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Not superstitious and not not superstitious but a third secret thing (read a lot of fairytales as a child and doesn't believe them but also would never be rude to a mountain while still on it just in case)

There's a phenomena in research labs called the "pigeon dance" (which I cannot find any internet sources to back me up at the moment, so just go with me) after B.F. Skinner's pigeon experiments in the 1940's. In the experiments, food was dispersed randomly (i.e. not when a button was pushed) and the pigeons learned/made up a whole dance routine so that they would get fed. Hence, the pigeon dance. In research labs this is used to describe a set of behaviors that may vary from lab to lab - does everyone touch the grounding bar, open the doors, stomp four times on the sticky mat to de-dust their shoes, and then touch the second grounding bar before starting an experiment? OK. When you tried to replicate it, did you do that? (What do you mean I didn't write up grounding procedure in my publication, *of course* everyone stomps four times on the mat.) And maybe it's scientifically necessary, maybe it's just a pigeon dance, and maybe it appeases the fairies.

Many people think witchcraft starts with spells, but historically it started with observation. Knowing when turtles nested, when certain flowers bloomed, or how streams changed after rain helped people understand the rhythms of the land. That knowledge became folklore, seasonal celebrations, and eventually magical practices. And it’s still very helpful to learn these things. Go outside today and observe something about where you live. Write it down, then go observe that same thing tomorrow or next week, and write down any changes. This is how you can begin to flow with the rhythms of where you are.

if you blow out candle you BLOW AWAY the MAGIC and ur spell goes pllphfphphphhhhhhbbb into the wind and WON'T WORK

if you use a candle snuffer it will SMOOSH DOWN the MAGIC like u r throwing ur magic into the DIRT to FAIL and ur spell WONT WORK

if you pinch out a candle with ur fingers ur SQUISHING ur MAGIC like u sqursh a BUG and it will say WHY DID U DO THAT i thought we were FRIENDS and ur spell WONT WORK

if u let ur candle burn out all the way its like watching ur spell DWINDLE DOWN and DIE and ur magic will LOSE POWER and ur spell WONT WORK

if u use a fire extinguisher u are EXTINGUISHING the POWER of ur MAGIC and burying ur intent under ANTI-MAGIC FOAM and ur spell WON'T WORK

I think disbelief has just as much power in magic as belief does. Disbelief is a ward in the same way that belief is a doorway.

the swordfish does not know she is named for an instrument of war. we do not know her heart. perhaps she is in truth a creature of peace

The fact that there are gods with disabilities make me so emotional. Hephaestus, Tyr, Hodr, Odin and other disabled deities just prove that being disabled is a vital part of the human experience, not a deviation from it, and that concept alone is so moving. Just like there are deities for specific human experiences like fertility or war, there are also deities with disabilities, which just proves that we have just as much of a place on this earth as mothers and warriors do. The idea of that has genuinely pulled me through some hard times.

Go on more walks. Walk for no reason. Walk to solve a problem. Walk to blow off steam. Walk to get outside. Walk to listen, read, and learn. Walk to escape distractions. Walk to improve your health. Walk to think. A simple walking habit can change absolutely everything.

i mean, you know, people are entitled to their sexual proclivities. let there be a thousand blossoms bloom, as far as i'm concerned. but i ain't spending any time on it, because in the meantime, every three months, a person's torn to pieces by maenads in thebes