Any Witches Here Part 4 [Edited by MNHQ]

[speakout]

Or Wiccans. or Pagans? Or anyone who is interested in a magical path or feels some magical stirrings.

A place for support, learning, swapping ideas and magical inspiration

All welcome.

Talking of coincidences, what you say about self compassion speak out, is EXACTLY what I was thinking five minutes before I opened this thread. What you say totally resonates. Being kind and accepting of myself is something I really need to work on.

Hills - I love your tree quote!!

A wet, grey good morning to you all-it’s beginning to feel properly wintery and I love it!

Apologies if this has been discussed before, but those of you with animals, does it make you nervous of using oils? I used to use them all the time but have adopted three cats over the course of this year, and am so freaked out at the idea of hurting them that I’ve pretty much stopped. But I really miss it! I know some are considered safer than others, but I’ve found quite contradictory stuff online about which ones those are.

Violet I had a period a few weeks ago of feeling really unsettled too, like the world had suddenly become a more dangerous place than I’d realised, and I had some personal stuff going on too that was a bit terrifying (emotionally). It passed, and I now wonder if it was partly to do with me trying to shed summer, and some parts of myself that felt related. I did a lot of meditation and tried to clear as much space (physically, emotionally, spiritually!) as I could. I’m much more comfortable now. I hope you’ve got space and time to draw in a bit until it passes.

Am I correct in thinking that the old the trees the strong its associated magic/power?

Basically yes - their roots go deep. Be wary though, some old trees do not love humans. I've been thrown out of a woodland once - literally sent flying and landing in a heap on the road.....

That’s scary Elphame - do you know what they were objecting to?!

Hills That tree quote is beautiful. Thank you 🙏 I don’t know about anyone else but I find a strong, calming resonance with old trees. There’s a place on Dartmoor called Wistman’s Wood. It’s part of an ancient oak forest and the energy is ethereal. I love it there.
faeryfolklorist.blogspot.com/2011/10/wisht-hounds-part-1-wistmans-wood.html?m=1

That sounds unnerving to say the least Elphanme

I’m really enjoying hearing about everyone’s experiences of synchronicities. It does seem to fit the season along with the ‘unsettled’ feeling it can bring. I like the idea of ‘clearing the energy’ ourselves to create a shift. I’m naturally inclined to do this at this time of year too.

I also love the threads of connection and themes everyone brings to this space. It weaves a rich and valuable tapestry of knowledge and ideas. I like it that self compassion has come up as something important for ‘clearing the way’ and opening up to receive good things. I think we can often yearn/ask for better circumstances but IME being able to receive them is the key. There’s links to some useful exercises on self compassion on the Action for happiness article I shared last night.

Hope all’s going well with your mountain of work speakout you have such a dynamic energy, I can imagine you getting your teeth into it and clearing it with ease. I hope you’re also able to carve out some time for you amongst it all.

Lost a long reply last night when the broadband went down.

Hills 'Where oak ash and thorn grow, faeries live' is my favourite, if you can find an ancient woodland with all three, you'll really, really know.

Ancient trees do have a wisdom that's there to be accessed - respectfully is the way. Here's one account www.hedgedruid.com/2016/10/yew-breathing-and-new-learning/

I'm sure Robert Louis Stevenson would be flattered to know his work is still admired today, he was quite a character.

Yashmis please just ramble on, succinct is good, rambly is good too.

Belle just keep practising saying NO! you're doing fine

Violet I need to make notes too, would have been really handy right now.

CraftyCorvid Welcome, kettle's on, brew imminent. I'm up for Pukka's Three Tulsi this morning, what's everyone else's?

Speakout Hope your DD's throat's a lot better. I'm a big believer in Vogel's Echinacea Tincture to ward stuff off, it boosts the immune system, but for me, it needs to be started the instant you wonder if you might be coming down with something to be at its most effective.

Whatsallthisaboutthen oils and other smelly stuff with cats tends to be their personal preference. Mine all detest most of them, with one it's as though she's walked into a wall of onion-juice. she blinks furiously and backs off. The others back off but not so dramatically.
I use Lavender Essential Oil as it's antibiotic and antiseptic on cat-scratches and general cuts, then avoid them until the smell's worn off.

Sock I'd keep that freshly filled flask in the car until June next year if that had happened to me!

Have a good day everyone.

BlankTimes

Elphame that was some rejection.

There's at least one stone circle I know of in Ireland which can have a repelling effect on people who just walk in, I like to think it's a grumpy Genus Loci who has just had enough of disrespect from many modern people.

I've heard of quite a few places that people have been uncomfortable in, but that's not to the same degree as an outright ejection.

Oh Elphame, I wish you would write that book

Wow Elphame- what a reaction.

My three huge sycamore sisters watch over my house,

I have been known to give them a cuddle, they seem good natured trees.

There seems a lot of power and energy around right now, lots of thins happening to me right now.

Thanks for those that asked about my DD, she is on the mend now, although still tired, soldiering on through her first nursing placement.

I have the house to myself this afternoon- just for a few hours - a rare occurrence.
I have just swept and washed the downstairs floor, so it's on with candles, incense, two familiars flanking my side and my witchy music. while I work.

Although I am listening to sounds from outside- I have all the windows open to dry the floors and freshen the house- the only noise I can hear is birdsong. So quiet here.
I may hold fire with the witchy music and enjoy the silence for a while longer!!

Hope everyone is well. Glad your DD is on the med speakout, I had tonsilitis when I was 17 and it was awful- everyone thought it was glandular fever to start with.

Went to a lovely little witchy shop in my home town today that I didn't even realise was there until recently. Three lovely ladies there who I had a lovely conversation with about crystals and meditation. I'd had a horrible morning and popping in there helped brighten me up a bit

whatsallthisaboutthen - it was a patch of woodland in Wiltshire that had been used to conceal military equipment in WW2. Lots of concrete and rotting nissan huts left behind. To add to the problems the foresters had just been through and harvested a lot of trees. There were rotting logs and it was just a horrible mess.

We hadn't been walking there long when I started to feel very very uncomfortable - so much so that I told DP to find the quickest way out NOW. I stopped and said out loud OK we're going, we mean no harm and will do no damage. They backed off a bit then and we headed for the edge as quickly as possible. A couple of steps from the road I felt a sharp push and I stumbled forward, tripped over a bramble which ripped into my leg and went flying onto the road.

I picked myself up and showed DP the bramble lacerations on my leg, turned round to point out the offending briar - and nothing. No brambles around. Not one.

Totally surreal and no I haven't been back!

Elphame that's pretty scary! I've had a sense of foreboding before in certain places and a feeling I shouldn't be there, but nothing like that.

Do you have any theory on why the trees didn't want you to be there?

Elphame

What an incredible story.

I think basically people had done so much harm to the woodland they just didn't like me being there. I was the scpegoat!

Now I have a conundrum of my own - as a vegetarian of over 30 years now I have to make an offering to one of the old gods tonight. All the archaeological evidence and surviving mythos indicates that he was honoured by human sacrifice - and child sacrifice at that.

It's got to be red meat hasn't it? I can't see him accepting anything less.

My goodness Elphame, no advice on that one!

Could you subsitute a symbolic offereing- a blood red pomegranate for instance?

@Elphame I'm fairly new to this, is the sacrifice to the God one sided? I guess it's not, I'm sure if you make your offering over some mediation over the adaption to new ways. Explain new ways have come about to make the world more sustainable. Hopefully your old God will listen.

I also believe (this my own personal belief) that no God would want us to sacrifice humans. It was down to a misguided fear in older times. I hope I'm not being overly controversial and offensive.

I think we've definitely moved on from the humans!

Like the idea of pomegranates maybe for next time. They are actually not inappropriate given some of his attributes. I may need to lay some ground work first!

Every instinct is telling me beef this time so I'm going to go with that. I'm hoping that as this is difficult for me it'll have extra value.

I've been down to the farm shop and I have some organic, free range, ethically reared steak. I'm veggie for animal welfare reasons originally so in theory I should be happy to eat it but it's been too long now. DP though will think it's all his birthdays come at once if he looks in the fridge....

@sockportal Pagan gods tend to work on a quid pro quo basis. You want something from them then you have to offer something in return. Then you strike the deal. It doesn't have to be tangible but what is acceptable is between you and them. Often just an incense and a candle will do - but not always! There is a theory that Britain went through a period of climate change during the time that the bog bodies were sacrificed. The failure of the crops led to desperate measures - human sacrifices were needed to placate the angered gods and not just any human either. This would explain the apparent high status of the bodies found.

Thank you @Elphame for your reply, each day I learn something new on this thread. I find what you have written about the ice age and the big bodies fascinating and will look it up in more detail.

Wow, Elphame, that’s amazing!