Ivy Lynne's Apothecary

02/15/2026

Draw a pig and share your art! Best art wins! 🥳

02/15/2026

🌿 Guess the Herb! 🌿

Leaves.
Stem.
Flowers.

All from the same plant 👀

This common kitchen herb looks very different once it flowers — and that’s where most people get tripped up.

Can you name this herb just by its parts?

Drop your guess in the comments ⬇️

✨ Bonus points: What’s your favorite way to use it — pickles, dips, seafood… or something unexpected?

02/14/2026

🌹 Valentine’s Day Through the Language of Herbs 🌿

Love has always grown in gardens before it was written in poetry.

Long before chocolates and greeting cards, people gave herbs and flowers as symbols of affection, devotion, attraction, and heart healing. Every plant carried meaning — a quiet language spoken between lovers, friends, and kindred spirits.

Here are some of the most beloved Valentine’s Day herbs of history:

🌹 Rose — The Heart Opener
The ultimate herb of love.
Associated with Venus, romance, beauty, and emotional healing. Rose has been used for centuries to symbolize deep affection, passion, and self-love.
✨ Energetic meaning: Love, compassion, emotional healing, attraction

🌿 Basil — The Herb of Devotion
In old European folklore, basil symbolized true intention and faithful love. In some traditions, a pot of basil given as a gift meant “my heart is yours.”
✨ Energetic meaning: Commitment, harmony, lasting relationships

🍃 Lavender — Gentle Love & Peace
Lavender was tucked into love letters and linens to encourage calm affection and emotional closeness. It represents steady, peaceful love rather than fiery passion.
✨ Energetic meaning: Trust, comfort, emotional safety

🌸 Chamomile — Sweetness & Joy
Known as the herb of sunshine, chamomile symbolizes warmth, kindness, and happy companionship — the kind of love that feels easy and safe.
✨ Energetic meaning: Happiness, friendship, nurturing love

🌿 Rosemary — Remembrance & Loyalty
Traditionally worn at weddings and carried by lovers as a promise of devotion. Rosemary represents memory and enduring connection.
✨ Energetic meaning: Loyalty, remembrance, soul bonds

🌿 Mint — Attraction & Fresh Energy
Mint has long been associated with attraction and lively romance. Its invigorating energy symbolizes new sparks and playful chemistry.
✨ Energetic meaning: Attraction, vitality, flirtation

🌺 Hibiscus — Passion & Desire
Bright, bold, and impossible to ignore — hibiscus has been linked to sensuality and confidence across many cultures.
✨ Energetic meaning: Passion, confidence, magnetic energy

🌿 Thyme — Courage in Love
In medieval times, thyme was given to knights and lovers alike as a symbol of bravery — especially the courage to open one’s heart.
✨ Energetic meaning: Confidence, devotion, emotional strength

💗 A Valentine’s Reminder:
Love magic isn’t only about romance. These herbs also support self-love, healing old wounds, friendship, and deepening connection with yourself.

Sometimes the most powerful love story you grow… is your own.

— Ivy Lynne

02/13/2026

🕯️ Friday the 13th
Cursed? Lucky? Or Just Misunderstood?

📜 Where Did the “Bad Luck” Lore Come From?

1️⃣ The Number 13
Historically, the number 12 symbolized completion:
12 months
12 zodiac signs
12 Olympian gods
12 apostles

Thirteen? It disrupted divine order.....or did it....

In Norse myth, Loki was the 13th uninvited guest at a feast in Valhalla — chaos followed.

In Christian tradition, Judas was the 13th at the Last Supper.

Thirteen became the number that “tips the table.”

2️⃣ Why Friday?

Friday was already considered unlucky in parts of medieval Europe:

Traditionally associated with the crucifixion.

Executions often occurred on Fridays.

Sailors avoided setting off on Fridays.

And then there’s the big one…
Friday, October 13th, 1307 — King Philip IV of France ordered the arrest of the Knights Templar. That historical event cemented the date in Western imagination as ominous.

🧿 Common Friday the 13th Superstitions

Don’t walk under ladders
Avoid black cats
Don’t open umbrellas indoors
Don’t start big projects
Avoid travel
Some buildings skip the 13th floor
Airlines sometimes skip row 13

There’s even a word for fear of Friday the 13th:
Paraskevidekatriaphobia
(Go ahead. Say it out loud. I’ll wait.)

🌿 But Here’s the Plot Twist…

Before patriarchal fear-based superstition took over?

13 was sacred.
13 lunar cycles in a year
13 is deeply connected to the Divine Feminine

Many goddess traditions honor 13 as a number of power and fertility

Friday is named after:

The Norse goddess F***g
The Roman goddess Venus
Friday the 13th may originally have been a Goddess day.

Some modern witches consider it:
A manifestation day
A shadow-work day
A luck amplification portal
A “break the superstition” ritual day

🌍 How Different Cultures View It

Italy:
13 is actually lucky.
The unlucky number there is 17.

Spain & Greece:
Tuesday the 13th is considered unlucky instead.

Judaism:
13 symbolizes maturity (Bar Mitzvah at 13).

Modern Witches & Pagans: Often reclaim the day as powerful and sacred.

🍀 So… Is It Good Luck?

Psychology says:

If you believe it’s unlucky, your brain looks for proof.
But if you treat it as:
A chaos-clearing day
A fate-flipping day
A “break old fear” day
It becomes powerful.
Energy follows belief.

🕯️ Friday the 13th Ritual Ideas

Because we don’t do basic:

Light a black candle (banish fear)
Light a green or gold candle (invite luck)
Write one superstition you’re releasing
Burn it safely
Declare: “I choose my own fate.”
Or make it playful:
Wear black on purpose
Adopt the black cat energy
Launch something bold
Reclaim the day.

Happy Friday the 13th to all! 🐈‍⬛️🦇🧙‍♀️

02/12/2026

We all have hobbies outside our work, so what kind of hobbies do YOU enjoy!? Show us everything yall love to do!

Do you have any cool photography? Do explore awesome places? Let's see!

02/12/2026

💎 Crystal Conversations: Black Tourmaline 💎

“I protect. I don’t negotiate.”

Black Tourmaline is one of the most widely used protective stones in modern crystal work — and for good reason. It has a long-standing reputation for grounding, shielding, and stabilizing energy.

🖤 General Overview
Black Tourmaline is a naturally occurring mineral rich in iron. It forms in long, striated columns and is known for its durability and grounding presence. Unlike flashy stones, Tourmaline doesn’t sparkle — it absorbs.

It’s associated with:
Protection
Grounding
Energetic boundaries
Stability
It’s the energetic equivalent of a door lock.

🔒 Energetic & Spiritual Uses
In spiritual practice, Black Tourmaline is commonly used for:

🛡 Protection
Believed to help shield against unwanted or chaotic energy. Many people keep it near entryways, desks, or personal spaces to create a sense of energetic security.

🌍 Grounding
Associated with the root chakra, it’s often used when someone feels scattered, anxious, or unsteady. It helps bring awareness back into the body and into the present moment.

⚡ Boundary Reinforcement
Not about aggression — about clarity. Tourmaline supports the idea of:

“That energy isn’t mine.”

🧠 Psychological Implementation (Real-Life Use)

Even if you don’t approach crystals spiritually, Black Tourmaline can function as:

A physical reminder to hold boundaries

A grounding tool during stressful moments

A ritual object when you need to “reset” your space

Holding it while setting an intention like:

“I am not responsible for other people’s emotional chaos.”
can reinforce mental boundaries in a tangible way.

🏠 Practical Ways to Use It
Keep a piece by your front door
Place near your work desk
Carry a small piece in a pocket
Hold during grounding or breathwork

Pair with journaling when processing difficult interactions
It’s less about magic beams and more about anchoring your nervous system to stability.

🖤 Final Thought

Black Tourmaline isn’t dramatic.
It’s steady.
It doesn’t attack negativity.
It simply refuses to host it.
And sometimes, that’s enough.

02/10/2026

🌿 Guess the Herb! 🌿

Leaves.
Stem.
Flowers.

All from the same plant 👀

This is a very common kitchen herb, often overlooked and easily mistaken for something else — especially once it flowers.

Can you guess which herb this is just by its parts?

Drop your guess in the comments ⬇️

✨ Bonus points: Do you prefer it flat or curly? What do you use it for?

02/09/2026

Florida Everglades!

We live right by the top portion of the Florida Everglades, and Tom wanted to go find a bird he'd never seen before that has been reported here, the Cedar Waxwing.
So we set off to Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge to see if we could spot it.
2.5 hours and 3 miles later we didnt see 1, but we did see a whole bunch of other cool wildlife! The landscape out here is truly real Florida.
(Will post videos in comments because there's a lot of cool sounds)

Can you name all the animals in the pictures?

02/08/2026

His reflection is a....majestic lion? 😅🤣
The ending is the best 👌

02/07/2026

🌿 Guess the Herb! 🌿

Leaves.
Stem.
Flowers.

All from the same plant 👀

This is a well-known kitchen and garden herb, especially recognizable once it starts to flower — but not everyone realizes what it looks like in bloom.

Can you name this herb just by its parts?

Drop your guess in the comments ⬇️
✨ Bonus points: What do you use it for most — cooking, cleansing, or something else?

02/06/2026

HOW COOL!

These three glass vials show three different disposition methods and why they aren’t interchangeable.

🔥Flame Cremation: (left)
High heat reduces the body to bone fragments that are processed into cremated remains.

🟤Natural Organic Reduction (NOR):
Creates soil through controlled, natural decomposition.

💧Water Cremation (Alkaline Hydrolysis):
Uses water, heat, and alkali to break the body down, leaving bone powder as remains.

Different processes. Different outcomes.
Knowing the difference matters when you’re making end-of-life decisions.

Which appeals to you and why?

02/06/2026

Well well look who decided to come for a visit today!

Did you know in spirituality that Cardinals are symbols of spirit or a past loved one come to visit 🐦

Also, we had 2 male Painted Buntings show up as well (there's about 6 other females around).