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 have been bottling lightening water this morning- we have had huge electrical storms and heavy downpours in the past day or two, so I have been filling all my empty bottles with this precious liquid.

I wasn't able to get any - we had the storm but no rain and then rain but no storm! I do have some from the last round of storms so I'm not desperate.

It's far too hot today to want to do anything much. I bought a fabulous figure at the Occult Conference yesterday and I should really do some work with it but really not in the mood. I did have a mooch around the local car boot and picked up some nice pieces of malachite and a rock claiming to be part of the Berlin Wall..... I find them great places to pick up things which can be re-purposed for the craft.

Hi all, hope you've had a good weekend. The thread has moved on a bit but just wanted to say to the poster who mentioned having vivid dreams about their DC that it's perfectly normal. I have always had visions and premonitions and have had many about my DC. Learn to understand your dreams and they will become very useful to you as a parent!

About alter space and shines. There is a lot of prescriptive suggestion in books that can get you started and will explain the simbolism. Personally I like to use my hearth and kitchen for displaying and collecting items. I don't think it looks like a show and tell, in fact it probaby looks very normal. All items that are very commonly seen in the home; candles, dried herbs, star decorations, pictures, seasonal plants in vases. It's just my intentions are for more than decorative purposes.

I had to laugh at the 'be careful what you wish for' comment. I think we'veall been there at some point and isn't it so often to do with love!
The posters new wish to find the right person sounds perfectly right though. You have opened yourself to be shown what is right for you, perhaps you'll be surprised! When I read your post I felt a lightness and lifting; a sense of clarity for you. I wish you blessings of love to come.

To the new dad, congratulations to you. You are very right that your partner would benefit from focusing on something bigger than the mundane and she will get there if she's supported. I mentioned up thread that it took me a long time to begin to nurture my own needs after becoming a parent. Having a baby is all encompassing for a woman and I wonder if her obsessing over things like cleanliness is a sign that she is having a deeper experience after all. Just a very different one to yours and expressed from a different perspective.

I'm enjoying reading about all the divination on here. I have visions and feelings about things but it's never manifested itself in a particular technique like tarot.

A few people have been asking about how to go about doing their own spells and magic so I'll give my spin on it if I may.
The most important thing of all for me is intention. Your intention is what powers your magic and what guides it to fruition. Make your intentions honestly and make them clear, kind and good. If you have any doubts or worries about what you're doing listen to them and revaluate your intentions. Similar to a moral compass, you can feel your way through.

Since so many of us like to celebrate the seasons and sabbats. Would anyone be interested in keeping the thread going and sharing how they plan to celebrate? I would love to hear more if you're willing to share?

@Billydessert thank you for your comment.
The dreams seem to be settling now he's a little older (4 months).
I think it was my "mother instinct" kicking in for the first time, I felt like a crazy lioness!

Well I'm happy to continue as a chat thread!

I don't do a lot for the quarter day sabbats other than the formal coven rituals which I can't share. There are plenty of open rituals on around here at various sacred sites but they do involve getting up to greet the sun and I'm really not a morning person. I might be awake enough to raise a glass to mark the point of the Solstice as it's 11.07am

I am hoping though that my St John's Wort is flowering on St John's Eve ( 23rd June) so I can harvest it for oils and tinctures. It produces a lovely blood red oil.

Billy thank you for your response to my post. Your comments about the 'lifiting and lightening' and clarity really encouraged me, and are also quite uncanny in a way I can't describe here without outing myself!
ELphame and others who would like to carry on the thread as chat, I'd love to stick around with you. My witchy experience has been solitary and ad hoc to say the least, I'd like to learn from you all and contribute where I can. Glad to have found you all

Lovely to see this thread so vibrant.
It's been a busy week, been making purification salts this week, working with dragon's blood too, I love tinkering to explore new ways of using things.
My St John's Wort has taken over somewhat, I've been hacking it back as starting to crowd other plants a bit.
Everyone need their fair share of space!
Having been giving a lot of thought to my collections of stuff around the house and how public make that. My book collection deserves a better home..
My mother hosts weekly bible study class and a few of my items have raised some eyebrows- drying smudge sticks etc.
Hard to know how open to be - it feels private too- but I don';t want to have to hide stuff away like a dirty little secret.

The thread has slowed a little now I've finally managed to read it through. Ive learnt a lot and am inspired to continue learning. So thank you all.

That's great, I'd love to chat and learn more too! I sometimes feel unconfident as a solitary as I currently don't have anyone in RL to talk to.
@zap that's ok!

I'd like to make some elderflower wine at midsummer as I've noticed lots of it growing locally.
Also, enjoying making my own cleaning products with essential oils at the moment. It feels so satisfying and comforting to be taking away the dirt and negativity and replacing it with freshness and vibrancy.

@Speakout have you made any decisions about how you'll display your things? I know what you mean about it being private but also not wanting to feel it's a secret. I've had a few family members feel uncomfortable about some of the things around my house. My favourite comment was, 'it looks like you're some kind of witch!' That made me smile
I suppose I don't hide things as such but I don't volunteer the information either.

I must get on and bottle last year's elderflower.

Some lovely person gave me water keffir crystals at the weekend so I've been growing them. The first bottle should have finished its secondary fermentation this afternoon so it's in the fridge chilling. I'm hoping it's worked though as I only realised when I drank a glass of the left over cranberry juice I'd used that Ocean Spray had switched out all the sugar for stevia. I can taste the difference and it's horrible but my ferment was pretty much sugarless unfortuantely so it may not be fizzy

I've just set a second bottle going with Sainsbury's cranberry juice which still has just juice water and sugar!

Yes a busy day here today.

Cleaning and cleansing- all windows open which feels lovely.
I also love hanging my laundry outside- capturing that sun and wind energy from outside a lovely way to bring that inside to nourish us.

I have also been making a batch of love talismen today.

Cleaning here and feeling good for it. Also have a new book suggested uothread to start reading tonight.

Are any of you knitters or crocheters? I do both and have been a knitting maniac for a while now. One of my favorite things to do is to add knot spells into my knitted items. I do the same as for a string spell, but say the spell over a series of nine stitches instead of knots.

So I might have a blanket with an anti-anxiety spell or a sleep spell embedded in it, or a scarf/hat/whatever with protection spells in for when my dd is running around in the big bad world.

I knit things in too - I have a pair of glass knitting needles that I keep for spell work.

I've also used bobbin lace to entangle things into. The possibilities are endless once you let your imagination loose.

Can't crochet to save my life though!

Oh I wish I could go back in time. My youngest child has spent a lot of time in hospital, to keep myself busy I have crocheted a blanket for her, I'd have loved to weave a spell in it. Then again, I was by her bedside thinking of her and sending love as I did it so maybe it carried some magic anyway.

Hoola I think you put the magic into it anyway! Hope your little one is OK

Yes I agree, hoola- you did craft magic into that blanket!

I have quite liked lurking on your thread, I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on where I can go from here or advice, I don’t normally look in this section but thought I might find some answers to “something” not really sure what, ..

Probably over the last 2-3 years I have become more and more aware of the night sky, with an increased awareness of the planets. I would say this year Im now noticing the movement patterns of them in relation to the moon. I’m also more attracted to looking at the moon than I ever have been. Growing up I was always interested in the constellations and sky but this is different.

Im really not sure what to make of it all... truly interested in your thoughts

Hello!

Ive just posted on AIBU but thought I would post on here too.

As a young teenager I somehow found my way to Wicca and used crystals and oils and thr concept of sacred space to ground myself and channel my thoughts.

Then in my early 20s I left spirituality behind me.

Now 10 years later I feel something stirring inside me again.

I want to renew the contact with my spiritual self - whats more, I have a black cat now 😉

I love the natural world, I enjoyed charging and blessing and working with candles, plants, colours, oils, I liked creating circles, but scripted and meticulous ritual is not for me, I like things to feel looser.

I want to do some more reading about different witchcraft traditions - can anyone recommend some books?
I'd also like to read more around the history of witchcraft.

Welcome deepfat.

I think it is difficult to explore the history of the craft- it tends to be from a male/establishment position.
Much of the arcane knowledge of witchcraft was probably never written down- they would be oral traditions, many witches would be illiterate.

Neo paganism is popular, as in Wicca- but these are mostly modern constructs.

I would say cast your net wide- I think when we start to take a magical interest books will find us- take what you wish from what you read- and use a hefty pinch of salt.

My adult magical journey started with Starhawk, some love Scott Cunningham books, ( I'm not much of a fan).

Beware of anyone who tells you they are an expert.

We don't have many pieces of the jigsaw.

deepfat. For the history of witchcraft Ronald Huttons books are very popular. I’d also suggest Emma Wilby and Owen Davies if your interest is British folk and cunning craft magic. If you want a look at the early days of Wicca and modern Traditional craft then Doreen Valiente’s work is excellent.

There have been sone excellent suggestions of practical books already in the thread (and I’m not a big fan of Scott Cunningham either although his books on herbs are excellent)

Starstruck. I see we’re all avoiding your question! Is it astrology you are interested in?

Thank you elphame and speakout, I read Cunningham as a teenager and there was something i didnt like about it, but will investigate the writers you list and also read through this thread.

Ive never heard of cunning craft magic

Cunningfolk were the witches you employed to impose or lift a curse, to cure illness and disease whether by magic or by herbs. They’d make you a protection charm or find a lost or stolen item. Essentially jobbing witches for hire although the witch word isn’t usually attributed to them as they were benevolent as well as malevolent. Some were outright conmen or women too.

Take a look at the website of the museum of witchcraft in Boscastle for a lovely collection of artefacts used by them. Witchbslls, witch balls, poppets and a lot more as well

How interesting. I never heard of the cunning folk until this thread, but it's becoming clear that it should be familiar. That's how I operate.