*dry Food Crunches* Ridiculously Small Kitten: “Myam Myam Myam. Njam Njam Njam Njam Njam Njam Njam!

benefits of living with a witch

—you’ll always be safe because they will put tons of protection spells over you and the house.

—you will learn so much about nature from them, especially the moon.

—the house always smell good because of incense and essential oils.

—you will get to go to fun little pagan shops with them.

—you will gain a lot of insight into your life as they will always be doing tarot readings, rune readings, and analyzing your dreams.

—crystals. everywhere.

—plants. everywhere.

—a cat, probably.

—candles. everywhere.

If Brand Names Were Anime Characters

Credit: @sillvi_illustrations

MY MAN. MY MAN. MY FUCKING MAN.

got his first and last name tatted on my ass cheeks and everything.

Tried to infuse a jar of honey with blueberries.

Yeah…that went well. I shoulda squashed them first, because now they’re just floating at the top and not doing anything.

Tried squishing them against the glass, but they’re refusing to pop.

Sad blueberry honey experiment is probs just gonna wind up on toast and will not be spoken of ever again.

Medical School Resources! (and other human biology,physiology,biochemistry-related resources)

Hi Everyone! 

Update: I am now officially done with my second year! I know i’ve been MIA on here for a while now - but that’s only because I was drowning in textbooks and assignments! I will be writing a whole other post on what my second year in medical school was like - so watch out for that :)

I, for one, can not just rely on one method of learning. Meaning, I’ll jump from videos, to textbooks, to flashcards. In this post I’m going to list some of my holy grail youtube channels that have helped saved me. 

1) Handwritten Tutorials

https://www.youtube.com/user/harpinmartin

Every video in this channel is short, but not so much that you feel like you’re missing out on information. Definitely one to save as a favourite!

2) Armando Hasudungan

https://www.youtube.com/user/armandohasudungan

The best thing about this channel is the fact that there are over 300 videos, covering a wide range of core topics in endocrinology, neurology, physiology and pharmacology. Another pro is the presentation of topics (otherwise considered snooze-worthy) in an artistic manner!

3) Speed Pharmacology

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-i2EBYXH6-GAglvuDIaufQ

Raise your hand if you’ve ever fallen asleep trying to read about the mechanism of action of opioids, their side effects and contraindications. I know I have. Fret not, for this youtube channel will introduce you to a world where pharmacology is actually interesting.

4) Wendy Riggs 

https://www.youtube.com/user/wendogg1

Wendy Riggs is a very down-to-earth professor in Northern California, and she covers a wide range of  topics in Anatomy, Physiology and General Biology. 

5) Anatomy Zone

https://www.youtube.com/user/TheAnatomyZone

A better way to learn anatomy is to supplement your textbook information with videos from this channel. The explanations and visuals provided are absolute gold.

I hope you all find these channels as helpful as I did!

Fluffy Bunnies

C&P’d from Wicca for The Rest of Us

http://wicca.cnbeyer.com/fluffy.shtml

Willow: Talk. All talk. ‘Blah, blah, Gaia. Blah, blah, moon. Menstrual life-force power thingy.’ Buffy: No actual witches in your witch group? Willow: No. Bunch of wanna blessed be’s. Nowadays every girl with a henna tattoo and a spice rack thinks she’s a sister to the dark ones.

Q: How many New Agers does it take to change a light bulb? A: (Waaayyy too perky) We don’t use light bulbs, we just think happy thoughts at our quartz crystals and they glow.

Fluffy Bunnies, Insta-witches, McWiccans, One-Book Witches, Wicclets, and Whitelighters: these are those people who, most broadly categorized, give the rest of us a bad name, not by doing bad or objectionable things but instead being unserious, sophomoric, or just plain wrong. Wiccans will say that everyone is allowed to follow their own beliefs, and that any form of belief, whether another person agrees with it or not, counts as religion, and I agree. However, it does not necessarily make the practitioner a member of my religion, and I for one would prefer for them to stop embarrassing the rest of us with their antics.

The primary definition of a Fluffy Bunny is one who refuses to learn, refuses to think, and refuses to consider the possibility that they could possibly ever be wrong. Generall, they find one book, author or website and follow it as if it were the holy word, frequently denouncing anything that disagrees with it as obviously false. Fluffy Bunnies rarely get past the defense of “Because [insert favorite author here] says so.” Sometimes they don’t even get that far, responding to any and all criticism with something like, “You’re just trying to persecute me!”

When I speak of Fluffy Bunnies, I do NOT mean those who disagree with me. Lots of people disagree with me. People I respect sometimes disagree with me. I respect them because they have actual reasons for their beliefs and are willing to consider the opinions of others - but just because they consider my opinion does not mean they are required to agree. Blindly agreeing with me is just as fluffy as blindly agreeing with the author of the week.

Likewise, being a newcomer to Wicca does NOT make one a Fluffy Bunny. All of us were new to this at one point in our lives. Moreover, having bad information does not make one a Bunny. There’s still a lot of bad information available in books and websites, and if that is the first information you find, how can you know it’s bad? There’s only a problem when one stubbornly refuses to question that original information regardless of the mountains of contradictory evidence put before them.

Fluffy Bunnies are frequently attracted to Wicca for the sake of appearance. This includes those who:

Are into Wicca to upset their parents and just plain “be different”. This generally occurs during the teenage years, but its amazing how many of the Fluffy Bunnies never really grow out of this stage.

Think black clothes and huge pentagrams are appropriate Wiccan dress. You’re allowed to wear anything you want. If goth’s your thing, so be it. But those who dress that way do so out of personal choice, not because of their religion. Author Laurie Cabot is the absolute worst, dressing day to day in a long black robe which she describes as “traditional Wiccan garb.” And before you load yourself down with ten pounds of silver pentagrams, imagine a Christian wearing an equivalent amount of religious jewelry. I think we’d all find that truly obnoxious.

Believe the God and/or Goddess are an embodiment of love and want nothing but what’s best for us. For a religion that has no embodiment of evil, how in the name of balance can our gods be dedicated to good and benevolence? The world that these gods are a part of exists in a state of equilibrium. Things live and things die. It is necessary, but it is not benevolent.

Think picking up one book on Wicca ever makes them Wiccan. No one possesses the Divine and Ultimate Truth. Wiccans are seekers, and everything you read helps you further develop and understand your faith. You’re not going to agree with everything you read, and that’s fine. You should allow yourself the opportunity to choose what you accept and what you do not. One book does not allow you to do that, and if you never put that information to use, then it doesn’t matter if you have read a thousand books. Just reading books makes you student of the subject of Wicca. Wiccans actually practice and live by Wicca.

Think speaking a few words out of a book over a candle is how one makes magic. An entire library of books will not allow you to practice magic on their own. Magic involves belief, focus, practice, and serious intention. It also involves responsibility and a healthy dose of common sense. One class on magic at the local new-age store does not bestow mad majickkal skilz.

Preach that Wicca is all “goodness and light”. The corollary to this is the exclamation of “So-and-so couldn’t have done that. She’s Wiccan!” Like everyone else in the world, we are not saints.

Other things to look out for:

Claims that Wicca is a “woman-thing”. Both genders are equally welcome, which some women find to be a positive change from previous religious experiences, but Wicca is not about femininity. Some people will even say being a woman is the only reason they are a Wiccan. Wicca is a religion, not a political movement. For more on this, read Goddess Worshippers.

Those who took up Wicca to spite their Christian upbringing. We are not against any religion. Moreover, most of the accusations leveled at Christians in the name of Wicca were never committed against Wiccans, if indeed they were committed at all.

Overly ostentatious ceremonial tools. I have found that, in general, the more flashy (or even gaudy) the tools, the more interested the Wiccan is in appearances over any actual religion.

Liberal advertisement of titles or degrees. Since each coven is autonomous, the titles bestowed by one may mean quite a bit within the coven or even within the Tradition, but they don’t mean squat to the rest of us. High Priestess So-and-so could be presiding over an entire coven of fluffy bunnies for all you know, while solitaries, no matter how well-learned, have not had the chance to have any titles bestowed upon them. Likewise, some covens denote their High Priest and High Priestess by the titles of “Lord” and “Lady.” This means quite a bit within a Tradition, but is pretentious outside of it. If nothing else, we have no way of knowing who honestly earned that title and who has just tacked “Lord” or ‘Lady" to the front of their name. If someone has honestly earned that title, it should be evident in their knowledge, not in their titles

Quoting Margaret Murray. This woman’s writing is the basis of a lot of our supposed history. The problem is her work was debunked decades ago and the only people who take her seriously are some Wiccans and Pagans, including some very influential writers. For more information, see Murray’s Unlikely History.

Users of “White Magic”. This term makes no sense. It’s most often used by those who swear up and down that witchcraft is not evil and was in fact only called evil by the Church as part of a smear campaign. If that’s the case, then why the clarification? The existence of white magic implies an existence in black magic. The simple fact is that magic, like any tool, is neither good nor evil, although it can be used toward either purpose.

Odd spellings of magic. While some people have specific reasons for speaking of magick, a great many users of this term are simply looking for attention. It doesn’t prove you’re more knowledgable. It just shows you can’t spell. More extreme Fluffies will even speak of “majick” or (good grief) “majik”. For more on why strange letters get added to “magic”, check out Magic.

Ways to Celebrate Litha

Litha is just around the corner so here is a list of things that correspond with Litha and that you can do to celebrate it! 🌞🌞

Colors and Elements:

🌸 Yellow

🌸 Gold

🌸 Orange

🌸 Light Pink

🌸 White

🌸 Light Green

🌸 Fire

🌸 Sun/Sunlight

🌸 Light

Food:

🌞 Seasonal fruits (especially berries)

🌞 Cheese

🌞 Sweet cake

🌞 Fruit salad (any kind of salad actually)

🌞 Honey

🌞 Fruit tea

🌞 Chicken

🌞 Sunflower seeds

🌞 Lemonade

🌞 Chili

Herbs and Flowers:

🌻 Arnika

🌻 Valerian

🌻 Mugwort

🌻 Sunflower

🌻 Rose

🌻 Yarrow

🌻 Verbena

🌻 Clover

🌻 Chamomile

🌻 Marigold

Oils and Scents:

🌹 Rose

🌹 Lemon

🌹 Cinnamon

🌹 Honeysuckle

🌹 Orange

Crystals:

✨ Moon Stone

✨ Amethyst

✨ Tiger Eye

✨ Red Jasper

✨ Citrine

✨ Fluorite

✨ Agate

Spells to Do:

🍓 Happiness and Joy

🍓 Love

🍓 Success

🍓 Luck

🍓 Personal Growth

🍓 Glamour and Beauty

Activities:

🌈 Get up early and watch the sunrise

🌈 Spend lots of time outside

🌈 Meditate in the morning

🌈 Listen to happy music

🌈 Light yellow and orange candles

🌈 Make rose oil

🌈 Pick flowers and herbs

🌈 Bake a cake, cookies or make other sweets

🌈 Eat them with your loved ones

🌈 Make a fire when it’s dark (or light a candle if you can’t do that)

🌈 Wear warm colors

🌈 Surround yourself with light

🌈 Wear or make flowercrowns

🌈 Cleanse your room/home with light

🌈 Clean out cobwebs

🌻 H A P P Y  L I T H A ! 🌻

Herbal Correspondences for Vegan Witches (Or any Witches really)

Activated Charcoal- cleansing, purification, grief, health (banishing serious illness)

Allspice- determination, money, luck, healing

Almond- fertility, Goddess energy, beauty, self-love, prosperity, addiction, abundance

Anise- protection, warding against evil, preventing nightmares, psychic ability, happiness

Basil- money, beauty, protection, love, warding

Bay Leaf- money, motivation, protection, psychic powers, wish fulfillment, success, purification

Black Pepper- banishing, protection, exorcism, healing (from a serious illness/banishing said illness)

Brewer’s Yeast- motherhood, femininity, warding against illness

Cashew- money, creativity

Cardamom- lust/libido, love, fidelity

Cayenne Pepper- catalyst, lust/ libido, confidence

Celery- fertility, psychic powers, healing (especially of the bladder, kidneys, and urinary tract), weight loss

Chamomile- sleep, stress relief, love, beauty, friendship, meditation, luck, libido (mostly women)

Chia Seed- protection, health

Chili Powder- protection, hex breaking, love, fidelity

Chives- protection, weight loss

Chlorella- purification, cleansing, health

Cilantro- money, protection, peace

Cinnamon- catalyst, spirituality, beauty, love, lust, romance, healing, strength, protection, psychic ability

Clove- catalyst, beauty, love, protection (especially for children)

Cocoa Powder- beauty, health, love, self-love, grounding, romance, sex, powder, enhances hot herbs

Coconut- strength, love, beauty, protection

Coffee- grounding, protection, spirituality, energy (if caffeinated), dispelling negativity

Coriander- love, health, protection, easing pain of a broken heart,

Cumin- energy, protection, exorcism, protection from theft, love, fidelity, masculine energy

Dandelion- communicating with the dead, health, weight loss, wish fulfillment, divination, luck

Dill- money, prosperity, luck, lust, protection (especially the home)

Dulse- lust, harmony, sea magick

Fennel- health (especially digestion), protection, money, banishing, strength, vitality, libido

Fenugreek- health (women’s issues), friendship, happiness, calming, feminine energy, libido, money

Flax Seed- fertility, health, protection (especially from sickness), divination, money

Garlic- health, banishing, protection, purification, warding, willpower,

Ginger- catalyst, energy, adventure, health, confidence, lust/libido, prosperity, success, protection

Hemp- fertility, intuition, motivation, peace, harmony, stress relief

Hibiscus- health, love, beauty, heart

Holy Basil- opens heart to love, stress relief, healing, balance, grounding

Jalapeno- energy, catalyst, money, abundance

Kelp- health, money, weight loss, sea magick

Lavender- stress relief, sleep, anti-anxiety, meditation, love, depression, peace, harmony

Lemon- health, beauty, love, lust, cleansing, purification, sun magick, removing negativity,

Lemon grass- psychic cleansing, opening the Third Eye, focus, mental clarity

Licorice- love, lust, fidelity, communicating with the dead, health (digestive system)

Lime- purification, protection, harmony, calmness, tranquility, strengthening love

Maca- fertility, vitality, energy, balance, love

Maple- love, friendship, luck, happiness, wealth

Marjoram- beauty, luck, wealth, grief, cleansing, purification, warding, strengthening love, protection

Mint, Pepper- health, protection, ward off migraines, wealth, bringing about change, love, abundance

Mint, Spear- health, protection, happiness, wealth, communicating with spirits

Miso- health, prosperity, communicating with the dead, friendship

Mustard- courage, faith, endurance, success, luck, happiness

Nettle- grouding, health (especially allergies), banishing negativity, cleansing

Nori- health, harmony

Nutmeg- beauty, prosperity, money, luck, hex breaking, mental acuity

Nutritional Yeast- health, happiness, love, addiction

Oat- fertility, health, earth magick, sacred to Brighid

Onion- protection, health, banishing, warding, bad habits, prosperity

Orange- energy, emotional healing, beauty, health, love, friendship

Oregano- health, beauty, joy, energy, strength

Paprika- catalyst, energy, hexing (I don’t hex, but you do you)

Paprika, smoked- power, see Paprika

Parsley- money, luck, success, health, weight loss

Pecan- employment and career, success, security,

Red Pepper- catalyst, love, lust, confidence

Rice- rain, fertility, money, protection

Rose- beauty, love, honoring the dead, friendship, happiness, healing

Rosemary- mental clarity, focus, memory, health, love, lust, purification

Saffron- happiness, mental health, love, lust, psychic ability, addiction, weight loss

Sage- cleansing, purification, grief, wisdom, spirituality, mental clarity, protection, grounding

Salt- cleansing, purification, grounding, protection, banishing, earth magick

Sesame Seed- money, lust, passion

Soy- spirituality, psychic ability, fertility, intuition, grounding

Spirulina- health, wealth, energy

Sugar- beauty, sweeten attitudes, love, sex, drawing spells

Tamarind- love, health, happiness, family, protection (from illness)

Tea, black- energy, strength, courage, confidence

Tea, green- energy, health, weight loss, beauty, confidence

Tea, white- beauty, harmony, peace, health, tranquility

Thyme- money, protection, luck, grief, honoring the dead, grounding, glamours, confidence, loyalty

Turmeric- health (especially dealing with serious illness), happiness,

Vanilla- beauty, love, friendship, passion

Vinegar- protection, warding, weight loss, hexing, banishing illness

Walnut- connection with the divine, spirituality, mental strength, divination

Watercress- health, sex, lunar magick

Hey, um, don't ingest foreign objects

YOU CANNOT BE FEEDING THESE TO PEOPLE OMG 🤦🏽‍♀️

The horror I just came across on my ig 😷