🌸Hey Guys! I Reached 5k A Few Days Ago So I’m Doing A Giveaway So One Of You Cuties Can Treat Yo’selves!

BEKKATHYST SUMMER 2017 GIVEAWAY

~This giveaway is in no way affiliated with Tumblr.~

Please read thoroughly before entering!

Hello lovely Tumblr folk! It’s that time again- I have a giveaway for you all. Summer is quickly approaching, and I know a lot of you are getting ready to relax and vacation! So in celebration, I’m giving you the chance to win this large collection of items.

All these items came from my shop (minus the sage!).

What you get:

(Handmade by me) Clear quartz and copper necklace

(Handmade by me) “Full moon” rainbow moonstone hairpins

$25 credit that can be applied to anything in my shop.

amethyst cluster with calcite

selenite wand

tourmalinated quartz wand

black & blue kyanite crystals

polished petrified wood slice

four polychrome jasper hearts

an amethyst stalactite slice

baby amethyst sphere

rose quartz sphere 

large rose quartz chunk

labradorite sphere

fluorite obelisk

labradorite point

golden calcite point

ocean jasper marble

Dominican amber cabochon

rutilated quartz point

amethyst pyramid

spirit quartz crystal

a black sparkly candle (because why not?!)

a sustainably harvested California white sage piece, picked by me (sadly if you are outside the US I cannot send this to you)

This has a retail value of $260 in addition to the $25 shop credit!

Rules:

You must be 16 or older. (If under 18 you MUST have parent’s permission)

You don’t have to live in the US

You must be following me, so you can get updates if anything about the giveaway changes.

Please check out my shop and if you’re interested, you can sign up for my email newsletter here. (Totally not necessary or required, it’s just an option!)

DO NOT tag this post as giveaway. That will risk the notes getting messed up, and this will be ruined for everyone. Please don’t argue about this- for some reason people have said really nasty and mean things to me over this.

Reblog this post to enter. Likes count, too. No giveaway or spam blogs. If you reblog on a side blog, let me know in the tags what the name of your blog is that you’re following me with.

Please don’t spam people with reblogs- you can reblog however many times you’d like, but please be courteous.

Each entry will be assigned a number and the winner will be chosen by a random number generator.

The giveaway ends Wednesday, July 26th at 6 pm Pacific time.

The winner will be messaged and must respond with their full name and address within 24 hours, or a new winner will be chosen.

Please respect me and my rules, and have fun!

Japan’s Natural Light Shows Photographed by Takehito Miyatake

Japanese photographer Takehito Miyatake’s photos of magical firefly trails, glowing squid and awe-inspiring volcanic eruptions has recently won him Grand Prize at the 2014 Nikkei National Geographic Photo Awards. Miyatake’s long-exposure photography, which can last anywhere from 15 seconds to 30 minutes, captures what he describes as the “light of Japan.”

However, as it turns out, Miyatake’s profound reverence for the power of nature is rooted not in photography but in waka, a classical form of Japanese poetry.

1. A long-exposure shot of the Showa crater, the most active volcano in Sakurajima, underneath the stars

2. A flight of hime botaru fireflies light up the forest to create a dreamy, fairytale-like spectacle

3.In spring, firefly squid (hotaru ika) rise 2000 feet to the surface of the water and offer a fleeting glimpse of their magical lights

4.Volcanic lightning during the eruption of the Sakurajima volcano

5.Genji botaru fireflies around a small bridge over the Shimanto River (Kochi Prefecture)

6.The Milky Way glittering above the woods with the green lights of fireflies dancing in the foreground.

7. Scores of fishing rafts floating in the Uchino-umi highlighted by the light from the full moon.

8. The moon lights up a waterfall against geometric rock formations

9. A close-up of the red-hot cinders erupting from the Showa crater on Sakurajima

10. Volcanic lightning over the Sakurajima eruption.

My friend told me a story he hadn’t told anyone for years. When he used to tell it years ago people would laugh and say, ‘Who’d believe that? How can that be true? That’s daft.’ So he didn’t tell it again for ages. But for some reason, last night, he knew it would be just the kind of story I would love.   When he was a kid, he said, they didn’t use the word autism, they just said ‘shy’, or ‘isn’t very good at being around strangers or lots of people.’ But that’s what he was, and is, and he doesn’t mind telling anyone. It’s just a matter of fact with him, and sometimes it makes him sound a little and act different, but that’s okay.   Anyway, when he was a kid it was the middle of the 1980s and they were still saying ‘shy’ or ‘withdrawn’ rather than ‘autistic’. He went to London with his mother to see a special screening of a new film he really loved. He must have won a competition or something, I think. Some of the details he can’t quite remember, but he thinks it must have been London they went to, and the film…! Well, the film is one of my all-time favourites, too. It’s a dark, mysterious fantasy movie. Every single frame is crammed with puppets and goblins. There are silly songs and a goblin king who wears clingy silver tights and who kidnaps a baby and this is what kickstarts the whole adventure.   It was ‘Labyrinth’, of course, and the star was David Bowie, and he was there to meet the children who had come to see this special screening.   ‘I met David Bowie once,’ was the thing that my friend said, that caught my attention.   ‘You did? When was this?’ I was amazed, and surprised, too, at the casual way he brought this revelation out. Almost anyone else I know would have told the tale a million times already.   He seemed surprised I would want to know, and he told me the whole thing, all out of order, and I eked the details out of him.   He told the story as if it was he’d been on an adventure back then, and he wasn’t quite allowed to tell the story. Like there was a pact, or a magic spell surrounding it. As if something profound and peculiar would occur if he broke the confidence.   It was thirty years ago and all us kids who’d loved Labyrinth then, and who still love it now, are all middle-aged. Saddest of all, the Goblin King is dead. Does the magic still exist?   I asked him what happened on his adventure.   ‘I was withdrawn, more withdrawn than the other kids. We all got a signed poster. Because I was so shy, they put me in a separate room, to one side, and so I got to meet him alone. He’d heard I was shy and it was his idea. He spent thirty minutes with me.   ‘He gave me this mask. This one. Look.   ‘He said: ‘This is an invisible mask, you see?   ‘He took it off his own face and looked around like he was scared and uncomfortable all of a sudden. He passed me his invisible mask. ‘Put it on,’ he told me. ‘It’s magic.’   ‘And so I did.   ‘Then he told me, ‘I always feel afraid, just the same as you. But I wear this mask every single day. And it doesn’t take the fear away, but it makes it feel a bit better. I feel brave enough then to face the whole world and all the people. And now you will, too.   ‘I sat there in his magic mask, looking through the eyes at David Bowie and it was true, I did feel better.   ‘Then I watched as he made another magic mask. He spun it out of thin air, out of nothing at all. He finished it and smiled and then he put it on. And he looked so relieved and pleased. He smiled at me.   ‘'Now we’ve both got invisible masks. We can both see through them perfectly well and no one would know we’re even wearing them,’ he said.   ‘So, I felt incredibly comfortable. It was the first time I felt safe in my whole life.   ‘It was magic. He was a wizard. He was a goblin king, grinning at me.   ‘I still keep the mask, of course. This is it, now. Look.’   I kept asking my friend questions, amazed by his story. I loved it and wanted all the details. How many other kids? Did they have puppets from the film there, as well? What was David Bowie wearing? I imagined him in his lilac suit from Live Aid. Or maybe he was dressed as the Goblin King in lacy ruffles and cobwebs and glitter.   What was the last thing he said to you, when you had to say goodbye?   ‘David Bowie said, ‘I’m always afraid as well. But this is how you can feel brave in the world.’ And then it was over. I’ve never forgotten it. And years later I cried when I heard he had passed.’   My friend was surprised I was delighted by this tale.   ‘The normal reaction is: that’s just a stupid story. Fancy believing in an invisible mask.’   But I do. I really believe in it.   And it’s the best story I’ve heard all year.

Paul Magrs (via yourfluffiestnightmare)

Love pits! <3

Watch: Regular women and celebrities, many of whom have survived sexual assault or harassment, are banding together to tell Trump “It’s not okay”

In the cases of all the women who spoke out in the video, there was no justice. Their assaulters and harassers walked free because either nobody believed them or there was nothing they could do. The Trump tape was one of many final straws. "We’re not gonna take it any more,“ Amber Tamblyn said. “Like, for real, we’re not.”

Gifs: Humanity for Hillary

WATCH THE VIDEO

BEKKATHYST SUMMER 2018 GIVEAWAY

~This giveaway is in no way affiliated with Tumblr.~

Please read thoroughly before entering!

Hello lovely Tumblr folk! It’s that time again- I have a giveaway for you all. We really want to give back to you guys after all the support you’ve shown during a dificult time for us. THANK YOU! 

All these items came from my shop.

What you get:

$50 credit that can be applied to anything in my shop.

soapstone mortar and pestle

double pointed rose quartz wand

ammonite fossil

rough smoky citrine

amethyst cluster

amethyst cluster with calcite

elestial amethyst

labradorite freeform

river tumbled malachite

amethyst moon carving

fluorite octahedron

petrified wood slice

2 pieces of rough black tourmaline

tumbled stones

AND MORE! 

This has a retail value of $225 in addition to the $50 shop credit!

Rules:

You must be 16 or older. (If under 18 you MUST have parent’s permission)

You don’t have to live in the US to join!

You must be following me, so you can get updates if anything about the giveaway changes.

Please check out my shop and if you’re interested, you can sign up for my email newsletter here. (Totally not necessary or required, it’s just an option!)

DO NOT tag this post as giveaway. That will risk the notes getting messed up, and this will be ruined for everyone.

Reblog this post to enter. Likes count, too. No giveaway or spam blogs. If you reblog on a side blog, let me know in the tags what the name of your blog is that you’re following me with.

Please don’t spam people with reblogs- limit 2 reblogs per blog per day.  

Each entry will be assigned a number and the winner will be chosen by a random number generator.

The giveaway ends Saturday, August 25th at 6 pm Pacific time.

The winner will be messaged and must respond with their full name and address within 24 hours, or a new winner will be chosen.

Please respect me and my rules, and have fun!

Think this is an awesome idea

For any lesbian, gay, bi, transgender folks alone for the holidays...

http://www.yourholidaymom.com/ is a blog run by a bunch of moms (and sometimes other parents) who will post a letter to you daily until Christmas with words of acceptance and welcome.  It was designed specifically as a project for kids and adults who face rejection over the holidays because of their sexuality or gender.  This meant a lot to me the first year that I was isolated by my family, and I wanted to share it with all of you.

Admit it, flavored water is fun. Throw in a bunch of your craziest combinations together or your favorite fruits together and you might never look back! 

Better yet, it’s a great activity to do with your kids and the variety of colors in the water may just attract them. Moreover, aside from getting your hydration in, you are also downing the extra vitamins and minerals from the various herbs, veggies and fruits you put in. Do you need any more convincing?

Tips about flavored water:

Fresh vs. frozen fruit. When in season, I prefer to use fresh fruit. However, when fruit is out of season, the fresh version can be tart or flavorless. Because fruit that is to be frozen is picked at the peak of ripeness, it is often the better option for the best flavor, sweetness, and nutrients. I find this to especially to be the case with berries and peaches.

A variety of fresh herbs. Use whatever herbs you like or happen to have on hand. I picked all of these from my herb garden and have tried them in flavored waters. It’s surprising how well they blend with most fruit flavors, and they amp up the refreshing factor of the water. Mint is the most obvious herb choice. I also have tried basil, rosemary, sage, thyme, lavender, and tarragon. All good.

WASH FRUIT THOROUGHLY! The citrus and berries need to be really, really clean to keep contaminants and bacteria out of your flavored water. I recommend organic fruit, if it isn’t going to be peeled. 

Use your veggies too. Have leftover carrots or cucumber from cooking? Throw them in!

Recipes #1

Minty Cucumber Lime

1/2 a cucumber, sliced 1/2 a lime, sliced 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

Strawberry-Lemon with Basil

1/2 cup sliced strawberries 1/2 a lemon, sliced 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

Watermelon Mint

1 cup cubed watermelon 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

Pineapple-Orange with Ginger

1/2 cup cubed pineapple 1/2 an orange, sliced 1 tablespoon freshly-grated ginger

What You’ll Need:

1-quart jars

Water

Wooden Spoon

Agave or another sweetener (optional)

What to Do:

Choose which recipe you’re making — or come up with your own combination — and gather all of the ingredients. 

Place the fruit, herbs, and/or spices in the bottom of one of the glass jars, and muddle with a wooden spoon. (That basically means mash up the fruit in the bottom of the jar to release some of the flavor-filled juices.)

Fill the jar with water and give it a taste. (You can also fill the jar with seltzer water for a fizzy treat.) If you’d like something a bit sweeter, try adding some agave (and mix until dissolved).

Enjoy as-is or refrigerate overnight for maximum flavor.

Recipes #2:

All Citrus Flavored Water

1 orange, 1 lime, 1 lemon, Water

Raspberry + Lime Flavored Water

Pineapple + Mint Flavored Water

Blackberry + Sage Flavored Water

Watermelon + Rosemary Flavored Water

Recipes #3 

Well, here are just some of the combinations you could toy with.

Watermelon and mint (pictured above)

Cucumber and mint

Lemon and mint

Cherry and lime

Watermelon and cucumber

Ginger and lemon

Orange and pineapple

Lemon and lavender

Lime and mint

Cucumber and lime

Lemon and basil

Strawberry and mint

Blackberry and ginger

Lemon and blueberry

Thyme and blackberries

Cucumber and rosemary

Cantaloupe and watermelon

Cucumber, lemon, and mint

Lemon and lime

Strawberry and basil

Cranberry juice and lemon (use a capful of unsweetened cranberry juice)

Ginger and lime

Pineapple and mango

Strawberries and lime

Orange, lime, and lemon

Lemon and a pinch of cayenne

Papaya and mango

Carrots, grapefruits, cucumber, mint, lemon. 

This list is non-exhaustive, so don’t stop here. Be creative and who knows you might just discover your personal favorite.

Enjoy drinking your way to health! :D 

If you see this on your dashboard, reblog this, NO MATTER WHAT and all your dreams and wishes will come true.

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