Any Witches Here Part 5.

[speakout]

Or Wiccans. or Pagans? Or anyone who is interested in a magical path or feels some magical stirrings.

A place for support, learning, swapping ideas and magical inspiration

All welcome.

Tea. Two sugars.

Lovely- a nice fresh brew!

Evening 😊

Such stormy weather out there! Let's huddle round the aga with a brew

A lovely new thread on a stormy night. The perfect time to gather around the aga

Thank you speakout

Previous threads:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/philosophy_religion_spirituality/3241689-Any-witches-here

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/philosophy_religion_spirituality/3338025-Any-Witches-Here-Part-2

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/philosophy_religion_spirituality/3366411-Any-Witches-Here-Part-3

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/philosophy_religion_spirituality/3404406-Any-Witches-Here-Part-4-Edited-by-MNHQ

🧙‍♀️

Evening all. Looking forward to he new thread

Evening everyone, room for another I hope?

Sokere

You don't have to ask.

Thank you for the new thread, Speakout.

Elphame, I wouldn't describe myself as Wiccan, I kind of shy away from anything of an organized nature. I was raised with a very, very healthy respect for Karma which is probably why I've adopted the idea of the rule of three. I keep reminding myself that dd is almost an adult, and very soon I can cut ties with the man altogether. If I haven't blasted him yet (and I have had ample reasons) I can hold out another year. I'm a pretty calm, kind and forgiving person but somehow, not where ex-dh is concerned. He's done some pretty awful things to dd, never hit her but he's emotionally abusive and has made some emotional injuries that are going to last. It's hard not to hate him.

Sorry. I know I'm venting...I can't seem to stop myself. I don't talk to anyone but my sister IRL. We live in a very tiny village and you know how tongues wag.

@PawneeParksDept When I get home I'll post a pic of my familiar for you. She is predictably a cat . She appeared out of nowhere on my doorstep three years ago as a very malnourished and underaged kitten. I am a sucker so I brought her in (to the dismay of my two giant boy cats). About a year later I sat at my kitchen table and did a summoning candle spell for a familiar. As soon as the candle was burning she jumped up on the table and sat motionless staring at the candle. She has since attended every work I do and plopped herself in the middle of everything. I think it's because she was so young and malnourished that she has stayed very small, she's adolescent size. We named her Rosalie when she first joined us but somehow that name has been almost lost and she is known as "Babycat".

She goes outside, but only in the company of one of the big boys to protect her. If she runs out alone we send one of them out with her because she's so small. I often hear dd herding a cat outside and saying "Go take care of the babycat. Go on, don't let anything eat her". I'm certain she can take care of herself but we are all, including the boys, extra careful and protective of her.

Anyhow, I'll post you some pics when I get home. She's an absolute doll. The pic I took of her during the summoning spell is quite special.

It's such a dark night, I thought I'd bring some light over from the last thread.

Thank you..

I love that candle flame.

Excellent idea speakout. Perfectly welcoming & warming for a wild windy night. Thread 5. So cosy in here now.

4,000 contributions? No wonder my brain's having trouble keeping up with everyone. I'll just cosy down quietly in the corner & absorb the wisdom & energy

Hope everyone has escaped the external turbulence so far. Have always felt a little unsettled during windy weather. Perhaps I need to weight my cloak

Thank you Speakout I've got all my candles burning too. It's lovely and cosy in my house ❤️

@sockportal carrying over from your post on the last thread. Here's to a wonderful new start for you. It sounds like you really had a rough time for a while. I can sympathise as I had a few years where I felt like the Universe was constantly trying to trip me up.
It feels good, doesnt it, to be able to see a line in the sand and step over it and away from all of that into the light of happier times.

I have just had the most glorious salt bath, with lots of candles. I'm now heading up to bed to read. I'm re-reading The Dark Is Rising, which though aimed at a much younger audience is such a wonderful tale of coming of age and Old Magic that I cannot resist it. It's set around the Winter Solstice so very apt for this time of year.

Elphame, Panda Too right the rule of three wasn't part of Wicca originally. I made the trek to Croydon one year to hear Doreen Valiente talk to the Pagan Federation Conference not long before she died and she was quite adamant that she reckoned Gerald made that part up - probably for good reasons in order to make witches seem less frightening in the 1950s and 1960s at the time of all his publicity. She also stated that forgiveness meant absolutely nothing unless you had your foot on your enemy's neck at the time or it was just an empty gesture.

Dion Fortune, though dated in terms of writing style now, is the classic in terms of psychic self-defence, though I too believe in getting in there first if necessary. Mirror workings are very quick and effective.

I have a real fondness for Dion Fortune. Interesting that her name has come up this week as I finally found her grave last Saturday so was able to pay my respects

It is a bit of a challenge to find and more modest than many in the cemetery

@DoubleNegativePanda

Beside myself with anticipation

I hope this move I'm aiming at works out perhaps I'll finally get a moggy 😻

Good evening all. How lovely to find everyone in here around the Aga.

I need a seat and a ☕️. I am absolutely overrun with demands at the moment. All in their own way good things but collectively ......phew. I did of mental clearing out recently and a bit of self care / cleansing and now it’s as if everyone and everything has rushed towards me all at once. Yes it’s partly the season and partly just life. However I could do with a bit less to do!

How can I rebalance things? I don’t want to push projects or people away but also don’t want to end up exhausted. Any ideas oh wise ones for a little less visibility and a bit more balance? I remember the idea of fog rising but I don’t seem able to manifest it very easily.

Here's the babycat familiar. The first with my dad was the night she found us. The second is with one of the big boys. The third was during the summoning spell.

I love her so much.

*DD, not dad.

Babycat In the middle of things.

Thank you everyone for your well wishes from this thread and the old one. Today is a new day! Sending happy positive vibes to everyone.

panda

What an adorable little creature.

sockportal I am thinking about you today.

Gee I know what you feel about being overburdened.
I struggle with this too.
It's not all bad stuff either- it's projects,, fun stuff, even nice family things.
There isn't enough time.

I am so so busy with work, it's hugely exciting and I love it, but I have to slow things down- which makes me sad.

This week I have had to refuse to make 200 favours for a Pagan handfasting ceremony ( paid work), because I simply don't have the time. I also turned down an invitation to give present a small workshop at an event ( again paid work).

If I take on too much then I am danger of killing the goose, I need the time and headspace to put my energies into my work, I want to make sure that whenever I make something it is done with care and infused with positive caring vibes, not a rushed feeling of mild panic.
So I need to balance my work with my walks in the forest, my trips to the gym, my own attention to craft, otherwise the value of what I do diminishes.
I also have other people in my family to care for,- they love me to cook exciting food, they want to share my time and energies too.

It's about finding the balance- and that means having to clear out the unnecessary or having to say no sometimes.

Finding that balance is a daily thing for me!

A lovely new thread , another opportunity to fully take part and keep up with everyone. Hope springs eternal.

Sockportal I do hope the new venture brings joy , new beginnings are so energising and the energy will spill over into lots of aspects of your life.

Panda babycat is a beautiful girl , I'm sure she knows you saved her.

I used to worry about the rule if three but I have never experienced anything that would make me think it's real, if anything it's more like a self fulfilling prophecy , a punishment we think we deserve.
Its interesting, I think it's fine to trust our instincts and our innate 'goodness' and also to be brave and not have our wings clipped by fear of repercussion.

Speakout argh I feel your frustration.
Never enough time , enough space , enough solitude too sometimes.
I get caught in the mundane but essential.
I can't settle to read or study when I know there are chores to complete.
I now try to make notes of things I want to explore or I forget what it was that I even wanted to do. My concentration has gone to pot , I blame SM , it's eroding my attention span but it's also a treasure trove.

Speaking of which :
I don't know if anyone follows Jessica the Storytime Witch on YouTube but she spoke recently about making the theme for 2019 'depth ', not starting a new project or buying another book / tarot whatever for a year but really immersing ourselves in the resources and interests we already have and doing them justice.
That's something that would benefit me , not dipping in and out , skim reading a book that I was so excited to buy but actually giving my time and energy to an in-depth study of an idea.

Is anyone else interested in the pagan or witchcraft community on YouTube?
I'd love to chat if that's anyone's cup of tea.

I'm not sure what direction my day is taking today . I actually have the house in good order .
There is a new pagan shop in my hometown and I'm dying to get in and spend money i can't afford . The rain has been relentless though and I have a small guest today so the thought of the buggy , the raincover , the bus .
I could go on Saturday I suppose and do some work /study today.
Even when I have a pocket of time I'm not satisfied

Rambled long enough , have a lovely day everyone.

❤️ Babycat ❤️

Hello everyone, hope you're all ok?

Sockportal really hoping your first day went well? First days can be pretty exhausting so hope you can get a nice, relaxing evening.

Speakout and filledsoda I can completely relate to your frustrations about not having enough time and headspace. Work and various issues with my DC have completely taken over the last few weeks and drained me of my energy. I've not had the headspace to do anything I've wanted to do. I feel totally disconnected. I'm going to yoga tonight though. It's so important we all make sure to carve out some time for self-care during this busy time of year.