Scientist Bakes Sourdough Bread With Yeast Derived From 4500 Year Old Egyptian Pottery

pewnie masz pełno takich pytań! jakie książki o mitologii czy też w ogóle o naszej kulturze polecasz najbardziej?

a, no niby lista się robi ale faktycznie nie w mowie naszej ojczystej ale po angielsku - więc pozwolę sobie w odpowiedzi na to pytanie zawrzeć większość książek i tekstów, które polecam.

pierwsza książka i miłość moja największa, którą dręczyć będę wszystkich dopóki nas śmierć nie zabierze: Mitologia Słowian Aleksandra Gieysztora. źródło o tyle czasem niepopularne, że zdecydowanie akademickie, zdecydowanie stare, zdecydowanie kurzem dmuchające w oczy i rozprawiające godzinami oDumézilu i Brücknerze. ale warto, dobre bogi, warto.

później, jeśli o mitologię i wierzenia idzie, w kolejności w zasadzie dowolnej:

- Mity, podania i wierzenia dawnych Słowian - Jerzy Strzelczyk

- Polska demonologia ludowa - Leonard Pełka

- Bestiariusz słowiański - Paweł Zych i Witold Wargas (tutaj warto w ogóle sięgnąć także do ich świetnej a mniej znanej pozycji Duchy Polskich miast i zamków)

- Mitologia Słowiańska - Aleksander Brückner

- Religia Słowian - Andrzej Szyjewski

- jedno z najbardziej interesujących źródeł na temat folkloru i wierzeń ludowych, Komentarze do Polskiego Atlasu Etnograficznego: Wiedza i Wierzenia Ludowe

- Kultura ludowa Słowian - Kazimierz Moszyński

- Słowiańskie zaświaty. Wierzenia, wizje i mity - Paweł Szczepanik

z niesamowitych, istotnych ale i strasznych jak to pieszczotliwie można powiedzieć, staroci (tylko krytycznie!):

- Kronika Polski - Wincenty Kadłubek

- Kronika Thietmara (oj nie lubił naszych pradziadów ten pan, nie lubił)

- Katalog magii Rudolfa - Edward Karwot

- Roczniki Jana Długosza - ale tylko jako ciekawostka lub materiał do złoszczenia się, bo Jan to odlatywał strasznie w pewnych momentach i wiarygodność jego kronik jeśli chodzi o wierzenia słowiańskie to takie mocne “yyy… chyba może niekoniecznie.”

a jak o fikcję i mniej-fikcję chodzi - taką co budzi ciekawość i chęć puszczenia się galopem po stepie, ucieczki w lasy ciemne i góry wysokie - to polecam tak:

- Demony i Klechdy Ludowe - Sylwia Zawiślak

- Drzewo - Łukasz Wierzbicki

- Stara Słaboniowa i Spiekładuchy - Joanna Łańcucka

- Samotność Bogów - Dorota Terakowska

- Stara Baśń - Józef Ignacy Kraszewski - ale i inne z serii Dzieje Polski, jak Lubonie albo Bracia Zmartwychwstańcy

- Lelum-Polelum - Walery Przyborowski

dużo by się tego pewnie jeszcze znalazło, może i kiedyś przy jednym z tuzina self-reblogowań dodam więcej.

dziękuję za pytanie!

żmija

Magical Metals: The Basics

I’ve gotten a few requests for a pared-down version of some of the magical properties of common metals. 

Aluminum: Invisibility, protection (though not very useful against metal-based magic), good for magic requires a high strength-to-weight ratio

Brass and Bronze: Auditory magic, music, communication, protection from wear-and-tear, resilience, opening doors

Copper: Health and healing, energy, warmth, utility, protection, change, protection, safeguarding and transmission of essentials

Gold: Beauty, glamour, appearances, wealth, love, overcoming addiction

Iron and Mild Steel: Protection, permanence, opposition to nature, urban magic, influence, destruction, curses, strength, blood magic, health

*Lead: (Caution, Lead is quite toxic. Do not touch it. in case of contact or possibility of contamination, wash the affected area rigorously): Curses, hexes and maledictions, and (maybe) their reversal 

Magnesium: Impermanence, fire magic, energy 

Pewter and Tin: Protection from wear-and-tear, home and family, every-day magic, utilitarian magic, illumination, knowledge and divination, softening

Silver: Boosting energy, warding illness (but not necessarily healing), good price-to-beauty ratio, domesticity, offensive magic (like the silver bullet)

Stainless Steel, Chrome, and Nickel: Permanence, glamour, greed, urban magic, brittleness, the home, opening doors

Zinc: Protection (Specifically from light-based magic or being seen in divination), warding, invisibility

Of course, in my practice, these properties change drastically according to how the metals are used. I’m a strong believer in ‘active’ casting- that is to say that i don’t just put things in a circle and speak a few words. My magic is typically cast by altering the objects or materials in some way. A hand-forged iron nail makes a better taglock when designated as a target during its making than a store-bought nail with a metaphysical nametag. Just my two cents. 

If I missed anything, hmu

Five Elements.

anyone remember that weirdly accurate color oracle test that somehow knew you as if it had been your therapist for the past 5 years

"Why don't I identify with my _________ sign?"

The planet may be weakly aspected, overruled or overlapped by another placement, in Detriment or Fall, in a house where it is not comfortable, or negatively aspected with other strong parts of your chart. Those are the most common (and likely) reasons, but there are specific possibilities for each planet and either luminary, so I will explain them below.

SUN: The Sun is your base personality, your ego, or your sense of self. This is you on the simplest and most succinct level, but certainly not the most comprehensive. While your Sun sign will have a kind of influence over every part of your life and character, it is merely the starting point – your other planetary placements add to and alter those traits. For example, if you are a Libra, you may not feel like a charming or flirtatious person as many stereotypes suggest, but that might be due to your Virgo Venus. I find that the sign your Mercury is in while have a great impact on what you do and don’t relate to, and I’ll get to that in a second.

MOON: The Moon is your heart and your past. It is about feelings and one’s core wants and needs. However, your Moon sign describes your natural way of operating on an emotional level, and many people grow past that. It is what you inherently or somehow immediately know, somewhat like the way babies cry to communicate every imaginable emotion that they feel must be conveyed – except, for example, if you have a Sagittarius Moon, your instinct may be to run, be careless or optimistic rather than to cry. That’s what the Moon is about: instincts. And instincts can be manipulated or ignored in order for you to grow.

MERCURY: Mercury is the way you think, speak, and learn. It is the intellectual planet, having everything to do with the mind. That being said, your Mercury sign is the one you think like, and it is very common for this to be a sign one greatly identifies with. However, it’s easy for the Sun to overrule this planet’s position, and it’s also easy to overanalyze your reactions and inner processes to the point of seeing yourself as something you’re not, which is something I’ve noticed is exceptionally common with people who have Mercury in Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces (the signs where it is in Domicile, Exaltation, Detriment, and Fall).

VENUS: Venus is your romantic and artistic side (or lack thereof). This planet rules the love and beauty department. The way you express affection (either romantically or platonically), your opinion on art and fashion, and your aesthetic choices will be determined by your Venus sign. It is possible for the Sun to overlap this placement as well, but also Mercury, especially if you’re a thinking-over-feeling type of person, and Mars, which rules passion and ambition. It is also not uncommon for someone to have chosen to condition themselves to behave a certain way in relationships or during creative exploits due to life circumstances or even simply their personal philosophies on those subjects.

MARS: Mars is your sex drive and determination. Mars is the planet of action, and thus it rules when, how, and where you choose to act upon strong feelings and intentions. Your Moon and Saturn signs have a great impact on this planet’s expression, and can restrict it to the point where you no longer trust your Mars impulses or reactions. I believe that the Mars sign is too ordinarily suppressed, and the reason you might not relate to it is that you could be ignoring it, refusing to acknowledge it as a relevant part of you.

JUPITER: Jupiter is your luck, morals, and life path. This planet is not only about what you’re good at and how staying true to that will benefit you, but how it can benefit others as well, and whether or not profiting yourself is more important to you than profiting others. However, since this sign also points to the lifestyle that will prove virtuous to you, it is something you have to grow into. Jupiter identification, unless another placement implies otherwise, is something that must be searched for and discovered, or accidentally (luckily) stumbled upon. And age has nothing to do with that.

SATURN: Saturn is your fear and sense of obligation. Saturn is the planet that tells you, “No, you can’t do that!” for a slew of probably irrelevant reasons that, strangely, mean a lot to you, and seem logical enough when at that moment but later look like nothing but irrational excuses that cushion one’s inhibitions. It is said that Saturn is the karmic planet, which means that it points to the negative things you did or that happened to you in your past life which will come back to haunt you in this one. Other than the general probabilities as to why you don’t relate with a particular planetary position, there aren’t usually many things clouding your ability to relate to it, and you might just not have encountered its affects on you yet.

URANUS: Uranus is your innovation and need for change. It is the planet that rules your inner rebel, but primarily values progression over wanting to “shake things up.” It is all about caring for humanity and community while still being original and unique. Ironically (and quite amusingly), the planet of individuality is one of the slowest to move, so extremely large groups of people will have the same Uranus sign. It, along with the next two on this list, is considered a generational planet, and you may not relate to it because it’s not meant for you to relate to, personally, but for your entire peer group, as well. If you want to notice the affects of this planet, look perhaps not directly inward and at yourself, but at the entire population of people who share your Uranus sign.

NEPTUNE: Neptune is your imagination and receptivity. It is about all things illusory and inspiring, desired but unreachable, mysterious but widely searched for. Neptune rules everything divine, whatever is beyond; it is perhaps the most spiritual planet, next to Pluto. But its influence is often hidden and shrouded in confusion. If you don’t relate to it, start looking in unfamiliar or frustratingly evasive places, such as the truth and fate of this generation and the last. You may find its affects amidst chaos and healing alike.

PLUTO: Pluto rules all powerful transformation and regeneration. This planet can take up to thirty years to change signs, so if you do not see its affects in yourself, look at the last few generations and all the great, irreversible changes that have been made during their time.

Trust me – it can take a lot of time to find the way a planetary placement applies to you personally, but humans are complex creatures and if you dig deep enough, I guarantee that astrology will become significantly reflective to you.

A very brief guide to different interesting-looking angels.

(in descending order of rank in the angelic hierarchy)

Seraphim (singular ‘seraph’) are described as having six wings; two used to cover their face, two used to cover their feet, and two to fly. They also have a strong association with fire and may therefore be depicted as being on fire. 

Cherubim (singular ‘cherub’) have four faces: one of a man, one of an ox, one of a lion, and one of an eagle. They have four conjoined wings, each of which are covered in hundreds of eyes. They have the body of a lion and the feet of an ox, and human hands. 

Ophanim (singular ‘ophan’), also known as Thrones, are two adjacent blue-green wheel-within-a-wheels with hundreds of eyes covering their rims. They are also on fire. Ophanim often house the souls of Cherubim, and are therefore usually seen accompanying them. 

Dominions, also known as Hashmallim (singular ‘hashmal’) or Lordships, are the only angels described as appearing as beautiful humans with a single pair of wings. 

Virtues, then Authorities, come after Dominions, but neither are described in any detail.

Principalities, also known as Rulers, are described as wearing a crown and carrying a scepter of light. Not much description of their physical form is given, however.

Archangels have been frequently depicted as winged humans, but Biblical reactions to their appearances suggest that their real appearance is much more terrifying.

Angels, the lowest and largest class of angel, are described as having immensely varied forms, and so may come in all shapes and sizes,

It’s also worth remembering that most angels, in their true forms, are immensely large, and in some cases it would take several year’s journey on foot to travel from the top to the bottom of one. Also, most angels are quite luminous, and some are outright Lovecraftian in that gazing upon them may lead to blindness or insanity.  

Safely Eating Expired Foods

The food bank gave me a hand-out about how long you can safely eat unopened foods past their expiration dates, and I thought other people might find it helpful. 

DAIRY:

Milk, cream: within 10 days past expiration date

Soft cheese, yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese: consume within 14 days past expiration date

Butter, hard cheese: consume within 3 months past expiration date (personal note: if cheese gets mold you can cut off the moldy parts the rest is still fine)

Frozen butter: consume within 12 months past expiration date

Eggs (in shells): consume within 1 month past expiration date

Egg substitutes: consume within 10 days of expiration date. 

MEAT:

Fresh: consume on or before expiration date

Frozen: defrost in fridge or microwave, and eat immediately after defrosting. 

Not do eat: meat with severe freeze burn, discolored meat, and meat not frozen before expiration date

MEAT & DAIRY SUBSTITUTES:

Liquid products (rice milk, almond milk): consume withing 10 days past expiration date

Shelf stable liquid products: consume within 12 months past expiration date

Margarine: consume within 6 months past expiration date

Meat substitutes (tofu, etc): consume on or before expiration date

Frozen meat substitutes: consume within 12 months past expiration date if frozen before expiration date

DRIED & CANNED FOODS:

Dried beans, pasta: consume indefinitely

Dressings, mayo: consume within 12 months past expiration date

Cereal, crackers: consume within 12 months past expiration date

Canned foods: may be consumed indefinitely (except for pineapple and tomato)

Jarred foods, canned tomato and pineapple: consume within 18 months past expiration date

OTHER:

Fresh juice: consume within 3 months past expiration date

Fresh bread, pastries: consume on or before expiration date (personal note, I find that sandwich bread is good to eat so long as it’s not stale or growing mold)

Frozen bread: consume within 6 months past expiration date

Fresh produce: ripe, edible, and mold-free

Sliced melon: consume on or before expiration date

Deli items, packaged by store: consume within 48 hours of expiration date

Pre-packaged prepared foods packed by manufacturer, fresh: consume within 14 days past expiration date

Pre-packaged prepared foods packed by manufacturer, frozen: consume within 12 months past expiration date

DO NOT EAT:

Food that is stale, has insects, or mold

Food in open, punctured, bulging, or seriously damaged cans

Food in a jar that is leaking or has a broken seal

Food that is discolored or has an off-odor

Product has been thawed then re-frozen 

Please use your best judgement and when in doubt, throw it out.