I Wanna Write Something So Good People Stay Up Till Three In The Morning Writing Theories And Head Canons

A missed opportunity?

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Plant Witchcraft: A Beginner’s Guide to Growing

I would like to start this post out by saying I am in no way a professional and have only been studying/practicing witchcraft for about a year. I just know a lot about plants and the ability to sense the health/needs of a plant comes very naturally to me (I will make a post about how to do this soon!)

EASIEST PLANTS TO GROW IN WITCHCRAFT~

IN ORDER FROM EASIEST TO HARDEST

• Chives- can grow in limited light and  space, very easily propagate (regrow)

• Mint- very hardy, requires shade and some light, start from seeds

• Cilantro- fast growing, can be planted indoors, does not transplant easily, Is NOT perpetual (dies after it flowers, wilts quickly, pretty much dead after one growing season. Info from @rwt-mystic-corner)

• Basil- can grow in small spaces, require sun, start from seeds

• Parsley- easy to grow, low maintenance and limited lights, though hard to germinate 

• Oregano (wild marjoram)- very hardy, easy to grow in winter, requires full sun

• Sage- large, hardy, start from cuttings, requires full sun

• Thyme- requires full sun, hardy, easy to propagate from seeds or cuttings

• Aloe Vera- easy to overwater, low maintenance, slow growing, little water, full sun (they are a desert plant)

• Chamomile- low maintenance, little water, full sun with some shade, easy to overwater

• Dill- start as seeds, small, easy to grow indoors, hard to overwater, requires full sun

• Rosemary- though very large, easy to grow indoors and easy to overwater

• Bay laurel- requires well-draining soil, full sun, water often, grows large, slow growing

• Lavender- hard to grow indoors, requires little water, best in dry conditions, start from seeds

• Roses- requires full sun, seasonal, grows only outside, requires fertilizer, best grown from transplants

SOURCES: Easy to grow herbs | More easy to grow herbs | Gardening resource | @thesigilwitch helped to compile this list

INDOOR VS. OUTDOOR~

THE ONGOING ARGUMENT

Pro-Outdoors

As a green witch with a strong yearning to be at one with nature, I prefer to grow my plants outside. I have a small garden (about 4’ by 4’ and 10” deep) that I have several plants in, mostly succulents. Though my garden is small, it’s very peaceful for me to have my own little space that I can survey all at once. I’ve never grown a large garden and so can’t say if it is better/worse. If you are going to plant outside but have little space to do so, a little garden is a simple solution. This also allows your plants to get more sun, fresh air and space to grow.

Con-Outdoors

Winds, heavy rain or a hot/cold front can easily kill off more delicate herbs and plants. Animals like birds, cats and mice might be attracted to outdoor gardens, and though these animals are delightful to be around, they rarely leave your garden at peace. Planting outdoors is all-in-all a less controlled environment and, though it is more natural, can be tough with little experience.

Pro-Indoors 

If you live in an apartment or can’t plant outdoors, an indoor garden is ideal for you. Plants used in witchcraft like herbs and flowers can be easily grown indoors provided they have enough light and proper care. Having plants inside can really help create a safe space and keeps them from the harm of rain and unwanted animals or bugs. It also gives you easy surveillance of your plants.

Con-Indoors

Plants can easily die if they are strangled by too much care, and beginner gardeners can be over-bearing. The biggest problem with growing indoors is that most plants require 4-6 hours of full sunlight a day and windows are just unable to provide this amount of light. Also, keeping plants in small pots tends to strangle new growth, and limits a plants ability to grow very large. While your plants might be kept warm in the winter, it’s less worth watching large plants struggle indoors.

Conclusion~

Indoor planting is good for beginners or those with little outside space or building ability, but don’t be too over-bearing and make sure they get enough light and fresh air. Outside gardening is better if your plants are healthy and hardy and should be left to more experienced gardeners with enough space to tackle the project.

HOW TO PLANT ANYTHING~

IF YOU DON’T HAVE A “GREEN THUMB”

My Experience

Even though I consider myself a green witch, I also struggled with this in the beginning. Before I really learned to read the health of my plants, they would die without me even knowing it. I thought, “I can’t even keep a cactus alive!” Well, cacti are actually quite hard to care for if you don’t know what to look for. In fact, everything is. Plants are hard to care for if you don’t know what to look for. So first, do your research. Plants have two basic needs: food and water.

Research

Research how this plant grows in the wild. If it grows in the desert, it probably needs a lot of sun and little water. If it grows on the rainforest floor, it needs to be consistently moist and doesn’t need much light. It is important to replicate plants’ natural conditions to keep them healthy. Research is everything.

Food

Plants need sun, and most need lots of it. Plants have to have sun or they can’t produce enough “food” for themselves and they starve. 4-6 hours of good window sun is enough for most plants. If a plant is growing in an odd direction, growing too tall or dropping leaves at the bottom while wilting, it is probably not getting enough sun. Slide it towards a window or put it outside on sunny days.  

Water

On that note, plants need water. This is by far the biggest thing “black-thumb” people struggle with! If you buy the wrong kind of soil, it can drown a plant even if you never water it. If you over-water in the winter, your plant may freeze. Again, think about the plant in the wild. A good tip is to see how thick the leaves are! A cactus is essentially one big leaf, and they are very thick and round, therefore they need very little water because they store it in their “leaf.” A big tree with many leaves or a stalky plant needs a lot of water because it can’t retain any. If a plant is yellowing, mushy or dropping leaves while others remain plump, it is being overwatered. Do not water it again until all the soil feels bone-dry. If it is being under-watered, a plant will be wilted, brown or yellow and the soil will be very dry.

SOURCES: Growing herbs indoors 

PLANT IDENTIFICATION~

WHAT IF I CAN’T I.D. MY PLANT?

Help

A lot of people struggle with this and, if you didn’t buy your plant as a baby from a store that includes labels, then you might not know what your plant even is! Stores like Home Depot, most plant nurseries and private growers label their plants and how to care for them. But if you find yourself not knowing what your plant is, here are some helpful tips.

I’ll divide this plant identification into 2 categories: simple and advanced.

Simple I.D. information

(simple identification tools such as types of leaves, plant anatomy, and easy to use interactive identification)

How to I.D. leaves

How to I.D. flowers

Quiz for determining plant species

Types of Plants

Popular Houseplants

Advanced Resources

(requires knowledge of dichotomous keys, latin names and meanings, and some complex plant anatomy. These are probably more accurate.)

Understanding Latin Binomencalture

Latin Nomenclature of Plant Species

Dichotomous Key to Plant Families

How to Google your Plant-

Of course, Google is always your best friend! If you can determine the type of leaf, flower, color or species from the easy-to-use guides, you can just google it!

SOURCES: The ask this information came from asked by @fuzzzyuniverse

WHERE TO GET HERBS IF YOU CAN’T PLANT THEM~

CONVENIENCE OF STORE-BOUGHT HERBS

Most local supermarkets sell herbs with other spices, in small containers, either ground or whole. While these herbs have already been preserved and possibly seasoned, it is a quick, easy and time/money-saving option for any witch. There is a certain magickal property to growing your own herbs, but it is by no means necessary! I don’t grow any herbs at all; I buy them all from the store. Preparing your own herbs goes much farther than just being able to grow them, and knowing it has been done right by a professional is certainly magickal. They work just fine and are often more enjoyable to smell or eat because they have been grown professionally.

HELPFUL GARDENING TIPS~

AWESOME LINKS N’ STUFF

Herb list from @thebluechicory HERE | More about indoor growing | Micro-gardening tips (outdoors)

I hope this had been of some help to you! If any links are broken or you would like me to add/edit something, just shoot me a message. Happy growing!

it doesn’t help that there’s a 13 yr old next to me doing 10 times better than i am

i just want to do robotics??? i just want to be able to do something i enjoy???? why do i need this fucking. horrible stuff to do so?????? 

Eyewitness, a crime drama on USA that features two lgbt teen leads, is in desperate need of viewers. The show’s creator, adi hasak, has tweeted about how badly it needs viewers, as have the two lead actors, james paxton and tyler young. 

adi stated that the show is averaging about 500k, but it needs about a million viewers to have any sort of chance at a renewal. the show was originally pitched as a anthology, but there have been hints that maybe the characters would stay the same, or at the least, the actors could return for the second season but as different characters (think american horror story). 

eyewitness deals with issues like internalized homophobia, foster care, addiction, and, of course, features a triple homicide. it does not shy away from showing intimate scenes with the male leads, which is refreshing after watching shows for years that would “cut away” or just make the intimacy “implied.”

the actors are also extremely aware of how important this show is for the lgbt community. they both are very active and informed about lgbt issues and are SO great to their fans. 

the first four episodes are available to stream on USA’s website (I do believe any country can watch these right now). 

the show airs Sundays at 10/9c on USA. It’s very important that if you’re able to watch, you watch it as it airs. 

Not able to watch it? You can still help! Being active on social media about the show is really important! Eyewitness doesn’t have an official twitter handle, but the actors and creator have said to tweet #eyewitness and @USA_Network to promote the show and also to just show the network its popularity. 

have you watched the show and just don’t care for it but still care about your friends who watch it? my final desperate plea is if you’re able and willing, please just put the show on your tv and mute it if you really don’t want to watch. I know that sounds kind of sad, but 2016 has been rough, y’all, and this show has been such a bright spot (no pun intended). 

NONE of this would be happening in the Berenstein universe

one word spells

As long as you can focus your energy and set your intention your spell should work, so I’ve designed these 5 spells using just one word for a Witch who needs a quick fix.

Mariquil

Pronounced mar-e-quil

Used to calm a temper or an upset person. From the latin word for sea, mare, and the english word tranquil. Essentially you are calling the sea inside them to be still. For better results cast with wet hands.

Univert

Pronounced Uni-var

Used for faster transport. I use it at the train station to have a shorter wait time but really its designed for traffic lights. By combining uni from universe and vert,the french word for green, you’re essentially asking the universe to make your path green.

Visididen

Pronounced Vis-e-did-en

Used to go unnoticed or invisible. Taken from the english words vision and hidden. For best results chant it softly while visualising yourself turning transparent.

Lapagna

Pronounced Lap-ag-na

Used when you just need someone to shut the f**k up but are too polite to say so. Taken from the Latin words lapis and magna, meaning stone and voice. For best results hold a stone or some earth while casting, if they’re really pissing you off just throw the stone or dirt at them.

Bavarignis

pronounced Bav-are-ig-ni

Used to strike up a conversation or to continue a conversation. Taken from the French word bavarder, which means chat, and the Latin word ignis, which means fire. Basically you’re asking for the conversation to spark or catch fire. For best results flick a lighter in your pocket or light a match.

I can’t stop thinking about this video it’s haunting me ,,,

A Witch’s Wand

In witchcraft, a wand is used for directing energy in rituals and spells. It represents energy, power, and fertility, and is used as both air and fire element. Each wand can be as unique as the witch that wields it. 

🌟 To Build:

Unlike brooms, wands require very little work put into their production, unless you want to. Some traditions call for a witch to find their wand in a fallen branch and forbid against breaking one off the tree. Carving is optional, as is the choice to embed it with crystals, wrap it with wire, tie with ribbon, carve sigils, etc. 

A few possibilities for wands based on wood magic correspondences:

ALDER— Weather magic, necromancy, courage and passion 

ALMOND— Wisdom, prosperity, love magic, healing 

BIRCH— Intuition, creativity, love, healing, protection 

ELDER— Healing, protection, banishment

HAZEL— Truth, divination

HOLLY— Purity, sun magic, strength, protection, luck 

OAK— Protection, fertility, strength 

REDWOOD— “King of trees”, strength, protection, creativity, enlightenment 

ROWAN— Defense, creation, travel

WILLOW— Healing, protection, spirit work  

YEW— Strength, change

🌟 Note:

However, please note, a wand does not need to be made out of wood. A wand can be found in many things and anything that is dear to you. A spoon, a pencil, a wrench, a plastic toy wand. If you can find magic within the instrument, it is a wand.