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.

Welcome WrappedInBitsOfSilver, lovely to have you here. Please don’t feel shy in joining in if that’s what you’d like to do- everyone is valued equally here- you’ll have skills and knowledge we can all benefit from. The variety of ideas, perspectives and knowledge sharing are what make this place so special. No one is better than anyone else. I for one have really grown confidence through just being accepted for where I’m at here. I hope you’ll feel the same in time.

I don’t have much gardening knowledge as such- I’m as haphazard in the garden as I am with my witching! But I love your respect and connection with the tree- beautiful. I like it that you did what you felt was right and I think that in itself is powerful. Some of the others here are much more green fingered so may have some useful advice!

speakout I’ve been a bit peopled out too- again lovely people but still I need my time! I hope for some space later on this evening and hope you find a pocket of peace for yourself too.

Can anyone tell me if this is woodruff?! Like I said, I’m not very knowledgeable with plants and gardening! It was growing in the cracks between paving slabs, the flowers look more blue in the picture- they’re whiter IRL...

I'm very lucky to be friends with the owners of RavensWood in Bishops Castle. Really beautiful shop and talented people. Off to the Welsh Occult on May 11th to meet like minded folk. Lovely to meet you all.

Not sure my picture is very clear- trying again!

Lovely to meet you too Fishdoggy Welcome

WrappedInBitsOfSilver what species and how old is the tree?

Yashmis it is interesting what you have said about my energy shift. It has become apparent that people around me are becoming aware of it. One person challenged me on a thing and didn't get the answer they looked for, although I suspect it was the answer they needed to hear. Although I suspect this conversation is not over with and will be returned to in the future. I am not adversed to this happening as the conversation was neither harmful nor hurtful and came from place of knowledge rather than judgment iyswim.

It has been a bit of an odd day here and I am feeling discombobulated. I am drawn to the hills but fear a trip to A&E with a dislocation if I don't head to pilates tonight. Hopefully some peace can be found from the class. And there is always the hills tomo.

A warm welcome to WrappedInBitsOfSilver and Fishdoggy.

I'll pop the kettle on.

Are any of you moon gardeners?

Thank you speakout Yashmis and everyone else for the kind welcome

Hills it’s an apple, about 11 or 12 years old

I will have a ponder and be back late tonight. Someone else might have some advice but there is a stirring of something in the back of my brain.
% wise about how much did you take off? Crown or branches? Any sign of disease on the leaves?

Disease wise I am think to last year's growth not this, although that would be relevant.

It got a bit enthusiastic - branches so long and tendril-like, they’d have struggled to support their own weight/any fruit. I took perhaps the last 1/4 of each long branch and trimmed less than 1/4 of the actual tree, if that makes sense? I would just think that it needed a years rest, but the other trees are fine and abundant in blossom, so it feels really odd.

No disease that I can see. Trunk and branches look well. Leaves look beautiful as usual!

I cut the grass tonight and put some of the grass cuttings around the base as a mulch. I’m not much of a gardener really, just as I said, the trees are so precious to me.

Thank you for your pondering, it’s much appreciated xx

Rivier so pleased you find the Portal a great resource too.

Sorry Yashmis, woodruff has totally different leaves. Can't see how the flowers compare for detail. Always best to look at lots and lots of images online and use the Latin names to make sure.
highburywildlifegarden.org.uk/the-garden/bees-faves/sweet-woodruff/

Botanical drawing blog.mountainroseherbs.com/wine

Welcome WrappedInBitsOfSilver please don't feel bad about the tree, it knows you acted in good faith and you may have done it correctly. Maybe read up on pruning instructions for that species?

Welcome Fishdoggy the May 11th day sounds very interesting.

I'll have a matcha please Speakout before I start cooking.

Hello sisters, I've had a busy day at work and this is the first chance I've had to pop in all day. So many posts to catch up on and so much synchronicity amongst us all.

Yashmis and Speakout being 'people'd out' totally resonates with me, I've been feeling like this for a week or so now. Your post about well- meaning family and DC really made me smile speakout. It's lovely to have teen DC around and I so value my time with them, but sometimes it would be nice just to have a day to myself, in my own house!

Interesting to read what others have to say on dreams. I had a odd dream last night, featuring my abusive ex. It wasn't frightening though, in the dream he was a perfectly nice person. Throughout the dream I was on a big wheel at a fair, going round and round, up and down. That's about all I can remember. I do have some books on dreams so I might look it up later and see if I can make any sense of it.

Yashmis that cake looks fab, thanks for sharing 🙏

Welcome to all the newcomers, it's lovely to have to with us 😊

I'm off to yoga this evening. I've been feeling myself getting easily stressed and irritated recently so have decided I need to up my self-care, starting with more yoga!

Hello all, welcome wrapped and fish!
Don't worry wrapped your intentions were pure.

Yashmis that cake sounds wonderful! Sadly no hedgerow exploring or baking for me this year but I will look forward to trying that hopefully next year.

Sympathy to all those who are peopled out, it's dd1's birthday on Thursday and there's lots of visitors coming over 3 days and things to sort and I just want to lie in the bath (which I can't even get upstairs to!) with a glass of wine until it's over! Not that I'm not grateful everyone cares.

Violet I hope you enjoy the yoga and it helps

My appointment was not a great success as I now have CRPS and need intensive physio and some other type of outpatient appointment to try and halt any more issues but if I get down to limping on 1 crutch that could be as good as it gets.

WrappedInBitsOfSilver right now i have done the excerise thingy and pondered. Radio 4 gardener's question time did a whole chunk on apple trees last fruiting season. Apparently the effects of last year's weather were likely to be seen into this year. The fact that it was struggling to bare it's own weight suggests to me that not doing anything would have been problematic but also interesting because a lot of apple trees struggled to crop last year with the weather conditions. My impression from what my brain allows me to remember is that in order to have produced last year's crop it would have had to 'borrow' resources from this years growth/crop so to speak and that (i hope I remember this correctly) that it might require something (manure?) applied to the soil around the tree -extending out from trunk in order to help restore these borrowed resources.
From what you have said this seems possible but I would recommend that you have a hunt around a bit, I can't find the article but did find this link here - question 6 that suggests that when you pruned it will affect the ability of the tree to fruit this year, and they have suggested severe pruning than what you gave it.

I will continue to have a think an see if I can remember the weather when I was driving when I heard the piece to try to pin down the episode that I am thinking of.

Enjoying some lovely fire energy

Hills good to hear of your clarity in communication. I do think others notice when we have an energetic shift. I think you’re wearing yours very well! It feels certain and steady- a lovely place to shine your light from I think.

BlankTimes fab, thank you for that info- very helpful 👍

Violet I hope you enjoyed your yoga- a very wise response to how you’ve been feeling I think. Your dream sounds positive to me- through life’s ups and downs you emit an energy that now commands respect. It feels like a time to look back and be pleased with how far you’ve come.

So sorry to hear about your news/appointment Loyaul sending love to you and a hope that some relief will come x

Yashmis that cake looks divine. I will bookmark the idea for next year's Beltane and will try to find some Woodruff in the meanwhile.
I have an Almond loaf recipe I am baking tomorrow which I'll just copy here

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Beltane Bread Recipe by Ann Moura (Aoumiel) Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and combine: 4 cups sifted flour 1/2 cup ground almonds 2 cups sugar 1 tube almond paste 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon cinnamon 5 eggs When dough is worked to medium soft, shape into flattened balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool. You could try this as a single loaf. (The above recipe for "Beltane Bread" is directly quoted from Ann Moura (Aoumiel)'s book "Green Witchcraft: Folk Magic, Fairy Lore & Herb Craft", page 218, Llewellyn Publications, 1996.)

I'm substituting 'Almond paste' for Marzipan, and am only making half the amount as the recipe is for a large qty!.

Speakout
If you are interested in dream interpretation, you'd really benefit from a dream diary. Write down details of your dream as soon as you wake up, otherwise you'll forget significant elements.

Certain dream symbols are universal, such as water= emotions, flying= creative thinking, houses/rooms/buildings= "places" in your life and mind, sex dreams= desires, these all need to be interpreted in context of course. Some dream symbols are personal, eg certain animals and certain people will mean something only to you. The more you record your dreams the better you get at recalling them, and you eventually learn what they mean, what they are trying to tell you.

VioletCharlotte
I'll give it shot with a dream interpretation

A fairground dream setting very much represents the social arena. Your feeling of going round in circles, up and down, perhaps with no conclusion to the endless cycle might be your mind telling you to come to a decision?
Your dream-ex will not be your actual (abusive) ex. It will be yourself, who you were then, perhaps weaker, more vulnerable than you are now, so your dream-state is reminding you who you were then, you state that he was a nice person in your dream, I take it he wasn't in real life, so, remember how you were then, avoid falling into a similar behaviour such as being "too nice" or letting ppl take advantage.

Have a good yoga session x

Wrapped
I'm pretty sure your tree needs to recover for a season and will be flourishing again next year.

Hills enjoy Pilates!

Yashmis
Love the candles thank you for the warm energy

Good morning sisters and a very warm welcome to all the lovely new faces around the Aga.

I had an enormous sadness hit me last Friday and a real feeling of dread and loss, but I had nothing that I could attribute it to. I think it was explained on Sunday night when I got a message saying that our beautiful dog we had been forced to leave behind in the UK had died the day before. He was 14 – a grand old age for a lab/retriever – and had a wonderful life, including his brief stint as a guide dog (he faked a limp to get himself fired!) and his wonderful last months with DH’s cousin and her family, but it still hit us all hard. He was our mate, keeper of secrets, taste-tester, expert snuggler, gentle protector, treat snaffler, river splosher, mud magnet and worst retriever of anything thrown his way ever. For years, his cold nose was the last thing I saw at night and the first thing I felt each morning and I have missed him and his fluffy face immensely. So today, I will be adding him to my small Samhain ancestor altar and lighting a candle to honour him as part of our family.

Sorry to make such an introspective, “me me me” post, but I just needed to get it out. I’m sure I’ll be back to my normal self soon.

*Mistymount
*
I'm so sorry for your loss. Dogs are so special and can play such a both part in our lives. Don't feel guilty about the indulgent post. Im glad you feel this a place where you can grieve and talk about him. Sending lots of love ❤️

Misty I’m so sorry for your sad loss. He looks such a handsome fella.

@Mistymount I am so sorry for the loss of your beautiful pet. I used to work for Guide Dogs and I know that the dogs there have an extra special quality. He made it to a ripe old age and sounds like he lived a happy and fulfilled life. Take your time to grieve, our pets leave paw prints on our hearts.

Misty I’m also so sorry for your loss. What a beautiful boy. Take the time you need x

Misty I am so sorry for your loss we are all here for you

Just popping in to keep the teapot topped up & wish everyone the best of Beltane blessings. It really is my most favourite part of the wheel & frustrating I still can't get to my favourite old wise oak in the woods.

Sorry to hear your news Misty