Strange Wind and Still Ponds

"Dreaming rituals were also known within the Celtic world. To gain imbas forosnai, a seer would chew a piece of raw animal flesh, leaving some at the door of a hut, while they prayed to the gods. Finally they slipped into a slumber in which prophecy was sought. It’s likely that ‘meat’ is a poetically veiled reference to the flesh of a hallucinogenic mushroom, most likely Amanita Muscaria. Another Irish dream-ceremony, known as the Tarbfeis, or ‘bull sleep’, was used to divine the future king. In this ceremony a priest bathed in the remains of a freshly slaughtered white bull. A feast was then prepared of the animal, with druids and the bather eating both flesh and broth. Once sated the elected sleeper was laid to sleep, sometimes wrapped in the bull’s hide, while four druids chanted around them."

– Dave Stone, 'The Power of Dreams'

Queer Wanderings through the Other Germany and the Anti-Nazi Underworld

https://crimethinc.com/QueerWanderings

A thriving gay underground existed in Germany before the rise of the Third Reich. Some of the participants went on to carry out some of the fiercest resistance to the Nazis.

Do NOT pick the flowers! Because it takes years to grow trillium from seed, folk wisdom emphasizes protecting the plant, with many stories warning against destroying it in the wild.

Similar to other native plants in the Ozarks, it was considered sacred, with strict beliefs against treating it with disrespect, which could offend the mountain spirits.

Medicinal Folklore: Known commonly as “birthroot,” early settlers used it to facilitate labor, treating it as a potent “female” medicine.