Any Witches Here? Part 8.

[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.

So many interesting posts to catch up on from today. Like Rosa, this place always soothes me. Such lovely energy.

Salem I love the shed! My friend has one similar in her garden, a lovely place to relax. This is where I found the sea goddess

carolineevans.net/new-additions/goddess-fand_final_scanned_compressed/

Like speakout it makes more sense to me to associate sea energy with female energy. But then I probably associate most natural and beautiful things with goddess energy!

speakout that is an incredible image, what a fascinating and magical place to visit. I can see why it captures your interest. Interesting links about it from BlankTimes and Timeistickingaway. Fascinating.

Violet your experience with the butterflies does sound very special and I love your description of it. I’ve got some recollection of you having a meditation experience a while back where you had an image of a butterfly I think. Ignore me if I’ve got that wrong!

StarStruck I’ve yet to find a hagstone. I’d love to- I know some of the others have found them. That sunrise is absolutely stunning. Thank you for the pictures. I can see why you feel connected with the place. Magic.

Today I spent some time breathing in wonderful sea energy as the sun set, saw a hedgehog and treated myself to some £2.99 olive and fig plants from Lidl. These things made me happy

That incense smoke – wow!

Yashmis - I wish I could have spray painted my office chair in my old job. It would have come in very handy some days!

Speakout - your woodland area looks so calm and peaceful. I can see why you go there to reconnect and restore yourself. Your Saturday sounds lovely. Love the stone carvings. We stayed in Collegehill House (Landmark Trust place right next door to the chapel) when DS1 was a wee baby. Rosslyn/Roslin Glen is a beautiful spot – how wonderful that you live nearby.

Loyaul - belated happy birthday to you! I hope you had a great day with the family.

Salem - love the she-shed. I’ve been looking at something like this so that I have my own space and somewhere to paint without messing up the house. It will have to wait until we move but that just gives me more time to plan what I could have. I look forward to seeing yours soon.

StarStruck - that is a stunning sunrise. I do love the idea of an RV/camper trip. DH is not so keen though – he’d prefer to camp properly, which my back/hip just cannot tolerate.
I manage to see the sunrise here pretty much every morning now. The colours coupled with the bird song are just breathtaking. It always brings to mind Homer’s “rosy-fingered dawn” as the colours move across the sky and makes me start the day with a grateful smile. I spent some time taking photos of the sunset across the school ovals whilst on my way to parent-teacher interviews the other night.

I've been struggling with the pain in my back/hip/leg a fair bit of late (so frustrating that the physio not really helping) and I am feeling a bit depleted and down because of it. DH will be working away this coming week and, as much as I love him, I am really looking forward to using this time to pamper myself a wee bit while he’s away to help me restore and re-centre myself both physically and mentally. I’m going to make some hearty soups now that the weather is getting cooler (Speakout your minestrone sounds so good right now!), have ridiculously early nights, lots of meditation and reading. A bit like a retreat, but I’m not the one going anywhere

Wishing you all a wonderful Sunday.

Good morning.
Mistymount Those words are just what I need right now. It has been a tough week, but yesterday was better, and I am feeling a little more hopeful that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Today is my DDs birthday, so looking forward to the day. Will be a girlie trip out this afternoon to a city cat cafe of all places. Coffee, cake and 15 cats, taking DD, my mother and DDs best friend.

Good morning,

Sounds fabulous speakout all that feline and female energy- lovely. Hope you have a fun day.

Elphame that conference sounds fascinating . I love hearing about the interesting things you get up to. Always food for thought.

Misty that sunset is beautiful! I love your plan for a retreat at home. Sounds like just the tonic. I’m working a similar vibe today- pottering at home and doing the tasks with nurturing intent.

I’ve got out of the way of batch cooking and my body’s telling me it would be a good idea to get back to it!

So I’m checking out these recipes with that intention. Trying to find something that feels a bit ‘sunnier’..

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2835667/jerk-sweet-potato-and-black-bean-curry

sunkissedkitchen.com/vegetarian-enchilada-casserole-recipe/

I hope everyone has a good day ✨

Morning. A lovely day here, perfect for some laundry magic 💫 I've been out to the forest again this morning. I'm really feeling a pull to be out in nature at the moment. It's so lovely to be amongst the trees and to heat the birds singing. It's soothing for the soul.

Yashmis I've also got slack with the batch cooking so planning on making a veggie chille and veggie lasagne this afternoon. I'm following a thread on here for recipe ideas for beans and chick peas. I thought you might find it handy too, so here's the link -
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/3583315-could-i-have-your-favourite-recipes-for-beans-and-lentils-please

Speakout wishing your DD a very happy birthday. Enjoy the cat cafe. Someone I know was talking about them the other day, I believe there's one in Brighton. A great idea!
*
Starstuck* your sunset is beautiful! It makes me want to get down to the coast.

Misty sorry to hear you've been struggling. Sending lots of love and healing energy ❤️

Blessings for a very happy Sunday 💕

@Elphame How did you find the hagstones, as the one time I could get to the beach, I asked Mother Nature, none were forth coming though. Our next trip is likely Wales, so if you know of any beaches known for hag stones?

@Mistymount I'm sorry you're suffering, I have arthritis, I gave up with physio long ago. If you get a good one that has decent gadgets to relax muscles etc. Have you tried Reiki meditation? You can get various sessions from YouTube.

@StarStruckStarGazer

You need the right sort of beach. I've picked up dozens of flint ones at a time around Dungeness!. I had to stop as I could carry no more!

In Wales, the crumbling limestone cliffs are good sources. Llantwit Major is pretty much a guaranteed site for Piddock created ones (and for fossils too). I've also collected some from the North Welsh beaches around the Llyn Peninsula and on Llandudno beach.

Oh lovely thank you Violet! Some great ideas there- now following with interest too.

That’s interesting about the type of beach to look for hagstones Elphame I think I’ve been looking in the wrong places!

Have any of you seen a crimson / red butterfly? Also had a bird fly by right next to me. Are either of the spiritual?

Starstruck I believe all animals, birds and insects can be messages from spirit, it depends on the context. For example sometimes I see butterfly and I think 'there's a pretty butterfly', but the butterflies I saw yesterday I knew where a message from spirit, as I had just finished meditating. I get a feeling if that makes sense, of what they're trying to tell me?

Elphame thanks for the tips about where to look for hagstones. I've never found one either, and would love to.

I'm excited tonight as I've been asked to do tarot readings at another event!

Thank you Violet, you're a

Also a few years back, we were near the place of the sunrise, it was a farm off the beaten track. There was a woman similar to me there, we had to stand in a certain place to smoke.

These two bats, about 2 foot above my head were circling above me for 5/10 minutes. Not sure if they were preparing me for their dinner, or what it meant.

I'm sorry I've got so many questions, other groups I've been part of have had total beginners.

Many blessings to you all.

Violet, I'm a bit of a heathen and still smoke, in the day time I sit in the garden there's this blackbird (female) who hangs around. It felt like a message maybe from my Grandmother, keeping an eye on me.

I have been feeding the birds, even with none stale bread, which DH loves. So it could be a thank you I guess, as I've seen quite a few different birds which was nice.

I forgot to mention, today I found a fluffy white feather & a dark grey feather. Another habit that DH just loves. He claims I'd be in heaven where he works. To me though, an isolated feather does have meaning.

Apparently I'm mistaken this is a moth...

Definitely a moth - couldn't tell you which one though.

Some lovely blue butterflies in the garden today and the borders are buzzing with bees. The bee friendly planting from a few years back has really paid off.

I'm a bit worried about my ancient apple tree though. There's a woodpecker which seems determined to sever one of the main branches with making holes. The tree is mostly hollow now so there is little strength in its branches and I guess the rotten wood is attracting the bird.

It's been a day of chilling in the garden with a glass of something pink and fizzy and looking up all the references I noted down yesterday to follow up. I may well try Spare's Death Posture! It's not as bad as it sounds and will probably work.

Does the pretty moth have a name starStruck?

Had a lovely day doing lovely things with lovely people. Returned to reality with a bump. Supporting elderly parents is such a bumpy ride some times. Glad to be feeling emotionally rested because I need to be up early and will be potentially physically running on empty.

Lovely to hear about everyone's weekends, sharing the thoughts and images makes this place so special, so a big thank you to all the wise women here.

Speakout Happy Birthday for your dd and I hope the Cat Cafe was a huge success.

Elphame sometimes the trees we think are fragile are anything but, maybe see if it has a dryad and connect that way, ask if there's any help you can give?

Good Luck with the Spare practise, if you're doing it alone, make sure you have a soft landing. I'm far too lazy to attempt it.

StarStruck you said "I'm a bit of a heathen", not sure if you're aware of heathenry, if not, you may find this interesting.
paganfed.org/index.php/paganism/heathenry

Hills so glad your day was a good one, try and capture that feeling inside when the mundane has to be done. If you're physically worn out, try and make time for some good nutrition, at the very least try a multi vitamin and mineral pill daily.

Thanks all so much for your support. I am definitely looking forward to this week of self-care and really hope that I can get myself a wee bit better.

Speakout That sounds like a lovely, nurturing family afternoon. I hope your DD had a wonderful birthday.

Starstruck I think this could be your moth: butterfly-conservation.org/moths/ruby-tiger Such beautiful, vivid colouring on it.
Sorry to hear you have to live with arthritis. I hope you are managing okay with it. I haven't tried online Reiki meditation - I'll have a look today. Thanks. My parents, sisters and cousins are all Reiki practitioners, so I was always spoiled for treatments back in the UK. There's a salt cave in town that offers Reiki - I may treat myself later in the week.

Hills It sounds like you are having a challenging time. Hope your day goes better than you anticipate. Be kind to yourself.

Violet - oooh, the smoky lentil & chickpea soup at the top of that thread looks like just what I need today. A lovely share – thank you!

Elphame As long as the tree isn’t a danger to anyone, can you leave it be and just let nature, with the help of the woodpeckers, take its course? There’s an old gum tree down the hill that has been left alone by the company developing the land as it is a favourite of local kookaburras. It is heart-warming to see a little consideration for nature in from builders.

I would love to find a hagstone. I love beach combing and have a little box of seaside treasures but no hagstone as yet. We are going to Fraser Island in September, so something may appear there. If not, I’m sure I’ll have fun looking!

The sky was covered with fast-moving mists early this morning. DS1 wanted to try to capture some shots so we made a wee detour down to the escarpment on the way to school this morning. I managed to grab a shot on my phone, despite being unable to actually see what I was doing because of the beautiful, bright sunshine.

The laundry will be going out shortly to capture some of the windy sunshine energy. Just the ironing to do (does anyone else try to impart positive/protective energies into school uniforms?) and then it will be time for GoT.

Blessings to you all, sisters.

YashmisCrone What a beautiful post upthread. The beauty in your words was so resonant. I like the idea of paving the way ahead in your day by setting an intention generally. I was struck by what you said about the energy of intention influencing the outcome. I have a theory that food absorbs the energy of the cook and the intention. If someone cooks a meal and they do it out of duty with resentment, it affects the food. If someone cooks just as an exercise to show off , you can taste it, etc. Food cooked with real love is permeated by love.

I would like to know more about hagstones. I spent some time yesterday looking for seaglass on the beach, wish I had looked for hagstones.

I am a long time watcher and sometime participant on these threads but have name changed. Very interested in spirituality, not a follower of organised religion but do believe in angels and the spirits of place. I hope to learn from you all.

speakout Hope you had a lovely day at the cat cafe. It was my birthday too yesterday!

I found my hagstones on the Dorset coast; Chesil Beach in Weymouth and Ringstead. I'm going back later this year to find more. I plan to make a little fairy garden amongst my herbs and they will live there.

It's a beautiful day here in the Midlands, I've got some washing on the line and I feel motivated today. I wish you all happy thoughts today.

Happy belated birthday to @MoonstoneMagic and @speakout 🥳🥳

Good morning sisters 👋

Just flying by- a busy week for me this week. Like Hills I’ve got a lot to get through and I could do with some of Salem’s motivation energy!

Misty thank you so much for the wonderful pictures- they lift my spirits. Beautiful. My DS was at Fraser Island last year- it looks like an incredible place.

MoonstoneMagic thank you for your kind words. I agree about the food. I do think that anything we do absorbs the energy we bring to it. Your post made me think of a novel called ‘The particular sadness of lemon cake’ in which a girl can taste the emotion of her mother’s cooking. Belated birthday wishes to you.

StarStruck I enjoy learning about shamanic animal ‘medicine’ in that a meaningful siting of a creature (like Violet I tend to feel when this is the case) brings us an energy or medicine we need. We take notice and learn to integrate the traits they are showing us. Interesting that yours are all air creatures. To me this would be about knowledge and wisdom, transition and a connection with the divine. I’d look at the particular traits of the creatures and see what resonates.

Elphame as ever- I’m intrigued! I fell down a bit of a wormhole last night trying to find out more about Spare’s Death Posture!

Right, time to draw in the roots work I did yesterday and get this work done!

Love to all x

They apple tree sadly is definitely on its last legs - it's well over 100 years and maybe closer to 150 which is very old for a fruit tree. We lost half of it a few years ago when one of the main branches fell off. It isn't strong enough to support the weight of the fruit any more so we prop the branches for it. It's also growing a amazing selection of fungal fruiting bodies but it's still hanging in just and crops very heavily. I breathe a sigh of relief every spring when I see the buds form and I know it's survived another year.

I tried the Spare death posture in modified form last night (in bed.....definitely a soft surface BlankTimes. It was easy enough to re-create the posture horizontally ) Yes it worked! The downside was I kept waking up and grabbing my bedside notebook to record what I'd been given so it wasn't exactly a restful night. Definitely worth it though.

Elphame I'm really intrigued about what the spare death posture is all about. Would you mind sharing?

what do you wise women do when you feel you are going round in circles with things please?