, spirits. Shamans have been credited with the ability to control the weather, divination, the interpretation of dreams, astral projection, and traveling to upper and lower worlds. Shamanistic traditions have existed throughout the world since prehistoric times.

Shamanism is based on the premise that the visible world is pervaded by invisible forces or spirits that affect the lives of the living. In contrast to animism and animatism, which any and usually all members of a society practice, shamanism requires specialized knowledge or abilities. Shamans are not, however, organized into full-time ritual or spiritual associations, as are priests.

Different forms of shamanism are found around the world, and practitioners are also known as medicine men or women, as well as witch doctors.

The shaman plays the role of healer in shamanic societies; shamans gain knowledge and power by traversing the axis mundi and bringing back knowledge from the heavens. Even in western society, this ancient practice of healing is referenced by the use of the caduceus as the symbol of medicine.

Oftentimes the shaman has, or acquires, one or more familiar helping entities in the spirit world; these are often spirits in animal form, spirits of healing plants, or (sometimes) those of departed shamans. In many shamanic societies, magic, magical force, and knowledge are all denoted by one word, such as the Quechua term yachay.

While the causes of disease are considered to lie in the realm of the spiritual, being effected by malicious spirits or Witchcraft, spiritual methods as well as what we would consider physical methods are used to heal. The shaman often will enter the body of their patient to find the spirit making the patient sick, and heal by removing the infectious spirit by the patient.

However, many shamans have expert knowledge of the plant life in their area, and an herbal regimen is often prescribed as treatment. In many places, the shamans claim to learn from the plants directly, only being able to determine the effects of a plant and use it to heal after meeting the spirit of the plant and getting permission.

In South America, individual spirits are called through singing icaros; to call the spirit, the spirit must teach you their song.

The use of totem items such as rocks is common; these items are believed to have special powers and an animating spirit.

Such practices are presumably very ancient; in circa 368 bc, Plato wrote in the Phaedrus that the “first prophecies were the words of an oak”, and that everyone who lived at that time found it rewarding enough to “listen to an oak or a stone, so long as it was telling the truth”.

The belief in witchcraft and sorcery, known as brujeria in South America, is prevalent in many shamanic societies.

Some societies distinguish shamans who cure from sorcerers who harm; others believe that all shamans have the power to both cure and kill; that is, shamans are in some societies also thought of as being capable of harm. The shaman usually enjoys great power and prestige in the community, renowned for their powers and knowledge; but they may also be suspected of harming others and thus feared.

In engaging in this work the shaman exposes himself to significant personal risk, from the spirit world, from any enemy shamans, as well as from the means employed to alter his state of consciousness. Certain of the plant materials used can kill, and the out-of-body journey itself can lead to non-returning and physical death; spells of protection are common, and the use of more dangerous plants is usually very highly ritualized.

Generally, the shaman traverses the axis mundi and enters the spirit world by effecting a change of consciousness in himself, entering into an ecstatic trance, either auto hypnotically or through the use of entheogens. The methods used are diverse, and often are used in conjunction with each other.

Some of the methods for effecting such altered states of consciousness are:

Drumming

Singing

Fasting

Sweat lodge

Vision quests /or vigils,

Dancing or Spinning Games

Power Plants

Tobacco

Fly Agaric

Psychedelic Mushrooms Alluded to euphemistically as “holy children” by Mazatec shamans such as Maria Sabina

Peyote

San Pedro Named thus (St. Peter) by Andean natives because he’s the guardian of Gates of Heaven

Ayahuasca Quechua for “Vine of the Dead”

Iboga

CREDIT http://www.crystalinks.com

IMAGE CREDIT https://www.flickr.com/photos/xxxavia/

A QUICK START GUIDE TO OWNING CRYSTALS!

I know its really exciting to get into rocks and rock collections! But it can be over whelming if you dont know where to start.

-The best starter stones are quartz crystals with calm energies. So like clear quartz, aura quartz, rose quartz, and amethyst. You shouldnt leave these guys in the sun, or let them get too hot. The prices of these went up kinda recently, but they should still be on the cheaper side.

-If you wanna keep in the quartz family for your next stones, lemurians, enhydros, and citrine are really great. They dont like the sun, but they love love love sitting in the moonlight. These are more expensive but its an investment with these darlings.

-If you wanna move away from the quartz family, celestite, agate, fluorite, and selenite are just phenomenal. Dont use water for any of these! Just better safe than sorry, i stick to the rule that if its not a natural quartz dont put it in water.

-For those of you who want some high energy stones, tektites, shiva lingams, fulgurite, labradorite, and melody stones pack a punch!

These are my personal recommendations and what i actively work with!

To cleanse them, let them sit in the moonlight, smudge them with incense, project a white energy into the stone to cleanse it, or let them sit in some sea salt.

Always wash your hands with cold water before and after handling stones. If you canT feel their energy right away, draw a circle on your palms in a counter clockwise motion. Before you work with a crystal, tell it your intention for working with it. Try to know where your crystals or stones are from. Trust your intuition.

For the beginning witch, Herbal Chart By Use and How To Use Them

How to use~

Elemental spells (for people who are stronger with one element than others)-

Earth Spell: Place the appropriate herbs in a bag and take it to a wild place. With your hands dig a small hole in the Earth and pour the herbs into it. Visualize your need strongly. Cover your herbs and leave the area. It is done.

Air Spell: Stand in an open place atop a hill or mountain, far from tall trees, buildings, and other hills. Hold the appropriate herbs in your power hand and facing north blow a little of them to that direction. Turn East and repeat, then south. At the west blow all the herbs from your hand. Visualize strongly your need, stating it in words if you wish.

Fire Spell: Write or make a symbol of you need on a piece of paper cut into a triangle. While visualizing your need, place the appropriate herbs in the center of the paper and crumble it tightly so that the herbs are trapped inside the paper. Anoint with oils if you wish. Build a roaring fire in an outside pit or fireplace. Through the herb packet into the fire. As it touches the flames firmly visualize your need. Continue to do so until the packet has been consumed by flames.

Water Spell: Take the appropriate enchanted herbs to a river, spring, lake or seashore. Hold them tightly in your power hand and visualize your need. With sweeping motion, scatter the herbs onto the water. The power has been sent.

Others

Charms and sachets - Fill a small bag, of the correct color or material, with herbs to make a charm or sachet. You can carry the charm with you, hang it in the house or car, or bury or burn it, depending on the purpose, and the spell you are performing. 

Incense- Herbs can be burned as a ritual incense, such as the sage smudge used to clear negative vibrations from a space. 

Bath - Make a sachet, and place it in your ritual or healing bath. Fragrant herbs like lavender make a very relaxing bath, and you can use certain herbs to alleviate skin and other conditions, such as using eucalyptus in a bath when you have a cold or flu. 

Oils - Place herbs in an oil, let them steep for a few days, then strain. You can make annointing oils for you ritual work, beauty oils for your hair, skin and nails (try coconut or jojoba), or flavor oils for cooking and seasoning, such as steeping rosemary in olive oil. 

Teas- Use herbs to make teas for healing illness. Some herbs can be used to mildly alter consciousness, such as valerian or kava kava which can facilitate trance like states. 

Smoking- You can make herbal smoking mixtures which will also facilitate altered states of consciousness. 

Chart~

Kitchen Herbs

*Anise* Planet: Mercury/Jupiter Element: Air Main magickal uses: Contacting other planes, divination, love, passion, preventing nightmares, protection, psychic development, psychic protection, purification Other magickal uses: Clairvoyance, cleansing, consecration, fertility, gain, good luck, happiness, money, weddings Lore: Paul Beyerl attributes anise to Mercury and Apollo, and suggests that it be partnered with amber stones for best effect.

*Basil* Planet: Mars Element: Fire Main magickal uses: Consecration, divination (esp. about love), exorcism, fertility, fidelity, good luck, happiness, harmony, love, money, passion, peace, prosperity, protection, psychic development, psychic protection, purification, strength, success, tranquility Other magickal uses: Clairvoyance, commanding, courage, dragons, grieving, hatred, honesty, Imbolc, initiation, inspiration, invokation, prevents theft, rituals for the dead, spell-breaking Lore: Paul Beyerl says that basil is attractive to dragons, salamanders, and other fire-oriented creatures. It is sacred to the Hindu god Vishnu and his avatar, Krishna. Magickal herbals occasionally refer to it as St. Joseph’s Wort. Many cultures used basil in herbal medicine, which is not covered in this article.

*Bay* Planet: Sun Element: Fire Main magickal uses: Clairvoyance, consecration, divination, dreams, exorcism, healing, love, passion, protection, psychic protection, purification, wisdom, wishes Other magickal uses: endings, good luck, harmony, Imbolc, inspiration, justice, knowledge, magic, memory, money, overcome opposition, peace, psychic development, release, spell-breaking, strength, success, tranquility, transformation, Winter rituals, Yule Lore: Bay leaves come from a tree also called the laurel, and have a strong tradition as a Greek sacred plant. When the nymph Daphne wanted to avoid the passions of Apollo, she turned into the first laurel tree, which Apollo then adopted as his sacred tree. Wreaths were made from the leaves, which were also chewed and burned by Apollo’s prophetic priestesses at Delphi. It is not suggested, however, that you try chewing bay leaves, as they are rather volatile, and the amount you would get from chewing might be too much for those not trained in the use of visionary herbs. Other gods include Aesclepius (the god of healing and Apollo’s son), Ceres, and Cerridwen.

*Caraway* Planet: Mercury Element: Air Main magickal uses: Fidelity, love, memory, passion, preventing theft, protection, retention, sensuality Other magickal uses: consecration, fertility, gain, honesty, keeping secrets, peace of mind, weddings

*Celery seed* Planet: Saturn/Mercury Element: Earth Main magickal uses: Psychic development Other magickal uses: Beauty, divination, fertility, love, passion

*Cinnamon* Planet: Mercury/Sun/Mars/Uranus (take your pick!) Element: Air/Fire Main magickal uses: Clairvoyance, consecration, divination, energy, good luck, love, money, passion, peace, prosperity, protection, psychic development, success Other magickal uses: communication, happiness, harmony, healing, inspiration, knowledge, meditation, purification, spirituality, tranquility, wisdom Lore: Paul Beyerl suggests that cinnamon be paired with tourmaline for best effect. Cinnamon is important as a purification incense in China. Do not use externally on the body, as it irritates the skin.

*Cloves* Planet: Sun/Jupiter Element: Fire Main magickal uses: clairvoyance, divination, exorcism, keeps away negative forces, love, memory, money, passion, peace of mind, protection, psychic protection, purification, stopping gossip Other magickal uses: cleansing, friendship, psychic development, release, spell-breaking Lore: Cloves were originally grown in China, and made their way to Europe in the fourth centure CE (Common Era). They, like cinnamon, are not grown in the United States, but are imported.

*Coriander* (also called Cilantro) Planet: Mars Element: Fire Main magickal uses: love Other magickal uses: clairvoyance, divination, fertility, gain, health, keeping secrets, passion, peace, protection, retention, weddings

*Dill* Planet: Mercury Element: Earth/Fire Main magickal uses: love, protection, psychic protection Other magickal uses: Blessings, confidence, determination, dreams, fertility, gain, harmony, keeping secrets, money, passion, peace, prevents theft, retention, rest, sleep, tranquility Lore: Some hold that Dill is such a Mercurial herb that it should not be used when Mercury is in retrograde. It has a long tradition of use as a protection against magic: an old rhyme says, “Vervaine and dill/ Hinder witches of their will.” (Another version says, “Trefoil, vervain, St. John’s Wort, dill/ Hinder witches of their will.” In either case, this is specifically meant against evil witches: the healers actually used all of these herbs.)

*Fennel* Planet: Mercury Element: Air/Fire Main magickal uses: confidence, courage, fertility, longevity, love, Midsummer, protection, psychic protection, purification, strength Other magickal uses: Commanding, consecration, divination, energy, gain, meditation, Summer rituals, virility Lore: Fennel was used by the Saxons and by Jewish mystics as an asperger and purifying herb. It also had a history of use by the Greeks, Romans, and Germans, and it followed colonists to the New World. Aoumiel associates it with the God.

*Garlic* Planet: Mars Element: Fire Main magickal uses: exorcism, magic, passion, protection, spell-breaking, strength Other magickal uses: clairvoyance, commanding, confidence, consecration, courage, divination, healing, longevity, money, overcoming opposition, prevents nightmares, purification, stopping gossip, success, weather (fair) Lore: Garlic is one of the few “herbs” whose powers have survived into modern superstition, where it gives protection against vampires. (Silver RavenWolf says that it is also helpful against psychic vampires.) The Greeks attributed it to Hecate, the primary goddess of magic. It is also sacred to the Great Mother, Cybele. Its use actually goes back even further to the Sumerians. Besides its strong psychic protection, it also protects health when eaten regularly. It was beloved in most ancient societies that had it, to the extent that the builders of the Pyramids were paid partially in garlic, and at one point went on strike to get more (according to graffiti inside the Pyramids, left by the workers). *Ginger* Planet: Mars Element: Fire Main magickal uses: love, passion, psychic protection Other magickal uses: cursing, health, psychic development, sensuality, success

*Lavender* (a stretch, but it appears in some gourmet recipes) Planet: Mercury Element: Air Main magickal uses: clairvoyance, cleansing, consecration, happiness, healing, love, Midsummer, money, passion, peace, peace of mind, protection, psychic protection, purification, tranquility Other magickal uses: blessings, chastity, divination, dreams, energy, gentleness, good luck, grieving, harmony, keeping secrets, magic (esp. to increase the duration of a spell), meditation, memory, psychic development, retention, ritual, sleep, stability, virility, weddings Lore: Attributed by some to Hecate, Saturn, and snake goddesses. Aoumiel also calls it attractive to elves.

*Lovage* Planet: Venus/Sun Element: Earth/Water Main magickal uses: love Other magickal uses: beauty, cleansing, consecration, money, passion, protection, psychic protection, purification Lore: The main uses concern love and beauty, hence, one assumes, the name “Lovage.”

*Mace* Planet: Mercury Element: Air Main magickal uses: Clairvoyance Other magickal uses: fertility, gain, good luck, love, protection

*Marjoram* Planet: Venus/Mercury Element: Air Main magickal uses: grieving, happiness, love, money, protection, psychic development, psychic protection,tranquility, weddings Other magickal uses: Animals, cleansing, courage, dreams (of love), harmony, peace, rituals for the dead, success Lore: Attributed to Venus by the Romans, but also sometimes to Aphrodite, Thor and Jupiter. In case you’re confused about the use for both grieving and happiness, it is meant to restore happiness to the grief-stricken.

*Mustard seed* Planet: Mars Element: Fire Main magickal uses: fertility, health, love, passion, protection Other magickal uses: commanding, cursing, exorcism, gain, good luck, sensuality, spell-breaking, strength, success, virility

*Nutmeg* Planet: Jupiter Element: Fire/Air Main magickal uses: clairvoyance, divination, money Other magickal uses: dreams, fertility, gain, love, meditation, passion, prosperity, protection, psychic development, rest, sleep

*Onion* Planet: Mars Element: Fire Main magickal uses: exorcism, protection Other magickal uses: Clairvoyance, cleansing, contacting other planes, divination, healing, lunar rites, magic, purification, spell-breaking Lore: The link to the moon seems to be mostly due to color and shape. In protective magick, just as in cooking, onion is often combined with garlic.

*Oregano* Planet: Venus Element: Air Main magickal uses: happiness, tranquility Other magickal uses: Animals, grieving, harmony, love, peace, protection, psychic development, weddings

*Parsley* Planet: Saturn Element: Earth Main magickal uses: divination, happiness, passion, protection, psychic development, purification Other magickal uses: clairvoyance, cleansing, consecration, contacting other planes, fertility, good luck, invokation, meditation, rituals for the dead, speed Lore: Sacred to Persephone, parsley was used in the victory wreaths of the Isthmian games by the Greeks. Some also attribute it to Aphrodite and Venus, and with Mother goddesses. Parsley was thought to come from from the blood of Archemorus, a servant of Death.

*Pepper* Planet: Mars Element: Fire Main magickal uses: cursing, exorcism, passion, protection Other magickal uses: commanding, sensuality, spell-breaking, stops envy Lore: Stings the eyes when burned.

*Peppermint* Planet: Venus Element: Air Main magickal uses: cleansing, consecration, dreams, happiness, healing, love, money, passion, prosperity, protection, psychic development, purification, release, renewal, rest, sleep Other magickal uses: Animals, divination, endings, energy, exorcism, good luck, grieving, spirit offering, success, transformation Lore: Mints are sacred to the god Hades, because (as happened with Daphne and Apollo–see *bay*) a young lovely named Minthe was transformed into a mint to keep her from Hades’ embrace. Peppermint is also sometimes attributed to Zeus. Paul Beyerl suggests pairing peppermint with topaz or chalcedony for best effect.

*Poppyseed* Planet: Moon Element: Water Main magickal uses: dreams Other magickal uses: Binding, clairvoyance, consecration, cursing, fertility, prosperity Lore: In Greece, poppies belonged to Hypnos and Somnos, sleep gods. (Remember “The Wizard of Oz?” “Poppies will make them sleeeeep!”) They are also associated with Ceres. If you eat poppyseeds shortly before taking a drug test, you may test positive for heroin, which comes from opium, a kind of poppy. This kinship may also explain some of its magickal functions.

*Rosemary* Planet: Sun Element: Fire Main magickal uses: cleansing, confidence, consecration, courage, exorcism, good luck, grieving, happiness, healing, knowledge, love, memory, passion, peace of mind, prevents theft, protection, psychic development, psychic protection, purification, release, ritual, rituals for the dead, water rites/sea rituals, weddings Other magickal uses: blessings, dreams, endings, energy, elves, fidelity, honesty, inspiration, invokation, longevity, meditation, new moon, prevents nightmares, sleep, strength, transformation, wisdom, Yule Lore: Rosemary is associated in Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet” with remembrance, so its link to memory is old. Even older are its associations with general magic and healing, with feminine power–folklore had it that a healthy rosemary plant grew where a woman was head of the family–and with goddesses, especially of the sea. Catholic healers associated it with Mary. Aoumiel calls it attractive to elves. Its reputation is that of an all-purpose herb that will help with practically anything.

*Saffron* Planet: Sun Element: Fire Main magickal uses: Clairvoyance, divination Other magickal uses: cleansing, commanding, consecration, exorcism, healing, magic, psychic development, purification, spell-breaking, weather (raises wind)

*Sage* Planet: Mercury/Jupiter Element: Earth Main magickal uses: cleansing, healing, longevity, money, passion, prosperity, psychic development, psychic protection, purification, wisdom Other magickal uses: business, clairvoyance, consecration, divination, domestic harmony, energy, happiness, inspiration, keeping secrets, knowledge, love, Mabon, meditation, peace, retention, Samhain, tranquility, weddings, Yule Lore: The kind of sage found in the kitchen was brought to the New World by colonists, and was especially popular among Germans. It should not be confused with sagebrush.

*Savory* Planet: Venus Element: Air Main magickal uses: passion Other magickal uses: Animals, attracts males, happiness, love, satyrs, sensuality, virility Lore: Savory is ruled by and named after the satyrs, thus its many ties to sexual affairs. It was a favorite of the Romans for parties.

*Spearmint* Planet: Venus Element: Air Main magickal uses: consecration, happiness, love, money, passion, prosperity, protection, psychic development Other magickal uses: Animals, dreams, endings, exorcism, healing, good luck, release, renewal, rest, sleep, spirit offering, success, transformation Lore: see *peppermint.*

*Star Anise* Planet: Mercury/Jupiter Element: Air/Water Main magickal uses: clairvoyance, good luck, protection, psychic development Other magickal uses: consecration, contacting other planes, divination, exorcism, fertility, gain, invokation, justice, love, money, passion, preventing nightmares, psychic protection, spiritual places Lore: Primarily used in Japan, around temples and burial sites. It is also called Chinese Anise.

*Tarragon* Planet: Mars Element: Fire Main magickal uses: commanding, confidence, courage, passion, protection, strength Other magickal uses: Animals, calming, keeping secrets, love, peace, prevents theft, retention, sensuality, virility Lore: The Latin name, “Artemesia dracunculus,” means “little dragon of Artemis.” It seems to carry many of Artemis’s qualities, in both her Olympian (courage and strength) and pre-Olympian (passion and sensuality) forms.

*Thyme* Planet: Venus Element: Air Main magickal uses: clairvoyance, cleansing, consecration, courage, divination, dreams, exorcism, faeries, happiness, healing, love, money, prevents nightmares, protection, psychic development, purification Other magickal uses: compassion, confidence, contacting other planes, grieving, magic, meditation, Midsummer, passion, release, renewal, rituals for the dead, Summer rituals, wishing Lore: Thyme has strong ties to faery lore. Paul Beyerl pairs it with pearls.

*Turmeric* Planet: Mars Element: Fire Main magickal uses: passion Other magickal uses: commanding, confidence, courage, exorcism, magic, sensuality, spell-breaking, strength *Vanilla* Planet: Jupiter Element: Fire Main magickal uses: love, passion Other magickal uses: Energy, new moon

Others

*Animals* marjoram, oregano, peppermint, savory, spearmint, tarragon, wintergreen

*Beauty* celery seed, lovage

*Binding * ginger, mustard seed, pepper, poppyseed

*Blessings* dill, lavender, rosemary

*Business* sage

*Calming* tarragon

*Chastity* lavender

*Clairvoyance* anise, basil, bay, cinnamon, cloves, coriander/cilantro, garlic, lavender, mace, nutmeg, onion, parsley, poppyseed, saffron, sage, star anise, thyme

*Cleansing* anise, cloves, lavender, lovage, marjoram, onion, parsley, peppermint, rosemary, saffron, sage, thyme

*Commanding* basil, fennel, garlic, mustard seed, pepper, saffron, tarragon, turmeric *Communication* cinnamon

*Compassion* thyme *

Confidence* dill, fennel, garlic, rosemary, tarragon, thyme, turmeric

*Consecration* anise, basil, bay, caraway, cinnamon, fennel, garlic, lavender, lovage, parsley, peppermint, poppyseed, rosemary, saffron, sage, spearmint, star anise, thyme

*Contacting other planes* anise, onion, parsley, star anise, thyme, wintergreen

*Courage* basil, fennel, garlic, marjoram, rosemary, tarragon, thyme, turmeric

*Death rituals (rites for the dead)* basil, marjoram, parsley, rosemary, thyme

*Determination* dill

*Divination* anise, basil, bay, cinnamon, cloves, coriander/cilantro, fennel, garlic, lavender, nutmeg, onion, parsley, peppermint, saffron, sage, star anise, thyme

*Dragons* basil, tarragon

*Dreams* bay, dill, lavender, marjoram, nutmeg, peppermint, poppyseed, rosemary, spearmint, thyme

*Elements* Air–anise, caraway, cinnamon, fennel, lavender, mace, nutmeg, oregano, peppermint, savory, spearmint, star anise, thyme Fire–basil, bay, cinnamon, cloves, coriander/cilantro, dill, fennel, garlic, ginger, mustard seed, nutmeg, onion, pepper, rosemary, tarragon, turmeric, vanilla Water–lovage, poppyseed, rosemary, star anise Earth–celery seed, dill, lovage, parsley, sage, wintergreen

*Elves* rosemary

*Endings* bay, peppermint, rosemary, spearmint

*Energy* cinnamon, fennel, lavender, peppermint, rosemary, sage, vanilla

*Envy, stopping* pepper

*Exorcism* basil, bay, cloves, garlic, mustard seed, onion, pepper, peppermint, rosemary, saffron, spearmint, star anise, thyme, turmeric

*Faeries* thyme

*Fertility* anise, basil, caraway, celery seed, coriander/cilantro, dill, fennel, mace, mustard seed, nutmeg, parsley, poppyseed, star anise

*Fidelity* caraway, rosemary

*Friendship* cloves

*Gain* anise, caraway, coriander/cilantro, dill, fennel, mace, mustard seed, nutmeg, star anise

*Gentleness* lavender

*Good luck* anise, basil, bay, cinnamon, lavender, mace, mustard seed, parsley, peppermint, rosemary, spearmint, star anise, wintergreen

*Gossip, stopping* cloves, garlic

*Grieving* basil, lavender, marjoram, oregano, peppermint, rosemary, thyme

*Happiness* anise, basil, cinnamon, lavender, marjoram, oregano, parsley, peppermint, rosemary, sage, savory, spearmint, thyme

*Harmony* basil, bay, cinnamon, dill, lavender, marjoram, oregano, sage

*Hatred* basil

*Health/healing* bay, cinnamon, coriander/cilantro, garlic, ginger, lavender, mustard seed, onion, peppermint, rosemary, saffron, sage, spearmint, thyme

*Honesty* basil, caraway, rosemary

*Initiation* basil

*Inspiration* basil, bay, cinnamon, rosemary, sage

*Invokation* basil, parsley, rosemary, star anise

*Justice* bay, star anise

*Keeping secrets* caraway, coriander/cilantro, dill, lavender, sage, tarragon

*Knowledge*bay, cinnamon, rosemary, sage

*Longevity* fennel, garlic, rosemary, sage

*Love* anise, basil, bay, caraway, celery seed, cinnamon, cloves, coriander/cilantro, dill, fennel, ginger, lavender, lovage, mace, marjoram, mustard seed, nutmeg, oregano, peppermint, rosemary, sage, savory, spearmint, star anise, tarragon, thyme, vanilla

*Lunar rites* onion, rosemary, vanilla

*Magic* bay, garlic, lavender, onion, saffron, thyme, turmeric

*Meditation* cinnamon, fennel, lavender, nutmeg, parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme (Yes, there they are! Go and meditate on “Scarborough Fair.”)

*Memory* bay, caraway, cloves, lavender, rosemary

*Money* anise, basil, bay, cinnamon, cloves, dill, garlic, lavender, lovage, marjoram, nutmeg, peppermint, sage, spearmint, star anise, thyme, wintergreen

*Nightmares, preventing* anise, garlic, rosemary, star anise, thyme

*Opposition, overcoming* bay, garlic

*Passion* anise, basil, bay, caraway, celery seed, cinnamon, cloves, coriander/cilantro, dill, garlic, ginger, lavender, lovage, mustard seed, nutmeg, parsley, pepper, peppermint, rosemary, sage, savory, spearmint, star anise, tarragon, thyme, turmeric, vanilla

*Peace* basil, bay, cinnamon, coriander/cilantro, dill, lavender, marjoram, oregano, sage, tarragon

*Peace of mind* caraway, cloves, lavender, rosemary

*Planets* Sun–bay, cinnamon, cloves, lovage, rosemary, saffron Moon–poppyseed Mercury–anise, caraway, celery seed, cinnamon, dill, fennel, lavender, mace, marjoram, sage, star anise, wintergreen Venus–lovage, marjoram, oregano, peppermint, savory, spearmint, thyme Mars–basil, cinnamon, coriander, garlic, ginger, mustard seed, onion, pepper, tarragon, turmeric Jupiter–anise, cloves, nutmeg, sage, star anise, vanilla Saturn–celery seed, parsley

*Prosperity* basil, cinnamon, nutmeg, poppyseed, sage, spearmint *

Protection* anise, basil, bay, caraway, cinnamon, cloves, coriander/cilantro, dill, fennel, garlic, lavender, lovage, mace, marjoram, mustard seed, nutmeg, onion, oregano, parsley, pepper, peppermint, rosemary, spearmint, star anise, tarragon, thyme

*Psychic development* anise, basil, bay, celery seed, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, lavender, marjoram, nutmeg, oregano, parsley, peppermint, rosemary, saffron, sage, spearmint, star anise, thyme

*Psychic protection* anise, basil, bay, cloves, dill, fennel, ginger, lavender, lovage, marjoram, rosemary, sage, star anise

*Purification* anise, basil, bay, cinnamon, cloves, fennel, garlic, lavender, lovage, onion, parsley, peppermint, rosemary, saffron, sage, thyme *

Release* bay, cloves, peppermint, rosemary, spearmint, thyme

*Renewal* peppermint, spearmint, thyme

*Rest* dill, nutmeg, peppermint, spearmint

*Retention* caraway, dill, lavender, sage, tarragon

*Ritual (general)* lavender

*Satyrs* savory

*Sea/water rituals* rosemary

*Sensuality* caraway, ginger, mustard seed, pepper, savory, tarragon, turmeric

*Sleep* dill, lavender, nutmeg, peppermint, rosemary, spearmint

*Speed* parsley

*Spell-breaking* basil, bay, cloves, garlic, mustard seed, onion, pepper, saffron, turmeric

*Spirit offering* peppermint, spearmint

*Spirituality* cinnamon

*Spiritual places* star anise

*Stability* lavender

*Strength* basil, bay, fennel, garlic, mustard seed, rosemary, tarragon, turmeric

*Success* basil, bay, cinnamon, garlic, ginger, marjoram, mustard seed, peppermint, spearmint

*Summer rituals (Spring Equinox through Fall Equinox)* fennel, lavender, thyme

*Theft, preventing* basil, caraway, dill, rosemary, tarragon

*Tranquility* basil, bay, cinnamon, dill, lavender, marjoram, oregano, sage

*Transformation* bay, peppermint, rosemary, spearmint

*Virility* fennel, lavender, mustard seed, savory, tarragon

*Weather* garlic (fair), saffron (raise wind) (Note: since you don’t get any rain-making herbs, one of the very few shortcomings of the kitchen herbal, I will tell you that another folk method of bringing rain is to dip a broom into water and shake it out in the air. Or, you can go the modern route and wash your car.)

*Weddings* anise, caraway, coriander/cilantro, lavender, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, sage

*Winter rituals (Fall Equinox through Spring Equinox)* basil, bay, rosemary, sage

*Wisdom* bay, cinnamon, rosemary, sage

*Wishes* bay, thyme

Credits:

http://windspirit57.tripod.com/id4.html

and

http://www.wejees.net/herbs.html

Found on Pinterest

Hi there! I've been interested in paganism for a while now but every time I try to look into it, I get totally overwhelmed! I was wondering if you could give me a basic rundown of what's out there, as in what types/religions are out there and any other newbie advice. Any resources you have with info would be great too! (ps i've been noticing a pull to the ocean lately so anything related to that would be amazing!)

It isn’t unusual to feel a bit overwhelmed when starting out. Just take a deep breath and meditate of what your reading and own research has drawn out for you.

Start a binder, this binder/notebook will possibly turn into your Book of Shadows (BoS), and will be your guide/dictionary for you. Put things in it that you’ve deemed important, or find interesting. Such as you having a pull to the sea. 

Types of Paganism are Wicca, Shamanism, Druidism, Native American practices, Fae, Celtic, Egyptian, Green Witch, Magick, and any other religion that is polytheistic (typically) or heavily dealing with nature and oneness with it.

My basic advice, is take all the research that you find important and write/print it out and place it in a binder of sorts. This will help tame the overwhelming feeling of it all.

)o(

Here you go, Tumblr. A little burst of pride for the 1st of Pride (the calendar month previously known as June). 

And here’s how to get pride material in your dashboard all month long (and beyond): Go to the pride search and hit “Follow.” Enjoy!  

Me too.

everyone around me underestimates how much i am willing to fight and argue for bucky barnes 

 he is my baby and if you call him a villain i will go steve rogers on your ass

two hot men 

He’s ready to do some shopping. 🔊

you know. sometimes i think. in the face of tony’s obvious trauma and ptsd. in the face of the more obvious pain that bucky has suffered. we forget that steve’s motivation in the film isn’t just his tendency to hold stubbornly fast to his ideals, to do what he feels is right and damn the rest. 

steve’s hurting too.

like. guys. we are so ready to give weight to tony’s emotional boiling over point at the end of the film, to say “this is why he tried to kill bucky, and it’s not right but it’s understandable.” we are so ready to acknowledge the fact that bucky was a victim and motivated to run by his fear of further persecution and hurt from nefarious forces. what about steve, though? when do we acknowledge that steve’s not just acting with righteous arrogance, but a deep anger, isolation, fear, loneliness, sadness, and hope?

steve died. like, his last memory before waking up seventy years in the future is a few days after watching his best friend fall from a train and he was unable to stop it he willingly flies a plane into the fucking Arctic, ostensibly to his death.

guys. guys. tony was fucked up for years because of untreated ptsd after falling from space and thinking he was dead. why is it so hard to remember that steve probably is fucked up, too? 

this dude, he wakes up seventy years in the future and he has to make his way without really anyone or anything familiar, and the only person who is familiar is suffering from memory loss, and he’s now operating under the thumb of shadowy organization that he’s not 100 percent does good things and that continuously lies to him. there’s no war to fight, but that’s all this body is good for. it’s all he knows. 

he doesn’t know what makes him happy. guys.

and so he goes through another trauma when he discovers this villain who is trying to kill him is in fact the dead best friend who—surprise!—was actually captured after falling and losing an arm and his brains were scrambled to turn him into a murder assassin. we know for a fact steve feels tremendous guilt over this. but imagine beyond guilt, the sorrow, the nightmarish possibilities, that are turning over in steve’s head. the idea of what his friend suffered. remember when rhodey fell from the sky and tony blasted sam in the chest? imagine the anger in steve’s heart at the idea of what bucky’s suffered and the unwillingness to let that go unchecked and unsaved.

oh, plus. that shadowy organization he’s been fighting for? the people he’s been taking orders from? the top dog in the neat little hierarchy that’s arranged his world? yeah. hydra. everything steve has known turns upside down. he can’t trust anything. imagine the paranoia. the suspicion. imagine the fear that must take seed at that betrayal.

and then! of course, then he begins fighting these battles with the avengers where the collateral damage is on such a bigger scale than it was at war. where there are aliens. aliens, you guys. and he’s tasked with leading this motley crew of superheroes in a world he’s still getting used to and people die, lots of people die, and we know that even if it doesnt visibly affect him like it affects tony (who always seems shocked when he’s confronted with loss, because it’s presented to him on a personal, individual level) it does affect him. that steve feels the guilt of lives lost. imagine that burden. imagine the weight of the shield, the mask, the responsibility. imagine the loneliness. the fear.

so then. then. in the space of a few days. steve deals with more guilt from the deaths in lagos. he shoulders that burden. then he deals with the moral quandary of signing the accords. he wrestles with that decision. peggy dies. he grieves, oh goodness does he grieve. vienna fuckin blows up and that elusive best friend is now the suspect. so steve is grieving, he is confused and conflicted, and now he feels doubly guilty—that’s the person he has been looking for, should he have already caught him? did he do it? he couldn’t have. does he bring him in? does he shoulder this responsibility too? what will they make him do when he catches up to bucky? what should he do? steve might act like he always knows what’s right, but a decision like this isn’t easy. it messes with a person. and when you’re dealing with all that mess in your head, sometimes you don’t think. sometimes…you act.

like when bucky is triggered, when steve stops a helicopter with his bare fucking hands, you can feel the desperation. that’s not ordinary heroics. that’s not steve just trying to stop bucky from escaping and possibly hurting others. it’s steve fighting for bucky. for this piece of his past. for the possibility of an end to loneliness. for the possibility of redemption for letting him fall. 

and when they go on the run, when they know they have to stop the supersoldiers, when they clash with tony’s team, can you imagine steve’s sheer frustration that no one gets what is at stake? that no one is willing to listen? and yes, he didn’t even try—but why is that, you think? is it possibly because steve is used to institutions and those in power ignoring what he thinks is right and causing disaster anyway?

when steve says, “pal, so are we.” when steve acknowledges to natasha that he’s 90 not dead, when he openly references the fact that he and bucky are 100, can you imagine knowing that? adjusting to that? being 20-something in body and memory but 100 in actuality? living in a body that people perceive as a weapon so strongly that you’ve become a weapon when you are still longing to rediscover the man you were? steve’s not just cap. steve’s steve, and he doesn’t know what makes him happy you guys. he’s a guy, he’s a human, and he’s dealing with A Lot.

i get that he makes some bad calls in the movie. so does tony. my beef is that while tony’s decisions are often supported by his very obvious trauma and emotional burden, we rarely seem to give enough weight to the very real and very similar turmoil that is going on inside of steve.

when tony is fighting him in siberia. when steve says, “he’s my friend,” so simply, so sadly, without any righteousness, just clean tired truth, that’s steve as steve. when he hid the truth from tony, that’s steve as steve. when he drops the shield, that’s steve reclaiming himself as steve. we expect cap all the time, because often, steve is cap. it’s easy to see him as the moral police that way, if reductionist.

but we forget to see steve as steve. that he is a kid, in some ways. and a grieving, lost, lonely kid with a lot of anger, sadness, confusion, and power boiling under the placid-seeming surface.

This dress is just gorgeous!

“Who cares if Tony is upset that Bucky killed his parents, he was brainwashed, Tony doesn’t have any reason to be upset, he should realize this.”

EX-FUCKING-CUSE ME.

Ok.

Let’s take a guy, brainwash him, and then have him kill your parents and record the whole thing. Then, let’s tell YOU it was just a car crash and let that stew for thirty some years. Then we will tell a close friend the truth about their deaths, but oh, not you. AND THEN FORCE you to watch it when you are ALREADY EMOTIONALLY STRUNG OUT BECAUSE

1. Your girlfriend left you 2. You’re trying to make amends for completely fucking up when you made a murder bot that destroyed a city 3. You have the government up your ass 4. You have the Avengers up your ass 5. You’re worried about your best friend who may never fucking walk again in his life and you blame yourself for it 6. You’re trying to find the most peaceful way to protect the Avengers from having a political storm reign down up them with no help from anyone while getting hate and antagonized for it the whole time BY THE PEOPLE YOU ARE TRYING TO PROTECT, while your so called “friends” turn against you and fight you the entire way.

Oh boy.

And then.

AND THEN

Make you WATCH as the man standing right behind you, the man you are trying to help, beats your father to death in cold blood while listening to him BEG for your mother to be spared, only to then watch him strangle your mother (the only parental figure who showed you any fucking love in your entire fucking life) just for BEING THERE. Oh. By the way. Find out your so called “friend” knew about it for a couple years now and didn’t tell you shit. THEN let’s see how rationally YOU are thinking.

Was Bucky brainwashed? Yes. But did Bucky kill Tony’s parents? Yes. Did he want to? Probably not. But he did. Does Bucky feel guilty as hell? Yes. Do I, personally, blame Bucky Barnes? No. Is it probably eating Bucky alive? Hell yeah, definitely is.

Did Tony have a reason to be upset? YES. He just watched Bucky murder his parents. Was Tony’s anger warranted? Yes. Was Tony thinking rationally? No. Should Tony have tried to kill Bucky? No. Could Tony have handled that waaaaay better? Yes. But do I blame Tony for reacting the way he did? Hell fucking no.

Everyone has their breaking point. Tony’s was building through the whole movie, you could SEE it, and that was Tony’s breaking point. Unfortunately Bucky was the closest thing to him that he could project all that anger, frustration, grief, hurt, pain, devastation on. Because brainwashed or not, Bucky still killed Tony’s parents.

Is it Bucky’s fault? No.

Should Tony have tried to kill Bucky? No.

Do I blame him for trying? No.

Me [after watching CW]: I’ll never trust anything Marvel or the Russos tell me ever again

Russos: [say they’re gonna continue to explore Bucky and Cap’s relationship in Infinity War]

Me:

Seriously though 😂

Okay let me explain. My problem is not with Sharon Carter. My problem is with the way they handled her and steve’s relationship like wtf I’ve never seen something more forced in my life. I mean I knew it was going to happen and I was okay with it, but that was the worst “no homo” scene in the cinematic history

As Evans gets into the elevator to ascend to Marvel’s floor, he politely holds the door for other passengers hurrying back from lunch. All of them recognize Cap, even in his civilian clothes, but nobody geeks out. Pretty soon, the elevator is packed, shoulder to shoulder. As the doors close, someone says: “Now he’s going to beat all of us up.” Evans laughs and turns around to break the taboo of no eye-contact. “I think about that every time I’m in one of these things,” he says.

Inside the secret room where Captain America: Civil War was born (via random-windstorm)