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.

Welcome tangled.

Great you are able to create a nurturing place around you.

I have a familiar , my black cat ( cliched I know! ) called Kali.

@tangled59 yes I have 2 cats but one is very special. She has a particular crystal that she loves (it's a large quartz 'cathedral' she wraps herself round) and is very sensitive to human's moods. She doesn't kill anything (unlike the other one!) not even house spiders!

UnapologeticallyUnhinged

How lovely. I have two cats too, both are also special, but one is my familiar.
She was hit by a car two years ago ( age 12 months), and picked up at the side of the road by a good Samaritan.
The vet told me I had 24 hours to decide between front leg amputation or euthanasia.
I took her home (no pain but concussed) and did as much as I could.
Worked as much healing magic as possible.
Within 8 weeks there was no sign that she had ever been in an accident- happy, jumping up walls, chasing flies, playing with toys.
And we had developed a very special bond.
She is my lookout for what's about to happen, she alerts me, she chatters non stop, she joins me in spellwork.

I have a familiar , my black cat ( cliched I know! ) called Kali.

I’ve recently found a childminder for my dc, I was going out of my mind looking for one and shortly after reading this thread I basically just asked to find one. I didn’t do any ‘formal’ ceremonial type stuff I just sent a very clear message ‘out there’. The same day I found one and turns out she has a cat called Kali! I remembered the name being mentioned earlier in this thread and here she is again. See the signs are everywhere!

Came across this thread by chance! It's really fascinating, although there are bits I don't understand.

For example, what is a familiar?

Have decided after reading your posts that I am a wanna-be- witch. Much too lazy to do what you do.

I'm slowly getting back to spiritual stuff after a break,
Waiting to find my next guide patiently.

UnderTheOakTree a familiar is a spirit guide, a companion in animal form.
This animal will protect, help and share the magical journey. The animal may be the manifistation of the witch herself, so the same spirit but in a duel form.
In folklore the familiar is often a black cat, but may be any animal.
The idea of a familiar is mentioned in ancient Roman history.

orenisthenewblack I am much too lazy not to be a witch.

It aids my life and helps my family.

And it is lovely to nurture your spirit.
Simple acts every day help me to do that. When the house is empty I play some music and light a candle to honour and bless the goddess within. I use essential oils and use my tarot for guidance.
These things take only seconds.

Thankyou Speakout! I'll carry on reading this thread with interest - something about it is piquing my curiosity!

I'm definitely getting to a point in my life (nearly 50!) where I feel like I need to shed my skin to see who I really am - increasingly I can't subscribe to the mindset of how I was brought up, so maybe a bit of gentle magic is guiding me here?

(nearly 50!)

A very exciting time of life!!

I am the crone, the Cailleach. Very powerful.

Speakout - I do this too, as you say it takes minutes, but I have been doing it not knowingly if you see what I mean.

Have a lovely day all 💐

I have been making smudge sprays today.

orenisthenewblack it;s all so instinctive isn't it.

Right now I am at home alone- bliss, we are a family of 5- and I am burning an Orange and Calendula candle ( pure orange oil, I make the candles myself) I have just cut an armload of rosemary from the garden and is in a vase on the kitchen window ledge and I am listening to some spirit nurturing music- a vast and varied collection.
I love this woman

This is another gift I give to my inner goddess.

Or some lovely gutsy women folk music

All worshipping the inner divine.

speakout, do you sell your smudging sprays at all?

UnderTheOakTree yes I do.
I won't post a public link as I didn't start this thread to advertise.

I'll pm you if that's OK.

Fab, thankyou x

Speakout would you mind sending me that link too please?

Huge oil companies Exxon, BP employ dowsers to locate resources- at expense, to detect underground resources, oil, solid fuel, obstacles etc.

Interesting. I’m going to google that.

@DontDrinkDontSmoke your local water authority probably does too! Check out the Fortean Times article I mentioned (you can google.)

My BIL works for a global mineral company.. They employ dowsers to find copper and nickel.
They don't publicise the fact. But it works, and is an extremely cheap method.

Hi speakout

I have been practicing witchcraft all my life. I am totally convinced that magic works. I have had some amazing and some totally terrifying results.

I'd love to hear more about your results if you don't mind sharing some of your experiences?

Years ago (like decades) it appealed, but now as I'm returning to the witchy way I'm reading around subjects where there's an overlap, and I cant get on board with a lot of the formulaic aspects.

So a question for wiccans - what is it that makes you identify with wicca rather than witchcraft?

Feeling very hung over here today - very late nights don't suit me any more and two friends and I were working til gone midnight. It took a further two hours to ground out enough for bed.

Impromptu divination at the pub using Trivial Pursuit cards gave us the base of the work which went very well (almost according to plan for once) but now I need to go and clear up.....