Any witches here?

[speakout]

Or Wiccans. or Pagans?

I was raised as a witch- my grandmother was born in 1890 and taught me how to scry, knotwork, many magical activities. She was a dresser of the dead and a lay midwife ( before the NHS).
I now practice my craft with enthusiasm.
A little tricky as my extended family are not supportive.

I bought this www.harpercollins.co.uk/9780008265144/witch-a-magickal-journey/ when it first came out 20 years ago when I was going through a difficult time and was looking for something... some answers... some meaning to it all.

I found it was pitched well for someone who’s previous knowledge of witchcraft was the worst witch!!

I can’t say I’ve particularly gone down this path since- I do have a decent crystal collection and try to be aware of and close to nature eg plants in the home, meditation by the sea.

I use essential oils and we are a very ethically aware family.

This is a fascinating thread, and I am thoroughly enjoying it. Thanks all book recommendations too - I'm going to follow those up.

I'm not a witch but really interested because I have had a little clumsy, amateurish dabble in spells and had better than expected results. I just feel that some parts of the craft sort of fit me well

I have some questions if you lovely people have some time to answer.

Can you tell me about alters? I love the idea of dressing up a piece of furniture and using it to celebrate the passing of the year, and a focal point for meditating and spells, but I can't work out how that would fit into an average house without me making it look like a show and tell table. Can you tell me about yours?

Secondly, some one mentioned the little folk earlier up thread - I was amazed as I have never met anyone who takes that seriously. I had a weird encounter on Bodmin Moor a few years ago and have been at a loss to understand except in the context of little people which sounds bonkers. Can anyone tell me or point me in the right direction to find out more. I'm so intrigued!

Is there any overlap between being drawn to nature and witchcraft and seeing ghosts? Again, i know it sounds bonkers but I've always seen and sensed spirits or ghosts or whatever they are, not to communicate with (I'm not Doris Stokes!) but just around. Or is that different?

Lastly (sorry!) but stupid as it sounds, can a spell/charm/ whatever harm a spirit? We've had some family unhappiness in our home and I would love to clear it out and use a spell or smudging to lift the mood but I also have a young spirit teen who lives here too (I know it sounds ridiculous!) and I don't want to hurt or upset him.

Please feel free to tell me I'm crackers(!) but who else could I ask? 😆

Srappy. I’m at the Occult conference today but I’m happy to answer you when I get home.

Finding and reading this thread has made me feel so calm. I've felt my breathing slow and deepen. I realise I haven't meditated for so long.

I've had some of the experiences and thoughts and feelings mentioned here but haven't realised what they were before. I very much want to embrace and learn more. Thank you everyone.

Going to start with a deep cleanse of some rooms at home. I had been planning this but now have enormous enthusiasm for it which I certainly didn't have before. I plan to use herbs to uplift and bring happiness.

How cool is this... witches on Mumsnet!

I'm a male witch or whatever you call a male witch!
I don't really have a defined path as I tend to dabble with a few bits from various paths. As many on here, I originally learned of the craft from my Great Grandmother (cunning woman type lady, midwife, folk healer, used to practice a sort of herbalist/fairy magick/Welsh Celtic magick type path). However I didn't really follow my grandmothers path.
Personally I love Templar Magick after Crowley, I love worshiping and invoking Cernunnos, I'm a huge fan of Dionysus and Pan and pretty much any male orientated god! I also love the demon Lilith, but I find her darker original Sumerian and Babylonian identity more alluring and interesting than her modern neo-pagan persona. Recently I've been drawn to areas of theistic Satanism, more out of interest than actual practice (though strictly no Satanic baby sacrifices! LOL). I don't do Wicca due to too much aggro from established practitioners, but do use elements of Wicca in my practice.
I tend to practice mostly in a solitary way but love a good group invokation too, but often difficult to find others of similar paths.
Practicing and discussing witchcraft gives me a brief break from everyday life. Since arrival of baby I find life to occasionally be a bit... I don't know, a bit non-spiritual! I find a good Cernunnos invokation in the woods to be a tonic, nothing like it for a bit of stress relief!

My family doesn't care what I do, however my practice is a constant source of consternation for my girlfriend who never misses an opportunity to belittle it.

Welcome- and congratulations on the birth of your daughter.
Male witches are welcome too.
I am a huge Cernunnos fan too, my home have many images , wall hangings and pictures of stags- I am in my element during the winter months!

Thank you speakout. Enjoyed reading the thread.
Great to hear you are a fan of Cernunnos too! He is without doubt one of my favourite Gods, such an interesting energy with him. Recently while invoking him in a local forest a group of deer and a stag appeared and watched, It was quite amazing!

my practice is a constant source of consternation for my girlfriend who never misses an opportunity to belittle it.

That sounds tough.

My wider family are not supportive- but my OH - while not a practitioner himself- is very supportive.
He has seen too many results of my spell work and is totally convinced!

And interesting how we all worship Cernunnos at christmas time- the green man of the forest in his cloaks who commands deer like Thor- and we all feel compelled to lay offerings of milk and biscuits for him at our hearth!!

Bookmarking as this is all so fascinating! Have just downloaded Rae Beth on the back of this thread too.

I've got very interested in spirituality lately. My FIL recommended I see his magnetiser friend when I was having work stress a few years ago and it really did seem to help. I've seen her a few times now and she always seems to get a 'shiver' when we hit the nail on the head regarding an issue or problem.

I'd never heard of magnetisers before - how/where would she fit in to witchyness?!

speakout, to be honest the worse thing I find about my girlfriends attitude is that I genuinely feel she is missing out. A bit of spiritualism would do her good, give her a break from only thinking about bottles, rubbish bags, nappies, hypochondria and bloody facebook!
I guess it would be great to be able to share some of the experiences with her, or at least if she could appreciate how important the experience was to me!
I mentioned seeing the stag and deer earlier, for me a really exciting experience, I mean, a Cernunnos ritual and deer & a stag actually showed up, I mean wow! It was huge for me! Her response on my telling her was, a quick eye roll, and "you didn't wipe the worktop yesterday after you made tea"
Still love her, but I mean "Really, worktops"?

Newdadofgirl having a baby tears a woman's life apart more than a man's.
Both parents are going through big changes, but more so for a woman.
A baby rips your body apart- however you give birth. Hormones are raging, life is turned upside down, but more for her than you- biological fact and sorry to be so blunt.
Her job is to weather this- your job is to be as supportive as you can.
It sucks, but from her perspective it sucks too.

Worktops vs stags in the forest.

I can actually see things from both perspectives. I don't know how old your daughter is, but babies do have a way of making us re evaluate our relationships.

Newdadofgirl just been rethinking my post and realised I may have been a bit harsh.
Your feeling are totally valid.

@ScrappyMalloy. On the basis that a picture is worth a thousand words here are a couple of my shrines that are in my sitting room. I draw a distinction between shrines which are passive devotional spaces where I'll light a candle and an altar which I use actively. Other than my ancestor altar which is in a private part of the house I make the working altar as and when I need it with what I want to use and take it down when I finish.

If you smudge ( smoke cleanse) your house you shouldn't upset your resident spirit. I have a couple of non corporeal residents of my own and we all rub along quite nicely. I had a local OTO exorcist come and teach a class in my house a few months ago and he was under strict instructions that he was not to banish any of the residents permanently. He certainly pushed them out of the sitting room temporarily but they soon came back!

Actually evicting spirits requires quite a bit more than waving a bit of smoke around and making a few noises. Those exercises will certainly lift a heavy atmosphere but won't generally get rid of any entities. (If you do use smoke and noise then make sure you open all drawers and cupboards and get into the corners!)

The first picture is my seasonal shrine - this changes according to the time of year (although the hanging witches remain) and the wooden bowl hold small natural items like nuts and flowers. The other one is my deity shrine - I light candles and incense to Her daily.

Speakout I think you missed my point.
I am supportive and do 100% everything when Im not at work, including all baby and all housework. Difference is the housework isnt who I am, I have other interests, I do the housework, but its not what I talk about all the time, its not all I think about.
I just think that my girlfriend should allow herself other interests and perhaps a break. She wouldnt be so stressed if she occasionally took a break.
I dont give a damn that she didn't listen to my stag story, it was the fact that she was genuinley unable to. I dont believe its healthy for her not to have any outside interests or passions.
You are right about how baby makes one re-evaluate relationships.

I love this thread.

Thank you so much for starting it. It makes me feel safe and at home. I don't have anyone around me who shares the same views etc.

I need to catch up but noticed some of you talking about Dionysus. Someone recently recommended Phyllis Curott's 'The love spell' to me. She writes about a connection/journey with him. Has anyone read it?
www.amazon.co.uk/Love-Spell-Erotic-Spiritual-Awakening/dp/B000IOERYS?tag=mumsnetforum-21

Love the altar pictures!

I can relate to wishing people close to me could feel a deeper connection with the universe/deities/whatever floats their boat, but just something! I know we can't change people but I can't imagine not appreciating the magic of all that is. I think I'd give up without that. Then I tell myself that everyone is where they need to be right now on their own journey, my job is to accept and respect that...(easier said than done sometimes)

Re: smudging. I make my own smudge sticks from dried sage, lavender and rosemary that I grow. It does make the place feel lighter. I've also just discovered Paulo Santo sticks and think they're divine does anyone else use them?

Oh. Also, I have bits around the house of old spells/rituals. E.g ends of candles, charms bought for a specific ritual, I even found a lock of an ex's hair not great energetically, I'm sure. What should I do with it? (I let the lock of hair go in the wind) bury it in the garden? Throw it away?

Sorry for all the questions, think I'm just a bit overexcited at the prospect of having people to communicate with about things like this

Great to meet you all

Thank you so much @Elphame - your photos are great, and so helpful.

It's reassuring to know that I can't harm my little guest when cleansing the house. I know you mentioned smudging and I will probably try that but are there other ways that would work just as well?

Newdadofgirl has your girlfriend changed since you had a child? Or has she always been this way?

RE cleansing the home- this is a lovely video for an easy salt cleansing.

I make my own smoke free smudge spray

I often use Florida water. It smells lovely, shifts a lot of stuff and importantly helps refill the space after the cleaning. Nature hates a vacuum so once you’ve moved out whatever it is you want rid of it’s wise to fill the resulting space with something nice and positive you do want. Incense, favourite music or similar.

You can buy it but it’s easy to make and there are plenty of recipes on the Internet

Can anyone recommend recommend any resources for a pre-teen?

Zaphodbebblebrox re the lock of hair. Assuming you wish your ex no ill I'd either let it blow away or drop it in running water so it's carried far from you.

WhoWants2Know Do you practice yourself? That's usually the best way - let your child join in with some age appropriate work. It's really hard to find anyone who will teach such a young child. Quite rightly too. The pagan/occult world has its share of predators.

How old is the child? Are they a confident reader? I know I started own the path by reading Alan Garner's children's books and the classic non Disneyfied fairy tales. Even at 7 I knew there was far more to the tales than I was understanding and that piqued my interest in myth and magic.

speakout thank you for the cleansing video and love the look of your smudge spray.
Elphame thank you. That's what I did. I was a bit alarmed to find it tbh! I found it in the garden the next day and did the same again
Funny, as I've been thinking recently about making space for or opening up to the potential of a new relationship. I've been on my own a long time now. I don't want to be too prescriptive this time as I got exactly what I asked for last time but it turned out not to be right for me. careful what you wish for and all that...
I've also noticed that my intention setting/ spell/ritual work doesn't seem to have the ease it used to when I was younger and as such I don't see the results I used to...
Any advice on clearing blocks/ getting back in my flow, particularly around manifesting romance/ love would be gratefully received
I'm loving the witchy wisdom of this thread

I have deliberately kept my practices and views away from my children. Yes they have seen my decorations and enjoyed feasts and festivals, but I keep my books, Tarot and book of shadows away from my children. They have never seen me spell casting or clearing or practicing divination.
They don't know that I even own Tarot decks.
I come from a family where the children have had heavy religious indoctrination from an early age and wanted to keep my own children's minds as free as possible.
If they decide as adults that they even want to follow a spiritual path or which road to travel then that's great.
But young minds are so impressionable, and I never thought it was my place to lead them down my path- or any path.

Now at 20 my son shows no spiritual inclination, my daughter is 18, and I can see she has gifts, she shows a mild curiosity in my views, but has not started any spiritual journey.
She may choose to when she is older- or never- and either way is completely fine.