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.

FilledSoda I've not read that book, it sounds very interesting- right up my street.
I work mostly with goddess energies, I may buy it to read.

MrsPepperpot79 welcome.

I think every time we cook we spin magic, we can infuse our food with love- and that is also what makes it taste the best!

I have to keep a lot of my craft under wraps from some of my family too- some very devout christians amongst them- they would disapprove hugely.

Have you cleansed your new home?
You may have existing tenants! I have a Scottish Brownie who lives with us- a kind of house elf.
He can make things a little difficult for us, but is happy to accept bribes in return for help Luckily he has a very sweet tooth. So we get along splendidly.

Are there any parts of the UK that are significant to witchcraft? Although none of live in Somerset now, I have ancestry from there and I'm drawn to the Mendip Hills.

I've been planning my garden, I'm extending my herb patch and I'm going to be trying to encourage bumble bees to enjoy my garden too.

I think the whole of the UK has significance in witchcraft terms.

At one time every village, every hamlet would have had its share of witches or cunning folk.
You don't have to travel far to be in a magical place.

Hello MrsPepperpot

There is magic and witchcraft everywhere once you start looking for it. As speakout says the cunningfolk were widespread. Sadly a lot of our oral history was lost with the move from the countryside to the towns and cities. The rural areas may seem to have preserved more of the old ways but the craft is alive and well in the cities too.

I'm dodging the football tonight with a group working with some friends- it's was Beltaine the last time I did any serious group work so I'm really looking forward to it.

Have a great night Elphame. Our home is a football free zone ( thankfully) OH and DS have zero interest.

Lovely walking out in the rain with the dog this morning - the rain was so light and it's still so warm that I didn't bother with a coat or umbrella. The feel of soft warm rain on bare skin is quite magical in itself. Sadly it was drying before it even wet the ground so it's done nothing for the plants and I'm going to have to refill my birdbath again today.

Last night was fun - I think we have the beginnings of a very nice working group

That sounds lovely Elphame- we haven't had rain here for weeks.
Cloudy and cooler today, but to warm up again this weekend.

Earlier in the thread I asked if someone could be a witch and not know about it as I suspected my gran was one. I have been to see her and asked her some gentle questions about the cunning folk, she said she wasn't aware of that particular name and once I described wear it meant she confirmed that we come from a long line of such people.

She has agreed to share her knowledge with me, including things that have been passed on through generations of our family. I feel so blessed and happy today!

sockportal oh that's lovely.

My Gran would not have called herself a witch either- it was just things that some women did.

That's amazing sockportal What a great source of knowledge for you and a chance to continue the family line. I am so glad that the thread prompted you to have that conversation!

What an amazing thread!

All through my childhood I was drawn to witches in books, always felt sorry for the persecuted ones and rejoiced when I found a tale with a 'witch' shown in a positive light. I made lotions and potions and have always been drawn particularly to roses and the fruits of the hedgerow.
I have a distinct memory of being about 4 and experiencing petrichor for the first time and even now I find it a deeply spirtual smell.

As I grew I found that I had a strong physical and emotional reaction when meeting new people, and have always been very good at reading the emotions of people around me. And of people close to me emotionally even if they are hundreds of miles away.
I instinctively know if a person is a positive or negative influence from the energy they give off.

I have had two distinct dreams connected to my spirituality. I've never found the right people to share them with.

I was estranged from my father and his family until I was an adult, and on getting to know them I found that my paternal Grandmother and all her female relatives and ancestors had been known as mediums. My father recently talked to me a lot about his own energies and powers and that my Grandfather was a powerful witch too. But being from a mining community it was never openly shared.

I am still carving out my path, I feel drawn now to certain practices.
My husband is a complete atheist and sceptic, but supports me and for my 40th birthday he bought me a set of ogham staves and I LOVE them.

queenrollo welcome!

I adore the smell of petrichor too.

And right on cue, the skies have opened, the smell of petrichor is amazing, I have been standing out in the rain filling my lungs!

I am waiting for it. It hasn't rained for weeks. I am going to stand outside in it when it does and let it soak me through.

Even if it is a 4am in the morning.

Morning witchy friends.

I have just finished making a batch of smudge spray and I am about to empty my purification water outside soon.
My cleansing and clearing is working well.

I've started to experiment with making my own cleaning products. I used distilled vinegar, water, baking soda and essential oils. They smell quite vinegary though, how to I disperse the vinegar?

sockportal how lovely making your own products.

Just a word though- I am a scientist ( and a witch - I know!!_)

On their own vinegar and bicarbonate of soda are great cleaning substances, but each rely on having a pH ( acid/ alkali) which gives them cleaning strength.

So in the case if vinegar- it is an acid, great for cutting through grease, increasing solubility of dirt and muck.

Similarly bicarb is an alkali, and again great for greasy stains, cuttin through grime.

But mix them together and - nothing.

You neutralise the powers of each, and end up with nothing more than salt water.
So be aware of whether something is alkali or acid.

Lemon juice is acidic, mix with bicarb- you may get a nice localised fizz which can agitate dirt, but if you store you will end up with salt water.

Personally I am not a fan of vinegar- seems to work well on toilet stains, but I am not fond of the smell.

sockportal what oils do you like?

For me it changes- depending on season, mood etc, oils are a way of nurturing myself.

@speakout oh dear, it looks like I will have to start again. I shall enjoy experimenting though.

I bought a selection of oils, they were already mixed. I bought one called "feel good" and one called "immunity". I'll have to take a photo of the bottles as I can't remember what is in each one off the top of my head.

The feel good once was for use in my living room and immunity for my bathroom and kitchen.

I then just use a few drops of lavender abs camomile in the bedroom. I am having difficulty sleeping and I know these two have a calming effect.

sockportal I hope I didn't come across as critical or bossy. Sorry.

Lavender and chamomile are great.

Peppermint too. I have trouble sleeping too at times, but a cup of herbal tea before bed really helps.
I also keep a piece of Amethyst under my pillow.

@speakout bless you, you weren't critical or bossy at all. I'm enjoying it this learning process :)

At the moment I love citrus oils.
I keep some sweet orange oil in the bathroom and sprinkle some at my feet when I take a shower- hugely uplifting.
I did try some in the bath but my skin reacted to it.
I use huge amounts of lavender oil, rose oil, ylang ylang, jasmine.

Hello all.
I don't know if I could claim to be a HedgeWitch as such, although as a florist I am aware of the healing, calming and energising qualities of flowers, herbs and plants. What I have always been good at though, is Tarot. I can read them -and people- very easily. Tarot to me is the conduit that allows me to see things about people and their situations. I'm also a maker - good with my hands and craft just about everything from sewing to clay to paper to glass.

I have always read about Lore, mythology, astrology, numerology etc and seeing patterns in everything is second nature. I'm also pretty good at attracting spirits. I seem to interest them for some reason- I feel I'm quite 'visible' on that plane but as yet can't communicate with them. Does anyone else find this?

I function much better in a city than I do in the country for some reason, which seems odd to me. I tend to feel overwhelmed in too much 'nature.' However as most of my work is people based, this doesn't bother me too much.

Reading about the little people has been so interesting. There's a spot in our garden which fills me with dread, and I hate turning my back on it. Its been like that for 5 years or so, and I'm now wondering if I've done something to offend?

No wise women in my family at all, I'm entirely self taught, just following the paths as they open up to me.

This is simply the best thread I've ever read on MN. Love and light to all.

LadyOfTheCanyon lovely hearing about your life and work. Thank you for sharing.
I would be tempted to try to clear up that spot in the garden.
Make some peaceful gestures to figure out why there is a problem.
Put some incense or a candle or small plant, find out how the land lies.
Sit a while and say some magical words, give an offering, or cleanse the area.
I loved the vibracy of cities- I have spent 18 years living in the city as an adult, but I now live surrounded by ancient woodland.
I like how nature forces us to slow down, adjust our pace so we can take care of small things.
I have otters, deer, badgers, owls all living on my doorstep.