Flower Magick

Ravens have paranoid, abstract thoughts about other minds

Add this to logic puzzles, human speech repetition and nonvocal signals as things ravens can do

Cementing their status as the most terrifying of all the birds, a new study has found that ravens are able to imagine being spied upon – a level of abstraction that was previously thought to be unique to humans. 

The ability to think abstractly about other minds is singled out by many as a uniquely human trait. Now, a study from the Universities of Houston and Vienna have found that ravens are able to adapt their behaviour by attributing their perceptions to others.

The study, published in Nature Communications, found that if a nearby peephole was open, ravens guarded pockets of food against discovery in response to the sound of other birds – even if they didn’t see another bird. This was not replicated when the peephole was closed, despite hearing the same auditory clues.

According to the study’s authors, the discovery “shed[s] a new light on Theory of Mind” – the ability to attribute mental states to others. A number of studies have found that animals are able to understand what others see – but only when they can see the head or eyes, which provide gaze cues. This suggests that these animals are responding only to surface cues, and are not experiencing the same abstraction as humans.

The ability to hide food is extremely important to ravens, and they behave completely differently when they feel they are being watched – hiding food more quickly, for example, and are less likely to return to a hiding place for fear of revealing the location to a competitor.

The study replicated this behaviour. Two rooms were connected by windows and peepholes, both of which could be opened and closed. The ravens were trained to look through the peepholes to observe human experimenters making stashes of food. Finally, both windows were covered while a single peephole remained open – and, though no bird was present, the ravens still hid the food as if they were being watched.

“We showed that ravens can generalise from their own experience using the peephole as a pilferer, and predict that audible competitors could potentially see their caches through the peephole,” the authors wrote. “Consequently, we argue that they represent ‘seeing’ in a way that cannot be reduced to the tracking of gaze cues.”

Although ravens may not seem similar to humans, the two species do have something in common – their social lives. Like humans, ravens go through distinct social phases, from fluid interaction with other birds as adolescents to stable breeding pairs in adults. “There is a time when who is in the pack, who’s a friend, who’s an enemy can change very rapidly,” said Cameron Buckner, lead author of the research. “There are not many other species that demonstrate as much social flexibility. “Ravens cooperate well. They can compete well. They maintain long-term, monogamous relationships. It makes them a good place to look for social cognition, because similar social pressures might have driven the evolution of similarly advanced cognitive capacities in very different species”.

It’s not the only thing ravens can do – they’ve also been found to mimic human speech, complete complex logic puzzles and show empathy for fellow birds, which Buckner says could “change our perception of human uniqueness”. “Finding that Theory of Mind is present in birds would require us to give up a popular story as to what makes humans special,” he said. “Completing this evolutionary and developmental picture will bring us much closer to figuring out what’s really unique about the human mind”.

Litha Questions for Divination

Litha is the celebration of the summer solstice (June 21st), the longest day and shortest night of the year. The day is to celebrate Sun/Light/Fire deities and their power; it is a day of joy and growth as the crops/harvest comes to be. Of course, to celebrate, one might look towards divination. The day, being associated with fertility, love, power, and the bringing in of the harvest, is great for questions relating to one’s own growth and labor. 

🐰 How can I improve myself so that can I reach the height of my potential?

🐰 What are some things that I should look out for/ be aware of?

🐰 What is coming into my life–how can I best prepare for this?

🐰 What should I start bringing into my life for my growth?

🐰 What are some things that I should let go of?

🐰 What can I do to increase the rewards from my labor?

🐰 How can I ensure what I want comes to me

🐰 What can I do to help me and my partner have a good relationship?

🐰 How should I approach my love life?

Take note; if you’re going to ask a diviner these questions-make sure to be specific. 

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.

Save The Date : 2019.

Full Moon Dates.

🌕 Full moon : Jan 21

🌕 Full moon : Feb 19

🌕 Full moon : Mar 20

🌕 Full moon : Apr 19

🌕 Full moon : May 18

🌕 Full moon : Jun 17

🌕 Full moon : Jul 16

🌕 Full moon : Aug 15

🌕 Full moon : Sep 14

🌕 Full moon : Oct 13

🌕 Full moon : Nov 12

🌕 Full moon : Dec 12

Sabbat Festivals.

🕯 Imbolc - Candlemas : Feb 1

🌸 Ostara - Vernal Equinox : Mar 20

🔥 Beltane - Mid Spring : May 1

☀️ Litha - Summer Solstice : Jun 24

🌾 Lammas - Harvest Festival : Aug 1

🍁 Mabon - Autumnal Equinox : Sep 21

🎃 Samhain - All Hallows’ Eve : Oct 31

❄️ Yule - Winter Solstice : Dec 21

Celestial Signs.

♑️ Capricorn : Dec 22 - Jan 19

♒️ Aquarius : Jan 20 - Feb 18

♓️ Pisces : Feb 19 - Mar 20

♈️ Aries : Mar 21 - Apr 19

♉️ Taurus : Apr 20 - May 20

♊️ Gemini : May 21 - Jun 20

♋️ Cancer : Jun 21 - Jul 22

♌️ Leo : Jul 23 - Aug 22

♍️ Virgo : Aug 23 - Sep 22

♎️ Libra : Sep 23 - Oct 22

♏️ Scorpio : Oct 23 - Nov 21

♐️ Sagittarius: Nov 22 - Dec 21

Immortality

Immortality sounds great untill you realize that one day our earth will no longer be habitable due to the death of the sun or the destruction of the planet from a massive collision , and then you would be floating through space in agony as your blood boils, unable to breath for billions of years

Blueberry Coffee Cake

Follow for recipes

Is this how you roll?

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.

New Moon in Virgo

Date: September 9th, 2018

Rulers: Mercury, Earth, Mutable

Affects: mental focus, attention to detail, productivity, restlessness, urges to clean and organize, nit-picking, major criticism towards self and others, increased awareness of physical body and mental health, urges to volunteer for those in need and improve your life and the lives of others, practical matters (career, lifestyle, health, education) being highlighted during this time, utilization, increase in work and education matters

What It’s Good For: focusing on your present life and your mental and physical well-being, re-organizing, making new plans and goals, focusing on education, self-improvement, release habits of criticism, doubt, and complaining, finishing or tending to business or projects, cleaning and cleansing, making changes to your lifestyle, multi-tasking, creating healthy boundaries, give back to those who have helped you, starting diet, therapy, and/or exercise plans, finding new work, taking accountability

Crystals: lapis lazuli, howlite, snowflake obsidian, spirit quartz, moss agate, peridot, fossils, amethyst

Herbs: chamomile, desert sage, lavender, mint, caraway, dill

Incense / Oils: peppermint, lavender, spearmint, patchouli , frankincense 

Colors: green, brown, yellow, royal blue, gold

Aries Sun: Ego can be self-centered, all about action and individuality. Ego needs fuel from praise, attention, and conquest.

Taurus Sun: The ego lives in the physical world and needs to be fed by environment, food, affection, and comfort. Healthy surroundings= healthy ego.

Gemini Sun: Their ego relies on communication and information. Variety is healthy for the ego but its state can change rapidly based on info.

Cancer Sun: The ego is wrapped up in emotional security and/or understanding. They tend to keep its needs hidden. Must learn to recognize their needs. 

Leo Sun: Ego is connected to individuality, recognition, and self-expression. Ego is at the surface and is essential to well-being.

Virgo Sun: The ego can easily be neglected and abused by the desire for perfection. They are critical towards self or are overly humble. Ego can be fed with accepting appreciation and accepting flaws in themselves and others.

Libra Sun: The ego along with individuality can be lost in a desire to adapt or please others. Ego revolves around acceptance and love. Ego is strengthened by self-love and acceptance.

Scorpio Sun: Ego is a reflection of past pain or reward. Ego goes thru many intense transformations in life. Ego feeds off emotional experiences. 

Sagittarius Sun: Ego is tied to their self-expression, understanding of the world, and beliefs. Ego is fed by recognition and their ability to influence others. 

Capricorn Sun: Ego can be tied to the physical world and social world. Achievements is what feeds it. They can be harsh and neglectful towards their own ego. 

Aquarius Sun: Ego is closely tied to acceptance from others, individuality, and self-expression. Ego and emotions are HIGHLY separated.

Pisces Sun: Ego is easily influenced. The ego and emotions are connected. Ego feeds off of reassurance and closeness to others. Ego= in flux.

Living by the Moon

Living in alignment with the moon phases and constellations has been a lifestyle for millenia and there are still quite a few people who follow lunar trends to decide when to best do what, regulate and maximize their health benefits, garden, and more. This can be seen as a type of electional astrology, but it is solely focused on the Moon, the phase it is in, the sign it resides in, and in some cases what aspects it makes to other planets. I will mostly focus on the former two in this post.

The basic idea is that the moon represents the body and influences it as such. The moon is mostly consulted for dietary decisions, beauty questions, general health related activities, and gardening. Apart from the gardening I will cover all of these things and a few additional ones. To simplify this I will (in regards to diet) talk about losing weight as more favorable than gaining weight most of the time however by no means is this trying to say that that’s better in general - many simply consult the lunar diet to lose weight more than they use it to gain it and it makes it easier for me to write the post. 

Always prioritize the word of a doctor. This post is not supposed to substitute proper medical care.

Moon Phases

The ___ is good for ___/is a time of ___

New Moon 

planning/considering new projects

being spontaneous (the gut feeling for instinctual temptations works well)

fasting

quitting bad habits (e.g. smoking)

getting pregnant

slow energy regeneration

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