Copying what?? I really don’t get it, cause she uses purple and glitter? Where is the image they ripped off? They ripped off her aesthetic?? She is not the first person to use a crystal ball she may be the first to capitalize and use it for her own good, to monetize and make witchcraft a tool to make her money,cause she a capitalist too! Selling 60$ blankets and rocks, but no she ain’t the only person allowed to use crystal ball imagery and to not even have an image they ripped off, to just say it’s her aesthetic is bullshit.

Hoodwitch is a capitalist. She is no witch selling sage and Palo Santo to any old customer just to make a buck, it’s not right, my nonna is a real witch and she laughs at this whole generation of capitalist little girls feeding the machine. She takes sacred things and sells them to finance her life, her self. You don’t sell sage and especially not to another witch, it’s bad luck to put a price on any natural herb and if she was a witch she would know this she is cursing everyone when you use money to facilitate a spell it’s void and unpure she is a capitalist, she thrives under capitalism, she wants clout and money pure and simple

Bitter Brew: Why The Hoodwitch Should Hex Starbucks

Written by Katherine de Vos Devine of Cauldron Arts Incubator

Starbucks recently introduced a “Crystal Ball Frappuccino,” presumably hoping for a sequel to its wildly successful Unicorn Frappuccino.

Here is Starbucks’ Crystal Ball Frappuccino Instagram post from March 22, 2018:

This Starbucks ad is clearly based on the distinctive images produced by Bri Luna, aka The Hoodwitch, for her web site, social media, and various collaborations.

Bri Luna is a distinctive witch. Her look, style, writing, and images do not fit popular stereotypes about what witches look like, what they wear, or how they act. Luna troubles the definition of “witch” and expands it to be more broadly inclusive. She’s intersectional and inspirational.

But Luna was not remunerated, consulted, or in any way involved in the production of the Starbucks ad. Understandably, Luna was pissed, as were her Instagram followers and fans.

Granted, most witchy imagery isn’t distinctive enough to merit this level of outrage. The stereotypical witch aesthetic is culturally pervasive – and thus ineligible for copyright protection – at this point in time. But black brujas with witchtips, a predilection for saturated colors, a penchant for glitter, and love of neon haven’t exactly reached critical mass on the internet or in the popular imagination. If Starbucks had gone with a black cloth, silver jewelry, and a milk-white hand, I’d probably be on their side

But they didn’t.

If I say “crystal ball,” you’re likely to think “witch” or “fortune teller.”

If I say “witch,” you may think green skin, hooked nose, pointy hat, enjoys the company of flying monkeys.

If born after 1975, pale skin, black-clad, silver jewelry, dark lipstick, and a scowl may come to mind.

If you’re into millennial witchcraft, you may also think Free People, tarot apps, and palo santo perfume.

You probably don’t think:

or this: 

It’s hard to call anything or anyone “original” in the twenty-first century, but Luna is one of the few people I laud with that accolade. Luna has greatly expanded what it means to be a witch. (So have lots of other witches, in lots of different ways, but that’s a different post.)

Yet, witchcraft remains a fairly small community, its internal aesthetic debates are not known to the broader public, and the singularity of Luna’s imagery is not likely to register with most Starbucks customers.

Thus, prospective Crystal Ball Frappuccino buyers aren’t likely to see the Starbucks ad above and think, “Hey, that looks like Bri!” They’re likely to think, “Oooo, that’s looks magical, fresh, colorful, sweet, and kind of badass.” But “magical, fresh, colorful, sweet, and [totally] badass” is Luna’s brand, her imagery, her vibe. And it’s highly distinct from other magical practitioners.

And that’s why Starbucks’ behavior sucks.

Ripping off an artist’s images to sell corporate coffee is poor form.

Riffing on witchcraft to sell corporate coffee is worthy of an eye roll, but this is not the first time that mysticism has unwittingly served capitalism.

Jacking an African-American-Mexican bruja’s photographs, concepts, and style, which have greatly changed how the witchcraft community sees its members, but are mostly unknown to the broader public…that’s a multi-pronged abuse I can’t dismiss.

Legally, it’s tough. Hypothetically, were Luna to sue Starbucks, a court would look at specific similarities between the Starbucks image and Luna’s images. There are plenty. Thus, most courts would consider “substantial similarity” and “total concept and feel” –  a doctrine developed for situations such as this one.

When considering total concept and feel, a judge is invited to consider both “intrinsic” and “extrinsic” elements.

“Extrinsic” elements are defined as “the type of artwork involved, the materials used, the subject matter, and the setting for the subject.” [Sid & Marty Krofft Television Productions, Inc. v. McDonald’s Corp., 970 F.2d 106 (9th Cir., 1977)] But…“Obviously, no principle can be stated as to when an imitator has gone beyond copying the ‘idea,’ and has borrowed its ‘expression.’ Decisions must therefore inevitably be ad hoc.” [Sid & Marty Krofft Television Productions, Inc. v. McDonald’s Corp., 970 F.2d 106 (9th Cir., 1977), citing Peter Pan Fabrics, Inc. v. Martin Weiner Corp., 274 F.2d 487, 489 (2 Cir. 1960)] Translating this legalese: things can get fuzzy.

“Intrinsic” elements concern the judgment of “an ordinary person” when the expression of the works are compared. The comments on Starbucks’ Instagram post are divided, and suggest that witches see too much similarity, while non-witches don’t see a problem. Thus, we’re left with a question: who is the ordinary person? Someone familiar with Luna’s imagery or someone who is not? (Get nerdy about the identity of the “ordinary person” with me in the comments – it’s definitely an open question.)

I’m sure another lawyer could argue that the elements in each image are so simple that “total concept and feel” doesn’t apply. Or that the ordinary person is a non-witchy type who wouldn’t see Luna’s imagery as distinctive. But I think the Starbucks image clearly bites Luna’s style, in a way that might rise to the level of infringement. (And, before you ask, fair use absolutely does not apply here, as the Starbucks image has no purpose consistent with fair use.)

As you can see, the legal answer is a bit messy. But, ethically, it’s pretty straightforward.

Starbucks, a multinational corporation, decided to mimic imagery from an independent artist who belongs to numerous minority groups – African-American, Latina, witch – and seemed to think she wouldn’t fight back, that her fans wouldn’t notice, and that consumers wouldn’t care. (Given my interactions on Instagram, 1 out of 3 of my assumptions seem to be correct: Becky just wants her Frappuccino.) This is an abuse of power and this is wrong.

Starbucks most likely paid someone to source and create imagery for the ad. If they liked Luna’s work so much, they should have asked her to direct the project, take the photographs, or style the ad. At minimum, Starbucks should have credited Luna as the inspiration for the Instagram spot. And it’s all much worse because Luna actually lives in Seattle and has a robust online presence. She isn’t hard to find.

Finally, Starbucks posted the ad to Instagram, one of Luna’s primary modes of interaction, with no credit. Even a nod – “Inspired by @thehoodwitch” – would have gone a long way towards mollifying Luna’s fans (if not Luna herself). However, they would never do this, because it could weaken Starbucks’ position should Luna sue them for infringement. Which, frankly, should make you more suspicious than anything I’ve said so far.

As I’ve discussed before, there is aware appropriation and there is sterile appropriation. (The terms are Jaron Lanier’s and if you haven’t read his book, go do that right now.) Aware appropriation uses pre-existing material in ways that enliven the images or information, creating a new lens for the viewer or reader. It takes thought, feeling, and effort to be an aware appropriator. Sterile appropriation, on the other hand, repurposes pre-existing material in ways that are flat, serve only the appropriator, and have no intelligent effect on the audience’s engagement with the pre-existing material. Corporations almost always engage in sterile appropriation, but with a modicum of effort, entities like Starbucks can use their colossal influence in more positive ways.

It starts, as you might imagine, with crediting – and paying – artists like Bri Luna.

Agent Peggy Carter Cosplayer: Captain Morgan Cosplay / yerthebadwolfmari Photography: Sutafuzz

Theater Haunts

When all other lights go down in an empty theater, a single light bulb remains lit onstage. The official reason for this is so that stagehands coming to turn the lights on in the morning don’t trip, but those who see the shadows in the catwalk and hear the creaking in the wings know the truth; every theater has a ghost, and every theater needs a ghost light.

The idea behind the ghost light is simple: If you leave a light on as an offering to the ghost every night, they will behave during the performances and rehearsals. I live in an extremely haunted home so I’ve developed an adaptation of the ghost light to help ease some of the activity.

You Will Need:

A mini LED candle

Something to hold the candle, such as a lantern or votive holder

An object that you can use to connect the candle to the dead. Mine is a pinch of graveyard dirt and a necklace belonging to a deceased relative, but anything you feel carries “death energy” works fine

When I made my ghost light, I put a pinch of graveyard dirt at the bottom of a lantern, put in my LED candle, and then wrapped my necklace around the top of the lantern. I then simply said out loud: “Here spirits, this is for you”, but feel free to add your own incantation if that would make it more powerful for you. Every night before I turn my lights off, I turn my ghost light on and leave it on throughout the night. I’ve had mine up for a week now, and I haven’t had any weird activity since

RageOn! has a selection of clothing and other goods inspired by the iconic carpet pattern from The Shining.

“Two souls are sometimes created together and in love before they’re born.”

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Magic is near when Raven appears

Babies r us vox box

So I got the free pack of diapers vox box from influenster. The first night went great for the baby . The next few? Absolute DISASTER. They are very thin and don't allow her for much movement. With all the leakage I was changing her clothes and diaper 2 or 3 times a night. And she broke out in a rash. So I will not be buying these in the feature. I did get them free for review purposes

Their pain is ours

As most of you know, I recently switched shifts from a day to overnight in a 24 hour hospital as an Emergency Veterinarian. I absolutely LOVE this aspect/side of vet med, and I wouldn’t (and don’t) want to do anything else… ever (like every other vet, I am a type-A overachieving work-a-colic). However, there are moments when I am hit with the reality of what my job REALLY is, and I wanted to take a moment and share with everyone my experience, especially in light of the recent media regarding vet med. I walked into work this evening at 5:45pm ready for my overnight shift, and felt like I was walking into a room of chaos. I took a moment just to evaluate my surroundings and see where I could jump in and help. What I realized was: 1) there was nothing for me to do, and 2) the hospital at that moment was the reality of vet med. *I would like everyone now to really try and picture what I am about to describe. For my vet friends, this won’t seem out of the ordinary… in fact, this is probably every day. For those that are not vets, it will give you insight into what YOUR vet REALLY does… it is not all happy healthy puppies and kittens… actually… it is UNCOMMONLY puppies and kittens…* Sitting in the back on one of the treatment tables was a cardboard coffin with a 5 month old puppy in it, waiting to be picked up by it’s owner. This puppy had passed away during a neuter. Come to find out during surgery, that the puppy had several congenital abnormalities that were hidden from pre-op bloodwork and physical exam (every precaution to make sure anesthesia and surgery is as safe as possible), and only discovered during surgery, causing the puppy not to wake up after anesthesia. Any veterinarian will tell you that a neuter is one of the simplest surgeries that we do. We could do it in our sleep. However, unseen complications happen, and there is nothing that anyone could have done to prevent this from happening. This was an unhealthy puppy that was not going to live a long and happy life, it would have gotten very sick and died at a very young age. However, the veterinarian that performed the surgery was devastated. This was the first time this had ever happened to this veterinarian in 5 years of practice… 5 years and countless surgeries. Put yourself in this vet’s shoes for a moment: You just lost someone’s baby under anesthesia for a surgery that YOU recommended. Colleagues and even your own head tell you - This was not my fault. There was nothing that I, or anyone could have done. This happens to everyone. But your heart only feels pain and guilt and anguish for a life lost and your failure, and an inability to serve the purpose that you were put on this Earth to do: HEAL. Now comes the hard part (I know, like everything else isn’t hard enough!). You now have to get on the phone and call the owner of that puppy and tell them what happened. You get to break the news to mom, dad, and their son (the person the puppy was bought for) that their best friend is gone. You get to tell someone who is excited about playing fetch and running around in the yard, you get to tell them, I am so sorry, but your dog is dead. It puts a knot in your stomach and chest that nothing else can. It makes you sick and hurt to the deepest part of your soul. You hurt for the owners, for the puppy. You hurt because you caused PAIN. In this same moment there is a dog and owner in a room with another doctor. This dog has been unwilling to eat and unable to keep anything down for the past WEEK… and oh yea, the dog ate a cactus a little over a week ago. The poor dog is so sick and painful it won’t let the doctor feel it’s belly. Xrays were taken and revealed three cactus needles stabbing through the dog’s small intestines causing a perforating foreign body. the doctor explained to the owner that the only way to even give the dog a chance to live is emergency surgery and gave an estimate for the $1500 surgery and a 50/50 prognosis. The owner’s response? Anger. Saying things to the veterinarian like: How could she be so cold and insensitive? She only wants money. If she REALLY cared about the dog, she would do the surgery for free. But no, she doesn’t care and is a terrible, cold hearted, unfeeling, horrid person who is MAKING her kill her dog when the dog COULD be saved if she would just stop being such a money grubbing Scrooge. I ask again, put yourself in the vet’s shoes. You have a dog that you know for the past WEEK has sat at home, starving, in pain, with a fever, feeling horrible and puking its guts up as three needles stab through it’s intestines. And what did the owner do? nothing. You know the dog is suffering, but you can potentially help and save it’s life! But what will the owner let you do? nothing. You know that had the owner brought the dog in right after it ate the cactus you could have used the scope and gotten the needles out for about $400. But they waited A WEEK. And according to the owner, this is all your fault. Her dog is going to die because of you. Talk about feeling powerless! You can’t even defend yourself! Your response. “I know this is a difficult situation, and I am so sorry.” But at the end of it all, you are the one that has to inject in the hot pink euthanasia juice knowing you have the skills and abilities to save this dog’s life, and instead, you must end it. The final scenario that was occurring was an older dog that suddenly started limping on one of his legs. The owners thought, oh he must have arthritis, we will take him in and get some meds and he will be fine. The vet had already taken xrays before I got there and saw the bone cancer that was covering this dog’s humerus. Again, put yourself in the doctor’s position. You now have to tell someone that their best friend of 10+ years has cancer. The big C. Their options are either 1) amputate the limb, 2) very short term pain management (days) or 3) euthanize right now. You have to shatter their world and make people cry. You cannot offer any relief aside from euthanasia, which is no relief at all for the family. You get to be the bringer of bad news. All of this occurred at 5:45pm… AFTER an entire day that started at 8am, with even more cases similar to these. This was one 15 minute section of time in a 10 hour long work day. No wonder veterinary medicine suffers from the highest suicide rate and highest addiction rate of any other profession. No wonder all veterinarians at some point suffer from what is called “compassion fatigue”. Unfortunately, the majority of people do not understand this about our profession. I cannot tell you how many times people have said to me, “oh you must LOVE your job! You get to play with puppies and kittens all day! Though, I bet it is hard when you occasionally have to euthanize something.” I just nod, and smile. What they don’t know is that I am thinking - yes, it is very hard. Those THREE patients I euthanized in the past 30 minutes were very hard (which happened on my overnight shift tonight). I appreciate you if you made it this far!! All I am trying to do is help people to realize what the reality of vet med is… and what it is not. We are NOT in it for the money. We recommend tests and vaccines because we had 8 years of schooling that taught us what was best for your pet. We are overworked, emotionally drained, compassion fatigued, under appreciated/respected, and SEVERELY underpaid for what we do (because no amount of money is worth what we go through on a daily basis, *and side note, average salary for a veterinarian is $45,000/year and average student loan debt is over $150,000 :)* ). Yet, we wake up every morning and devote our life to your pets. We love them as if they are our own, we cry over them when they don’t make it, we work long hours and stay late working and reading to learn and try to figure out why your pet is sick. We talk to them like they are people and love them even when they try to bite us. We deliver pain, hurt, bad news, and encounter countless situations that we have no control over throughout our entire day. Our reward is internal… it is knowing that at the end of every day we have done everything that we can to the very best of our abilities for every patient we have touched, even if that means ending their suffering.

Plant invocation

Items required: Visualization Incense associated with your chosen planet Instructions: Planet invocation can be performed inside or outside Using a star map or an app on your mobile device, locate your chosen planet in the sky Light the incense Face the direction of the planet and either stand or sit comfortably With the palms of your hands facing the direction of the planet (either face up or face down, depending on it’s location in the northern or southern hemisphere), meditate on your intent When you’ve reached a calm or even trance-like state of mind, recite one of the following incantations, whichever corresponds to your chosen planet and intent I call upon the Moon, ruler of serenity, to aid me in my work I call upon the Sun, ruler of nobility, to aid me in my work I call upon Mercury, ruler of intellect, to aid me in my work I call upon Venus, ruler of love, to aid me in my work I call upon Mars, ruler of passion, to aid me in my work I call upon Jupiter, ruler of prosperity, to aid me in my work I call upon Saturn, ruler of chaos, to aid me in my work I call upon Uranus, ruler of intuition, to aid me in my work I call upon Neptune, ruler of the unconscious, to aid me in my work I call upon Pluto, ruler of transformation, to aid me in my work Continue to meditate on your intent, feeling the planet’s energy surrounding you and entering your body Once you feel a warm, tingly feeling rush over you, you will be able to direct that energy into your magickal working Let the incense burn while you’re performing your spell or ritual and be sure to supervise it until it burns out Always remember to ground your energy or send it back into the cosmos when finished Feel free to substitute the trait of the planet you’re invoking (i.e. serenity, nobility, intellect, love, passion, prosperity, chaos, intuition, unconscious, and transformation) for whatever you feel is appropriate for that planet. 🔮🌌🌠✨

PSA

Witchcraft is not a competitive sport. You lose nothing by being pleasant to another witch and accepting that their practice is their practice. You don’t have to explain how your rituals are better, your altar is more correct, your gods (or lack of gods) makes your practice better, your tools are more authentic. We have no podium for you to stand on. No gold medals to give you. No accolades to award you. There is nothing to win, but there is always something to lose Witchcraft can be intensely personal. You can lose the trust of another. You can lose potential friendships. You can lose invites to the next ritual. And you can lose the ablilty to grow and learn why another’s practice may be perfect for them.

Life is the most difficult exam. Many people fail because they try to copy others, not realizing that everyone has a different question paper.”

🔮🌿LAVENDER TEA BREAD🌿🔮

INGREDIENTS Lavender Cake: ¾ cup milk 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh lavender 6 tablespoons butter, softened 1 cup white sugar 2 eggs 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt

Lavender Glaze: ½ cup milk 1 tablespoon dried lavender buds 1 cup confectioner’s sugar

PREPARATION Cake: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Combine the milk and lavender in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat to a simmer, then remove from heat, and allow to cool slightly. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg until the mixture is light and fluffy. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture alternately with the milk and lavender until just blended. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 50 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a wooden pick inserted into the crown of the loaf comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.

Lavender Glaze: Place the milk in a saucepan over medium heat. When it starts to boil, take the pan off the heat and add the dried lavender buds. Let the mixture steep for 5-8 minutes, then strain the milk Whisk it into the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until you get a smooth and opaque glaze. Pour or spoon over the cooled loaf.

Glitter in witchcraft

Glitter is something I’ve seen used in spells quite a bit here on tumblr, so I’d like to offer my beliefs about glitter and it’s purpose in spells and rituals! Glitter is… well, glittery. It reflects light and makes sparkles. So what happens when you use it in a spell? It reflects and magnifies auras! It gives potency to energies using color! The little specks of glitter are like stained glass windows with a mirror inside. Light streams down, hits the glitter, and is refracted back as a very, very tiny burst of colored light and energy. Glitter is good for magnifying auras of spells that are very space-oriented, such as protective jar spells or a candle love spell. You can even put it inside of a clear locket and charm it; the charm will be given a little boost every time the light hits the glitter! A glitter’s energies will resonate very strongly with it’s physical color, so it’s important to use a color that correctly resonates with your intentions. Color Correspondences: 
🐚✨White: Catch-all, Protection, Peace, Purification, Chastity, Happiness, Halting Gossip, Spirituality
🍀✨Green: Healing, Money, Prosperity, Luck, Fertility, Beauty, Employment, Youth
🐿✨Brown: Healing Animals, The Home
💕✨Pink: Emotional Love, Fidelity, Friendships
🌹✨Red: Lust, Strength, Courage, Power, Sexual Potency
🌙✨Yellow: Divination, Psychic Powers, Mental Powers, Wisdom, Visions
🌌✨Purple: Power, Exorcism, Healing
💧✨Blue: Healing, Sleep, Peace
🔥✨Orange: Legal Matters, Success
*Source: Scott Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs, pg 284 Happy Sparkling, witches!!

When you think of your tarot cards, where do you see The Fool? At the start of the major arcana, or the end?