Secret Witch Masterpost

This is beautiful

The mashup you never thought would work

Hello! I hope you are enjoying your summer. Lughnasadh is upon us, the first of the 3 harvest holidays. I usually spend this day on the countryside, hiking and enjoying the sun, but this year it is a bit different for obvious reasons! 

I know that usually it is custom to bake some bread for Lughnasadh I am a bit of a rebel so today I am offering you a really great recipe if you plan to do a picnic of a feast to celebrate this special day! I have cooked these tarts more than 3 times already and it is always a success! The recipe is a bit long, and I tried to make it as clear as possible!

Strawberry and Wine tarts

The perfect dessert for Lughnasadh

Prep time: 1 hour

Rest time: 1 hour

Cook time: 30 minutes

Yields: 6 to 8 small tarts or 1 big tart

Ingredients

- Dough

120g (1cup) plain flour

60g (1/2cup) whole meal flour

2 tbsp brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

100g butter

- Mascarpone Cream

250g (1 pack) mascarpone

35g (1/4 cup) powder sugar

60g (2 tbsp) heavy cream

- Strawberry and Wine syrup

500g strawberries (more or less, it’s not really precise)

55g (1/4 cup) sugar

juice of 1 lemon

A few fresh Thyme sprigs

60g (1/4 cup) port wine

Preparation

//Dough

In a bowl, mix everything until you have crumbs

Add a bit of water for the dough to keep together

Make a flat ball, wrap it and let it rest in the fridge until needed (at least an hour)

//Strawberries

Rinse and cut the strawberries in slices and put then in a bowl

Add the lemon juice, a few fresh Thyme sprigs and sugar

Let it rest in the fridge for until needed (at least 30 minutes)

//Pie crusts

Pre-heat your oven 180°/375°F

Roll out a portion of the dough about 5mm thick

Drape over a small tart tin with it and trim the excess

Put back the trim with the rest of the dough

Repeat until you don’t have any dough left

Pick the crust with a fork to keep the crust flat when baking

Bake in a hot oven for 15/20 minutes. The crust has to be light golden.

Let it cool on a tray

//Mascarpone cream

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients with a whisk or electric whisk until you have a creamy texture

Let it rest in the fridge until needed

//Wine Syrup

Stain the Strawberry juice and the Thyme in small sauce pan

Put the strawberries back in the fridge

Add the port wine in the pan, you can add more Thyme sprigs if you want a stronger flavour

Put the syrup to a boil then on medium heat until the liquid has diminished by half, or until syrupy

Remove the Thyme springs and set aside the wine syrup to cool

//Making the tart

Spread the cream

Layer with strawberry slices

Drizzle with a bit of syrup

Garnish with a few Thyme leaves

Tips

* These tarts have to be eaten the same day. I understand that the process is a bit long so you can cook the crust and whip the mascarpone the day before so you’d just have to do the strawberries, the syrup and the tarts the day where you plan to eat them

* Port substitution: You can use marsala as well, or nothing and just reduce the strawberry juice to make it a syrup

* If you choose to do a big tart, use weights when you bake the crust to keep it flat

Gaz and Dib are Good Siblings: Yet another overly long analysis

Keep reading

Baking a brioche on a stormy afternoon. A slow living approach.

We had a stormy day last week. The weather was gloomy and it was really windy. I decided to bake a Brioche. Bread making is such a great activity to slow down, and brioche are such a decadent treat. 

Making brioche was really hard for me the first couple of times, and I wish I watched videos on how to make it. 

 Brioche makes wonderful food for any celebrations of the pagan year! You can adapt the recipe to your need and add the flavours and herbs. They are perfect for you feasts are they are the embodiment of the little luxuries, the little extra we enjoy on a celebration day! At the end, I give you some ideas to adapt the recipe to each of the sabbats!

Prep time: 40 min

Rest time: 1h30

Proving time in the fridge: a whole night

Cooking time: 25 to 30 min

Material needed:

A standing mixer with a hook or a hand mixer with hooks. If you don’t have any of those, you can mix by hand but it is going to get really messy and it is much longer.

Ingredients

2tsp dry yeast

4tbsp milk

1tbsp suger

250g plain flour

30g sugar

125g butter at room temperature

3+1 eggs at room temperature

1tbsp Cointreau or Rhum

Recipe

Activate the yeast by mixing 2 tsp of dry yeast with 4tbsp of luke warm milk and a tbsp of sugar. Mix well and let it rest for at least 15min. The yeast is activated when there is a fluffy foam on the top of the milk.

In a bowl, mix flour, sugar, salt and butter together until crumbly.

In a small bowl beat 3 eggs with a tbsp of Cointreau or Rhum.

Add the beaten eggs and the yeast to the crumbly dough.

Start mixing with the robot for at least 5 min. The dough is ready when it is smooth, silky and sticky (don’t worry about that)

First proving:

Cover the bowl with cling film and let the dough rest in a warm place. Near a radiator is really good or in the oven at minimal heat (no more than 30°C / 86°F). Let it rise for about 1h30 or when the volume has doubled. If there is a wind draft, the dough will never rise.

Second proving:

Once the first rising is done, punch the dough to remove the gaz accumulated. At this point the dough is really sticky and that’s normal, don’t be tempted to add more flour. Cover the bowl again and let it rest a full night in the fridge. The dough will rise a bit again.

The day after:

Pre heat the oven at 180°C/350°F

Sprinkle flour on your worktop and start rolling the dough in a large cylinder. Cut it in 3 equal parts.

Roll each part in a long sausage, then braid them together.

Beat one egg and spread it on the braided brioche with a brush. It will make the crust gold and shiny

Bake 25 to 30min at 180°C/350°F

A few important tips:

This dough has a lot of butter that make is very sticky. That’s why the nigh in the fridge is very important. It makes the dough hard enough to be manipulated. Try to work quickly so the dough stays cold.

If you don’t have room temperature butter, shred the butter with a cheese grater it will do just fine.

No alcohol? No problem! Try to perfume the brioche with vanilla or orange zest!

Sabbaths celebrations ideas:

Mabon - 20th-22nd September - Add some sliced apples to the dough before the first proving time

Samhain - 31st October - Add a tsp of pumpkin spices to the flour.

Yule - 20th-22nd December - Add orange zest and orange juice to the mix instead of the Cointreau

Imbolc - 1st February - Don’t change the recipe it is perfect for this celebration day!

Ostara - 20th-22nd March - CHOCOLATE! Add chocolate chips to the batter before mixing everything together

Beltane - 1st May - Use 30g of honey instead of sugar

Litha - 20th-22nd June - Again, you can use honey and also add oranges. Maybe brush a bit of orange marmalade when it is straight out of the oven

Lughnasadh - 31st July - Add Strawberries / Raspberries / Blueberries to the mix before the first proving time

🛡 Warding 🛡

Disclaimer: This is all based on my research, path, opinion & experiences! Intro: I really was holding out on doing this post because it’s such a big, important topic to cover and I really don’t want to mess it up or get anything wrong. This post needs to be done though, people have asked if I have such a post and an anon suggested it. So finally, here it is.  - What Is Warding? Warding is a type of magick, it is the act of creating an energetic barrier around you, your home, an object, ect. They can be temporary or permanent, although typically they are cast with the long term in mind. They can banish or turn away whatever you choose. Warding is an excellent skill to have because it can keep you, and even others safe and with practice you can do it anytime with just about whatever you have on hand.  When Should I Ward? Whenever you want an energetic barrier around you, most people consistently ward their home, themselves or their place of practice. Some people even ward their space every time they prepare for a spell. It should be done consistently in any area you want protected, but exactly where and how often is entirely up to the practitioner.  What Should I Do Before? Cleanse, a ward is a barrier of energy and in the same way that it keeps things out it also keeps things in. You don’t want to trap anything inside of it. Cleanse yourself before you ward yourself. Cleanse your space before you ward your space!  Tips Before You Ward- Phrasing Keep the phrasing in mind! You don’t want to keep anything out that you want in, or let something in that you want out. If you’re chanting or using sigils ect keep in mind exactly what you want to keep out both in your methods and in your mind. Covering everything Make sure to cover everything, a ward is useless if there’s a weakness in it or if the ceiling & floor aren’t probably covered. Be super thorough!  Layering Your Wards One small little wimpy barrier? Ha, the spirits say as they scramble into your home to wreak havoc! You need to layer your wards, don’t just use one method one time, there’s no such thing as too much warding.  What Are Some Ways That I Can Ward? Now we’ll get right down to the methods you can use to ward yourself and your space! Remember that warding is important and needs to be effective, don’t try anything that you don’t have experience with for warding. At first, focus on the stuff you know. If you like sigils, use sigils at first and slowly work your way into using other more complex methods or methods that solely rely on your abilities. Circle Casting You cast a circle by summoning the four elements to protect & energize what is in the circle.  - Here’s my post about circles & how to cast them  Chanting/Speaking Come up with a protective chant you can use to ward your space. This chant could be someone else’s or your own as long as you feel it’s effective. Speak it aloud and visualize a layer of energy protecting your space.  Incense Burn a protective incense in the space you’d like to ward and visualize a barrier protecting your space. Athame Draw out the line of your ward with your athame, visualize the wall appearing, covering everything with a thick layer of energy.  Spraying Spray a mix of blessed/magickal waters and or herbs with protective properties in the space you want to ward.  Sigils Create a sigil using your favorite method with the intent to “ward” or “protect/protection.” Then charge and activate it as a layer of protection! Here’s my post on sigils if you’re interested in that: - Sigil Post Jar Spells You could mix up a jar spell for warding, set it in your house and forget it as a layer of warding.  - My protective jar spell post Anointment Anoint the doorways of your space, you could also anoint the ceiling, floor, walls, corners, honestly go for it.  Salt Sprinkle salt all around the edge of your home or space. Make sure to sprinkle salt on the INSIDE of your harm as salt can harm plants & wildlife if used outside. If you’d like to make a barrier on the outside of your home, you can use dried & crushed eggshells in place of salt. - Post on how to make eggshell powder here -  Hag stones Hag stones are stones with holes in them that have been corroded into the stone because of rushing water. It is believed rushing water is protective & cleansing so if you wear a stone that sat in it long enough to have parts corroded away, that the stone will maintain and keep those properties with it. It’s a great way to personally ward yourself, and an excuse to go out in nature.  They look like this! 

Energy Manipulation If you’ve got a knack for manipulating energy, you can create a barrier through work and visualization that surrounds yourself or your space. This isn’t recommended for beginners though! Links: - Horse Warding Charm By @anothersusurrus - House Warding Spritz Mixture By @seleneblackwell Both of these are great if you’re looking for specific spells, types of magick, correspondences, sigils, ect! - Protection Magic Masterpost Part 1 By @auricwitch - Protection Magic Masterpost Part 2 By @auricwitch Personal Wards Also remember not just to ward your space but yourself, if you layer your home with wards, what happens when you leave? Exactly. Keep yourself safe too! Circle casting & hag stones are great methods I mentioned above that are good for personal warding.  Can I Ward Specific Things And Not Others? Absolutely! I mentioned this in the phrasing section of this post, keep in mind exactly what you want to keep out when you’re warding. I like words like “negative” or “harmful” or “with ill intent” because they don’t necessarily keep out the Fae or positive/neutral spirits but it does keep out anything that wants to harm you in general. Just think about it ahead of time, find wording or a phrase you like and keep that in mind as you ward.  What If I Live With People? If you’re out of the broom closet, explain to your family/roommates what you’re doing and why you’re doing it and make sure they’re cool with it and are aware of what’s going on. If you’re not out of the broom closet, you may have to resort to only warding yourself/your room, & that’s okay!  I hope this helps someone or teaches them something new! Enjoy! Have a lovely day 💖

I actually legitimately hope that they show this in schools.

I just found out that there are more of these clips of cap in homecoming and I haven’t stopped laughing since 😂

Could you make an analysis on Zib, please?

I’ve talked about Zib a few times before. Like quite a few times actually.

A little bit about Zib and Dib’s denial coping mechanism can be just as bad as Zim sometimes. 

About how Zib doesn’t regret that he killed Zim at all 

The Tragedy of Zib’s character

This one is more about the Ultimate Zim but Zib worms his way in here. 

I usually find there’s not much to say about Zib that I haven’t already talked about in detail before. 

I feel there’s so much you can say about a Bad End Friend.

But there’s a few things about Zib that I do find interesting.

I’ve mentioned many times that he has lied to Dib when they first met in order to make himself way more powerful then he seems. A lot of lines are blurred between what’s truth and what’s not.

Like this is a carefully constructed half-truth bullshit lie and most of what he says to Dib on his very first impression is just that. Very well constructed half-lies.

Like he said Dib’s head is the standard unit of measurement across the galaxy and the respect of people everywhere............Well........he’s technically NOT wrong..... Because he does have the respect of all the Zims in the Zimvoid but that’s by posing as the number one Zim. I assure you no one in the Zimvoid is using Dib-head as a standard unit of measurement except him. And he technically IS the only somewhat-human person in the Zimvoid.

Again, he’s not wrong but he is also bull-shiting his way through this conversation and making an effort to impress Dib that he just doesn’t do with the other Zims.

Like he doesn’t care about the other Zims at all in the slightest.

He didn’t even need to drop his disguise as Number One at all, but he saw a Dib and he just had to brag and monologue about his brilliant plan to destroy all the Zims and Irkens because he knew only a Dib would be able to appreciate his greatness. He even says as much.

I really think his need to impress a Dib is greatly increased with who Zib is. Zim in the show, movie, and comics has always had this desire to impress Dib. 

Especially in ETF and a few key episodes. 

Zim just has an overwhelming desire to impress Dib when a plan comes to fruition. Rewatch “Room with a Moose” and a few other episodes, saying that Dib is the only hooman-monkey that can appreciate the beauty of his plans. 

Zib did not need to drop his disguise as the ultimate Zim at all. He could have just thrown Dib in prison but the rest of the Zims but like, he sees a Dib and immediately he wants to talk to him and talk about his plan because he knows only a Dib can appreciate his genius. Both his Zim side and his Dib side.

(I can’t get over 2k and Palindrome pushing Dib closer to Zim Number One like “Take him! Sacrifice to the blood god” ) 

A Dib pretty much caused Zib to have a bit of a panic breakdown. Not only is the Dib the first human he’s seen since he created the Zimvoid, but he is also a Dib. And no Zim would like his plans, cause he’s brainwashing them all, and they won’t appreciate his genius because they’re not human and they won’t get how far he’s going to destroy them. He knew only a Dib would be able to appreciate this, which is why he reveals himself immediately and starts bragging.

Some are lies and some are truths and some are half-truths. He just deeply wants to impress Dib. Without even realizing it’s his Zim side that feels that way. Because to Zib, of course he’d want to brag to Dib. He’s also a Dib. And no one would understand or appreciate his plan better than himself. 

So he reveals himself and tells a lot of things that are bullshit and some aren’t. 

He just crafts a perfectly constructed image of what he wants himself to be and what he wants other Dibs to view him as. Just cause his self-loathing is on its max levels.

And I talked about it before. He really hates that Zim is a part of him, which is why he really deny that they’re merged, at least without getting into the technical aspects of it. 

I don’t think he entirely lied about his plans. 

Like he did lure all the Zims here to kill them off and created a hierarchy where only he benefits. And it’s really only him, because Zib knows no one cares about what he’s doing. If he could get a Dib to care he’d be really less alone.

Which is why he gets so angry when Dib isn’t with him on his plan. Because he thought Dib could understand him but he couldn’t. 

And Dib is right in this instance. Zib’s a bit of a psychopath. 

Zib has absolutely nothing to gain and nothing to lose from doing this at all. Zib just gets disillusioned with humanity and people in general. Letting Dib in on his plans was more of an impulse. Especially with how he regards and talks about the multiverse when the sheet is pulled out from under him. 

Zib absolutely knows what he’s doing is pointless, but he is physically incapable of stopping. Much like a certain Invader with a certain mission. Much like a Determined Big Head boy who never says Die. 

He never planned to having a Dib involved at all. But letting Dib in on his plan (along with a few other Zims) was his first mistake.

But the multiverse is a cold, lonely and unforgiving place when you realize what no one cares and whatever you do doesn’t matter across multiple realities. 

It’s like peak existentialism that comes with the territory of being aware of a concrete multiverse existence. 

It’s hard to say if Zib fusing to Zim’s pack was intentional or not. Just because of how dishonest and un-forward he’s been about his plans and the nature of them up until now. 

Zim and Dib both have a real talent for denying the obvious. So who’s to say if the pak-fusing was an accident or intentional. Since he changed his story twice already.

Even Zim says that building the tech with his brain should have been impossible. And while Zim is kinda an idiot and makes poor judgment decisions and is 99% feral in this saga, I’m inclined to agree with Zim here. Because as we remember:

Zim was actually right on that front. Without fusing to the PAK, Zib wouldn’t have been able to build or understand the Zapper at all. 

So who’s to say if fusing with the PAK was intentional or not. 

Zib acts like he had no choice if he wanted to build the Zapper, but he could have gotten the idea from the Zapper only after fusing to Zim’s PAK.

Who’s to say when or how that happened. Cause while Zib acts proud he “killed” his Zim essentially, who’s to say that isn’t a lie too?

Anyways, I find Zib an interesting character. I feel there’s a lot of potential for him as a reoccurring antagonist.. (but this franchise hates those) I just usually don’t 

I’ve talked about him a few times here and there but he only has one comic issue where he shines at all, so there’s only so much to talk about Zib without getting into more personal headcanons and au type stuff. 

Sorry for the late reply. It was hard for me to figure out what to talk about with Zib that I haven’t said before. 

Honey Lavender Bread

submitted by @materiamystica​

½ cup Greek yoghurt ½ cup plain flour 1tsp baking powder ¼ tsp salt 1 tbsp dried lavender 1 tbsp honey 1 egg, beaten

The intent is to increase mental clarity and connection. To clear your spiritual and mental brain fog so that you can think and see more clearly again. To improve clarity of vision and connection to your heart’s desire. Lavender is employed to stimulate clarity and connection, cleansing, memory, passion, peace of mind, healing, love, passion and retention. With the honey for added sweetness and stickiness to make visions all the more sweet, and memories stick more permanently. Harvesting your own lavender can also be intended to honour Lammas, too!

1. Mix everything in a bowl and preheat the oven at 350 F. 2. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead adding more flour until it’s no longer sticky and has formed a nice stretchy bread dough. 3. Put into a floured loaf tin. 4. Brush top with egg wash. 5. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes until a golden crust has formed and a skewer comes out clean. 6. Slice and enjoy!

Just some pictures I took from my vacation.

“We’ll protect each other, in the ways we can. If one of us needs help, the other will come dashing in like the hero who saves peoples’ hearts!”

Happy Mother’s Day! (in case the photoset gifs break)