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.

FitzsFool THank you for sharing- such lovely music.

And thank you for your kind words.

Sorry that your son is unwell. Physical touch is so important to healing.
It allows energy and healing power to flow,
I am sure you are playing a huge part in healing your son.

I am feeling a sense of calm today too.

It has been a light drizzle of rain all day, but the air feels fresh and cool, it's quite lovely.
I am making some lavender candles today, just a small batch, wax is in a water bath on the stove top, I can hear it bubbling and smell the aroma.
Lavender is such dependable oil!

Lovely music Fitz

I hope your son recovers soon, I'll light a candle & send some healing energy towards him tonight if that's OK.

Today i got all my essential oils out to make a blend in the oil burner but the rain soaked air coming through the window was so lovely I put all the oils away!

I do use lavender but in spring, not summer although I'm not too sure why. Some oils are seasonal for me, like myrrh is for autumn & winter only, the florals are for spring but the woodsy ones are year round :) that might change now I'm learning correspondences though.

Just done another section of my course, it's on trees & am surprised to learn that yew is considered as the Grandfather Yew, to me yew has always been a female tree.

Not sure where I picked up these strange notions of gendering trees and seasoning oils :) :)

MidnightVelvetthe7th

Yew is also the sacred tree of Hecate. Very female. I don't dispute the idea of a " grandfather tree", but please trust your instincts.

Much like you use certain oils at certain times of the year.
There are no rules, trust your instincts.

Actually I'm with you Midnight. Yews are feminine energy to me as well! A lot of this sort of thing is down to your gut and if your gut says yews are female then female they are!

Fitz hope your LO is feeling better.

It's been a quiet weekend just enjoying the peace. Yesterday I went for a long walk in the sarsen field above Avebury just enjoying the alien stones left up there ( the native stone of the area is flint and chalk) as if sprinkled by a giant hand and admiring the twisted shapes of the ancient hawthorns that intersperse them. A very fae place indeed.

Very quiet too as the crowds tend to stay down in the village just visiting the henge. I didn't actually do any work as I had the dog with me and he's no help at all!

Oh Elphame I love Avebury! I go every couple of years & prefer it to Stonehenge.

I stay at the little B&B by the pub & walk round the lower stones then go up onto the earthwork & walk all around, past the rooty tree with ribbons in (does a tree with ribbons in mark a resting place?) then down the little hill & round the back ending up at the National Trust shop. I don't get much energy from Silbury Hill but I love the long barrow, I always go in right to the back & it speaks to me.

Its interesting that you & speakout say its OK for the yew to be feminine to me, I think I should trust my instincts a bit more & believe my course less :)

Elphame lovely to hear from you again.
You are so right in "trusting your gut".

You have very wise words.

The tree with ribbons is the Tolkein tree. Apparently he sat under it for inspiration whilst he was writing the Lord of the Rings. How true that is I have no idea but it has the makings of a nice local legend.

Normally the ribbons are just left as offerings to the tree and the spirits of the place. That all stems from the old folk custom of clootie wells where an item of clothing from a sick person was dipped in the water from a healing well and then tied to a tree nearby. As the cloth rotted away the sickness would leave the person and they'd recover. Unfortunately modern ribbons are usually polyester so will never rot and aren't awfully good for the tree...

Courses are always a bit black and white whilst the craft is various shades of grey - so question everything you read and are told. If it doesn't sit right with you then take heed. Your experiences are as valid as anyone else's. That little inner voice is your guide. I was lucky in that I had a very accomplished mentor and teacher and he encouraged his students to ask questions and we were free to argue and disagree. So we did!

I remember going to a full moon ritual at the long barrow - it''s a magical place. I'm not sure the ritual was a good idea ( I wasn't involved at all other than as an attendee) and it isn't something I'd do again. It didn't seem right somehow.

Thank you speakout!

Courses are always a bit black and white whilst the craft is various shades of grey - so question everything you read and are told.

Totally!

Why was the ritual not a good idea Elphame, what made you uneasy?

Hi. Haven't quite caught up, so forgive my interruption. A friend has had a bereavement. In a loss at what to do I've made a small alter offering. The candle is nearly burnt out and I've just realised I don't know what to to with the alter offerings after..? And can/should I cleanse the candle holder/bowl etc?

Midnight It just felt wrong - intrusive and disrespectful - and although I'm very attuned to the spirits in these places it felt empty, as though they didn't want to be there with us and didn't consider we were honouring them. At one point the leader did actually ask if anyone felt that we shouldn't be doing this. There was a chorus of Of course we shoulds and I'd have been the lone dissenting voice. I should have spoken up but I didn't think it would have done any good.

I have been working with another local long barrow and had some lovely positive experiences there. I do want to do something one night but it will be much more sensitively done and I'm prepared to abort it if it doesn't feel appropriate.

SparrowWoman - it rather depends on what the offerings were. If they were food items suitable for wildlife then I'd just put them out in the garden. Otherwise in the bin. Their essence has been taken. I'd also just throw away any candle remains. If you use beeswax candles they usually burn away almost completely so you don't have the problem of disposing of candle stubs!

I'm also not a big fan of cleansing everything after use. Items used in ritual pick up a magical resonance which increases the more they are used. It always seems odd to me that anyone would seek to get rid of that. I'm probably in a minority with that view though so you'll be far from alone if you take the opposite view. So no I wouldn't but many would. What do you feel about it?

Thanks Elphame, I don't think I'm attuned to spirits but had an experience just this week in a pub bathroom of all places 😀

Never been to this pub before and went to the toilet, was alone in there, washed my hands and the minute I put them under the electric dryer I had a sense of someone standing right behind me, right behind my back, far too close and it was so strong I just fled with wet hands! I do have more experiences but this isn't a woo thread. But yes I know what you mean, I'm glad I don't sense spirits all the time!

Elphame I used things from my very small collection of Element pieces without really thinking it through. Sea glass, a stone, beeswax candle and a white sage incense.
The idea of the candle stick and bowl becoming charged as I use them feels good. But is this energy something I want to keep?

But is this energy something I want to keep?

What does your own instinct say? Assuming it was love and good things for your friend and her passed on loved one it sounds like a nice positive thing to me but this is exactly the sort of situation where you can only look inside yourself and do what you think is right.

FWIW I'd probably bury the sea glass and stone in the garden or drop in the nearest river as their job is now done and if this causes a pang of loss for them then that in itself will add power to the working.

Alternatively I might keep them but dedicate them to this sort of work so the energy charge they collect adds to the potency of the next time I needed to help out a friend in pain.

Anyone else want to chime in here with what they'd do? I'd be very interested to know.

Thank you FitzsFool.

I’m just checking back in after a lovely afternoon. Went out for a long walk in the fields / bridleways with a friend and saw the blackberries turning, ready for picking. Spotted holly and pine growing in my driveway too.

Came home and had a long hot bath with lots of Epsom salts (for the aches and pains!) and added one of my favourite oils too. Feeling nurtured by time spent in nature and self care.

Have put my grandmother’s photograph onto the hearth.

Sorry for your friend’s loss Sparrow Woman.

SparrowWoman I agree with Elphame about trusting your instinct.

I do different things depending on how I feel. I recently found a stone I'd used in an old spell, couldn't remember what it was for- I let it go in the river. A lock of my ex's hair I found I let go in the wind- that one was tougher- it came back again reminding me there was still a last bit of letting go to do! It went in the end! An offering of food i had on my altar was eaten by a visiting dog! (My fault there) but I'd usually return food, liquid, stones, herbs etc to the earth with thanks.

As for candle sticks, bowls and my mini cauldron- I love the idea of them gaining the power of my intentions. I'll smudge them if I feel the need. So yes, I agree- do what feels best.

It's been lovely to hear about everyone's weekends and time spent in nature/ nurturing at home. It's all got a very calm and grounded feel to it. Liked the music Fitz and hope your little one is feeling better.

How to bring good luck

Morning everyone,

I'm very new to this and wonder if I can take your advice. I've been helping a friend who has had a series of misfortune over a number of years. Mainly I use switch words to meditate on and/or ask spirit for help.

Something phenomenal has just occurred but we are only 90%there. I am terrified it won't come through for her and I am trying to quell my own doubts. In this type of situation, I wonder what you would do to help bring about a positive outcome

ps... My friend doesn't know that I've been trying to help in this way. I only ever talk in general about the magical world but she believes something special has happened to her and it is so wonderful to witness.

Morning everyone

Insomma I’m new to all this too and would be interested to read replies. I hope things work out well.

I just wanted to share that since I’ve been more active on this path I’ve been having very vivid dreams, not normal at all. Like they are clear in my mind when I wake, and they aren’t all vague like like normal dreams. And when I research the symbols they seem quite positive overall eg my mum bringing me lavender, or the numbers 5 5 7 10. Strange but interesting.

Insomma - do not allow yourself to doubt.

Instead envisage all working out perfectly. In fact, if you can, make yourself believe it has already happened. If you can do this then it can make a very big difference

Thank you Elphame,

I will certainly try to keep positive. I don't like these doubts which keep coming into my mind.

Thank you for the good wishes Blerg

Wow Insomnia sounds like you've got some powerful work in progress there! sounds like the momentum is well and truly underway, don't listen to the doubts, look at the evidence of how well it's worked so far.

Loved reading about your powerful dreams Blerg do you keep a record of them? If it were me I'd be interested to piece together the significance/ sychronicities over time.

Like Gee I'll be treating myself to an Epsom salts and essential oils bath tonight. Quite a heavy energy at work today and it's a simple ritual I find helpful. Current favourites are patchouli, frankincense and sandalwood. I'm guessing I need some grounding!

Hope everyone's had a good day with at least a little magic in it

Zaphod - enjoy! My current favourite oil contains eucalyptus as it helps my breathing. I don’t however know what that represents.

I had a good day today - was looking for a hairband, looked behind a photo and found a white quartz crystal.

Good evening, I have a couple of things I want to chat about tonight.

Firstly, I decided to go about making an ancestral alter. I put a photo of my nan and grandad up along with a ornament from my great gran, I put these with a candle. My nan only died at the end of last year.

As I was putting together the alter it didn't feel right. I was very careful how I placed things. The second I turned my back the photo fell over and I laughed. I said sorry and put the photo back with the rest of the family photos. I don't think my nan was ready to be thought of like this, I think she is a bit too close to home to be an "ancestor" yet.

The second thing is that I've bought a rosemary plant to go outside my front door. A none witchy friend helped me choose it so I feel it's there with good friendly intentions. My instinct is to put a silver coin underneath it to encourage wealth to our home. I wanted to check first though, will I be bringing any bad luck to us, by it being greedy and selfish?