Everyday Magic

❁ like if you save/use ♡

beautiful fanarts are not mine, i found them on pinterest🦊

Ah, September! You are the doorway to the season that awakens my soul ... but I must confess that I love you only because you are a prelude to my beloved October.

a little dark academia mood board for your saturday night :)

For those of us going through heartbreak and wanting a bit of divine guidance.

hi-res version downloadable at my ko-fi for members and one-time supporters!

Instructions:

Shuffle your deck until you find the 3 of swords. This is card 1. Next, pull the card on top/in front of the 3 of swords, this is card number 2. Then pull out the card on the bottom/behind the 3 of swords, this is card number 3. Shuffle your deck again and pull the last card, card 4, from the deck (top, bottom, middle, whatever calls to you).

Card 1 - The Current situation Heartbroken, sad, feeling betrayed or lost.

Card 2 - The Bright Side Q: What's the bright side? It's easy to look at the downsides when we're heartbroken. We tend to blame ourselves or others rather than look at the situation as a whole. Turning your attention towards growth, in what ways does this situation (as hard as it may be) actually benefit you?

Card 3 - Lurking Shadows Q: What can I learn from this situation? It's possible that the signs were already there, lurking in the shadows; perhaps they were hidden from view or maybe you were denying their existence. What can you learn from this situation to help with future relationships/situations to prevent this from happening again?

Card 4 - Next steps Q: How can I move on? Either an action (or actions) to take to or a mindset to adopt to help you move forward. Ask the cards, how can I move on?

vanilla is the 2nd most expensive spice in the world (2nd to saffron)

which is why more than 99% of what we call "vanilla extract" is actually vanillin (vanilla's dominant flavor compound) and is not extracted from real vanilla.

luckily, even professionals struggle to tell the difference when it comes to things like baked goods. but there is a distinct difference in non-heat treated products like vanilla ice cream. real vanilla has a more complex, individualized flavor profile.

why is vanilla so expensive? because it is a ridiculously delicate & demanding crop. complete primadonna.

vanilla beans come from vanilla orchids. these crazy flowers bloom for A SINGLE DAY and have to be HAND-POLLINATED in a process that is exhausting, delicate, and requires specialist knowledge passed down over generations.

then, if you're lucky, you get vanilla beans.

which then require months of further specialized treatment.

the entire process takes about a year and can go wrong at any stage

vanilla has been cultivated for over 800 years (possibly much longer). the first known cultivators are the Totonac, an indigenous people of Mexico.

the Aztecs used it as a sweetener to balance out the bitter taste of cocoa. it was popular in a drink called xocolatl--the precursor to modern hot chocolate!

it is only pollinated by a very specific orchid bee!!!

which is why no fruit could be grown outside of Mexico until the 1800s

Edmond Albius, born into slavery, invented the pollination method we still use today--launching a global industry when he was just 12 years old.

today, the majority of the world's vanilla is grown in Madagascar

if you want real vanilla, read the labels carefully--it's harder to find than you think!

in conclusion, those tiny black specks you see in fancy vanilla ice cream? those are vanilla bean seeds! itty bitty orchid seeds!!! they are delicious and also a PRISSY BITCH!

this is saffron. it's made up of tiny red threads. each of those threads?

THREE TO A FUCKING FLOWER.

it takes 75,000 flowers to make ONE POUND of saffron

do u see this field? do u see this fucking field?

this field will produce enough saffron to fit in a goddam...baggie? a basket? a smallish bucket, perhaps?

and did I MENTION

the harvesting has to be done BY HAND

are u

are u comprehending

the Bullshit, are u comprehending it yet?

can u imagine. having to sit over a pile of thousands of blossoms and pick each. motherfucking. thread. by hand.

and after hours and hours

(your joints aching)

(your fingers stained)

after hours of this nonsense, lo and behold! you have harvested--about a thimble full of fucking saffron

jesus wept and so should you