Any Witches Here? Part 10.

[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.

Speakout, I'm so glad that my words have arrived at the right time to lift you up during this trying week. Please don't doubt that what you have worked here is magic.

I have read all nine and three quarter threads in just two months. It's been like taking a concentrated dose of the purest, most restorative medicine, and it's potent stuff!

Your day by day descriptions of the wildlife in your garden, the way you nurture your children and work magic in all you do. Yashmi's beautiful photos and tales of impromptu rambles to the beach or the river, her gentle and loving wisdom which she shares so freely. VioletCharlotte's dog walks, yoga, gong baths and love for her boys which shines out from each post. Blank times' epic wormholes, Elphame's charms against annoying neighbours....and all the many other members who have added their threads to the tapestry. Names which appeared for a time but are no longer here it seems: loyaute, hillsbesidethesea, rosa, mistymountain, enchanted...or maybe they are here under different names.

The fascinating discussions, mutual support, shared lightbulb moments and the sense that, as others have said, things are not so much discovered as remembered, perhaps from way back in our female line.

It has been a pleasure and a privilege to discover the positive, life affirming and loving magic you've all worked. As YashmisCrone wrote earlier, long may it continue.

VioletCharlotte I'm loving your sassy, badass warrior witch vibe!

Rosebuds
What a beautiful post, reading it made me feel quite emotional. It makes me really happy that you've got so much out of reading out thread. For me, this is a place of solace, somewhere to go and sit in the warm amongst friends, and feel supported and loved. Circles of women are a powerful force!

Speakout so sorry to hear you've been struggling this week. You give so much of yourself to others. I'm glad you're enjoying The magic of laundry witching. Nothing beats the smell of washing dried in the fresh air.

Yoga has once again worked its magic and I'm feeling human again and ready for battle again tomorrow. But first, sleep! I'm loving the sleep blend Yashmis shared. Combined with a lavender foot massage, I slept like a goddess Sunday and Monday night. In fact, I slept so deeply, I didn't use it last night as I was a little concerned as it knocked me out so much, I thought I might be unsafe too drive! Working from home tomorrow though, so can enjoy a bit longer in bed.

r0sebuds

I am blown away by the way you have absorbed, considered and noted all the women, work, life and contributions here.
Your warm energy is so so welcome .
Many of us call ouselves witches, we feel spiritual, or feel a core, an energy, a sharing, an understanding, a feminist ideal, an earth power, a call of nature, but there is a resonance that we all feel on this thread, no matter our path.
We don't need to be a witch or a pagan to join in the collective energy in which we are at the core of our own being, without abdicating power to others or a higher force, but sharing , enhancing and supporting each other. The fire is warm, and you are welcome.

Yes, I did get an awful lot from the threads VioletCharlotte. What made it so intense is the fact that I've been on a sort of crash course!
I'm pleased that your yoga did the trick. I've recently (this year) taken it up - with Adrien - and get up early so that I can fit it in first thing. It's sometimes a real challenge getting there but I'm always so glad I made the effort. I've got a bit of a ritual going: get up, put the kettle on, set the PC up, light my candle, make my lemon green tea then get to it. It sets me up for the day

speakout this really spoke to me:

we feel spiritual, or feel a core, an energy, a sharing, an understanding, a feminist ideal, an earth power, a call of nature, but there is a resonance that we all feel on this thread, no matter our path.
We don'tneed to be a witch or a pagan to join in the collective energy in which we are at the core of our own being, without abdicating power to others or a higher force, but sharing , enhancing and supporting each other.

Reading through it I tick all the boxes except that of witch.

I've always felt the pull of nature. I grew up in the countryside and as a child would come home filthy with bits of branches tangled in my hair, my clothes ripped from climbing trees, making dens in bushes, damming streams and so on.

Since moving away for university I've almost always lived in urban environments, or at least pretty tame suburban ones. I'm lucky enough to have a small garden where we live now and I'm slowly rewilding it, planting more bird and insect friendly plants.

Reading the threads has made me determined to spend more time in nature and reclaim that wild part of myself too.

I loved a link that I think YasmisCrone posted to an American witch/wise woman calling on us to untame ourselves. It really resonated with me and fits well with what you write about not abdicating our power to others or a higher force.

So thank you again for the welcome.

After a day of feeling quite sluggish and cranky (pms and constant rain here), I'm about to get ready to go out for a belated birthday meal with my DH and DSs.

I hope you all have something nice planned for your Friday evenings.

r0sebuds
A wonderful post. I love the image of you as a spirited child with twigs in your hair.
I hope you enjoy you evening birthday meal with my DH and DSs.

I was a mud child, diggings, stones, planting I was lucky to grow up in a very rural are in a wild place- a long time ago!

The use of the word " witch " is very complex. Some of us like to use it. I can see the attitudes , the etymology, the presumption, the fey idea, the heavy backpack of the word.
I live in a place where women were charged and executed in huge numbers for " witchcraft", although probably they would all have recoiled from the term of being a witch.
So in part I want to reclaim that word- the archetype of a hag, killing puppies, ugly, sinful, brewing up nastiness- use as a branch to beat women who dare.
So lovely to have you join us.

I typed out a long post earlier then the app crashed! But wanted to echo r0sebud's sentiments, I found this thread at a really traumatic and turbulent time and it was such a huge comfort, and a distraction as well. It brought things back into my life that I hadn't considered in many years, which have enriched my life completely. So thankyou to speakout, and welcome to r0sebud, lovely to see you. Really enjoyed reading your posts.

InTheTempest

So annoying to lose a post. I sympathise. And when we write with flow it is not always possible to recapture. I am so bad with that and so bad with typos that if I plan a long post I type in word- but then I use a laptop to post.

I am glad this place nurtures you. It has nurtured me beyond measure.

This really is a special place, made so by the women who participate and the ones who read without commenting - yet. You may have started a trend Rosebud

Witch is something everyone else called me from being very young when they tried my home-made natural cosmetics and later remedies and different techniques e.g breathing/pranayama for anxiety reduction etc. As I got into many and varied things, the term stuck, I'd actively researched the traditional paths from being a young person, pre-internet it took determination and discretion, but I would never tell anyone, everything in those days was very hidden, To Know, To Will etc, so it was and still is quite comical when people who likely had no clue what a witch really is gave me that name.

I share the frustration of posts that evaporate into the ether like wraiths in the mist. On the PC I use Word for the long ones, although a Draft email if using the phone can be just as good, they both autosave.

Hope everyone survives the gales tomorrow, they are forecast to start in a couple of hours here and not finish until late afternoon Sunday with higher windspeeds than we've had this year to date. Better go and secure the broomstick and make sure nothing blows away apart from negativity.

Good morning - a quiet early start here- just dropped DD off, another ( and last) day of dance competitions.
DS was awake still as we left- he has bad insomnia, so won't waken until early afternoon.
OH is still asleep, he has been on back shift all week, and doesn't get to bed until 2am, so I ham having a cup of goddess blessed coffee befire doing some work.
I also have to take some photographs of a new product- that is always fun. My dear niece does amazing work designing labels for me, we have a great partnership.

BlankTimes I love hearing about your journey- I was always making potions as a child. My grandmother taught me a lot- knotwork, tasseomancy, reading cards, fire scrying, "wish " spells,healing animals, making fruit syrups etc- she didn't call herself a witch, and it never occurred to me to use that word.

It is only in the past few years that I have come to view mysef as a witch- to reclaimed that sacred space and rescue it from the derogatory.
I will light an 8am candle soon, and send blessings to everyone for a happy and magical day.

Good morning all, just flying by before I head out for a run this morning. It's a little damp here but thankfully the wind seems to have subsided somewhat.

I too have been on a cleanse this week. Tidied up the guest bedroom which over time seems to turn into 'junk' room! It is now a calm little haven where I can escape to read in peace and quiet.

I also want to have a spring clean of my wardrobe. In the past I have used clothes / fashion as a form of self care, but more recently I realise that the feeling I get from buying new clothes is short lived and I then just feeling guilty for spending money which could have been put to better use. I am also trying to be more mindful to be less wasteful, so I have set myself a challenge to only buy second hand clothes this year, and in order to go shopping I have to sell something that no longer serves me. My focus is to recycle and reuse. I am looking forward to my charity shop rummages and finding ways to be more creative with my style (or lack of!)

r0sebud - so lovely to welcome you into our little kitchen. Your first post brought a tear to my eye. I don't post often, as like you I don't feel I have much to offer, but I love reading this thread and it's my go to when I need a lift.

The combined power of all you wise, kind, intuitive women is so magical and powerful and I love that you are all so humble and naive that you really don't realise what a truly great impact you have on so many people. In a world which can be so cruel and difficult to navigate it so refreshing to come here and feel some genuine love and kindness. It's even more empowering that we then have to dust ourselves off, straighten our crowns and face the world on our own, but with the hidden knowledge that we have a whole tribe of likeminded women behind us, willing us on. And for that I thank you all 🙏🏻

Good morning all!

A blustery day here. I woke with that full-body period pain which feels like being put through a mangle. My morning yoga worked its magic though, and afterwards I watched a short documentary on yoga while drinking my tea, followed by a spa shower (for that reason alone I am so grateful for this place: what a totally brilliant yet simple idea!)I feel calm, at peace and accepting. I'm hoping that this feeling will last when I head to the supermarket later.

Lots of interesting thoughts and ideas here today.

I think I'm stuck on what you describe as the heavy backpack of the word witch, speakout, all the negative connotations which have become associated with it and have been used, as you say, as a branch to beat women who dare.

Have you seen the video of the poem/blog post Be a lady, they said, which is doing the rounds on social media? The video is quite controversial but the poem shows well the conflicting and controlling demands and expectations which are imposed upon women, or which we have imposed upon ourselves. The harmful stereotypes which, again, are used to beat women, just for being really!

It's that same old recurring idea that we are not good enough, imperfect. Used again and again to keep us down, in our place. Our out of control consumer society plays on this.

We must dare! Go back to our core. Untame ourselves. Be who we are, unashamedly.

I wasn't a spirited child really. Very dreamy, intuitive and sensitive. It wasn't encouraged at home. Quite the opposite in fact. So I built a shell, or turned away from that part of me. Actually smothered is a better word.

As I grow older and wiser ( at last! ) I've been feeling this sort of cogitive dissonance between who I am at my core, and the life I lead. Or rather the crazy world we live in. These threads are helping me to better understand this and showing me how to carve out the space to breathe, flourish and explore my possibilities.

It has been fascinating to read about your early experiences and journey, speakout and BlankTimes. Thank you for sharing.

InTheTempest and littleninja thank you for the warm welcome. I'm so glad to have found you and grateful to be accepted.

I think it's really telling how many of us seemed to find these threads in our darkest hour, as it were. And how we draw strength and confidence from the collective nurturing energy. I love the image of dusting myself down, straightening my crown and facing the sometimes cruel world with a secret army of witches right behind me!

Good morning. Popping in to touch base while I enjoy my coffee. I've just been to a body pump class, so feeling full of energy and ready for the weekend.

I've been reading your thoughts on what being a witch, and pondering on what it means to be. I actually only began to think of myself as a witch as a result of this thread. I've always been spiritual, although I'm not comfortable calling myself a 'spiritualist' as I don't like the rules and regulation attached to the spiritualist church (as with any religion). As a child, I used to make potions and be fascinated with witches, fairies and anything mystical. I've always loved nature and the changing seasons and always been interested in things like holistic healing and yoga.

Finding this thread made me feel like I'd come home and finally found my tribe 😊

I found a brilliant Laura Daligan video on YouTube that some of you may like called '22 ways to stay wild and witchy' (I've become a bit of a Laura Daligan fan girl since someone kindly shared a link to
her podcasts!)

Littleninja I love the idea of the challenge you have set yourself to but only charity shop clothes this year. I used to buy too many clothes too. I don't seem to have much luck with charity shops, but I am being more mindful about what I buy to reduce waste.

Speakout sorry to hear your DS suffers from insomnia, that just be hard for him. You may well have already tried essential oils, but the sleep blend Yashmis shared the other day works a treat for me. It could be worth trying a diffuser in his room.

I need to catch up on some cleaning and washing today. The house has been somewhat neglected this week as work has consumed most of my energy.

Blessings to you all for a peaceful and happy weekend.

I love the image of dusting myself down, straightening my crown and facing the sometimes cruel world with a secret army of witches right behind me!

I love that too!

There is so much wisdom and compassion on this thread.

I a world where women are taught to tear each other down this is a beautiful community where we tolerate, support and strengthen.

It has shown me real magic!

I love the image of dusting myself down, straightening my crown and facing the sometimes cruel world with a secret army of witches right behind me!*

A big yes to this from me too! I’m
loving these reflections of the power and impact of our gathering; the difference it makes to our lives.

It’s very much about reclaiming and unashamedly embodying this power for me too. I think the memories of untamed childhood really help us see that this is innate in us- to be excavated again rather than created from scratch. To be ‘wild’ or unshackled by convention is our natural state. I think this is why a bit of rewilding can feel like coming home.

This discussion brings BlankTimes’ tapestry analogy to mind for me. I think much of the energy we have generated here comes from the collectivity of our approach. I can think of many a time of sharing a musing, question or idea and receiving such a rich and diverse response- practical, magical, experiential and intuitive contributions and before I know it, from sharing my own thread I end up part of that rich tapestry. We create a beautiful, impactful new tapestry together.

I love it when several of us work in parallel with a similar intention- roots work in winter months, the 8&8’s, the year of the queen, daily gratitudes etc etc These things would all be empowering in solitary practice but together we kick up a storm! I like to visualise this energy sparking from our different geographical locations, creating a far reaching wave of glorious female power to be drawn on by all of us as we go about our days.

I believe that women’s power has been systematically oppressed because we are so... powerful . Not much chance of quashing our wave of it though- together we’re a force to be reckoned with!

Yashmis -

but together we kick up a storm! I like to visualise this energy sparking from our different geographical locations, creating a far reaching wave of glorious female power to be drawn on by all of us as we go about our days

Yes! This is exactly how I feel too! ❤️

Funny day weather wise. Rain, hail and high wind one minute, sunshine and blue sky the next. I was lucky enough to time by dog walk just right. It was so good to be outside in the fresh air. The hedgerows are starting to show signs of spring, I spotted some Blackthorn blossom

Did some more cleaning and clearing indoors this afternoon, but got rather distracted as I kept finding books I'd forgotten about and falling down rabbit holes!

I believe that women’s power has been systematically oppressed because we are so... powerful .

I agree with this. The repression is because of fear. Beautiful images YashmisCrone, we are a force to be reckoned with.
This thread has been restorative for me in the past few days. I love being part of this tribe!

A higgelty piggelty day here- just baking off some Camembert for myself, and will have with some delicious chilli jam.There is a local woman who sells at craft fairs and if I see her I stock up, she makes an amazing range of chutnies- she is called the Spice Witch , an amazing earthy Irish woman. www.thespicewitch.com/

Magical produce!!

Ooh speakout that spicewitch produce looks fabulous. I’m eyeing up the caramelised onion marmalade and the plum and red onion relish-it all looks delicious and I love the witch logo. Magical produce indeed!

Lovely to hear of your walk and the signs of spring you saw Violet, getting out in the fresh air is so nourishing isn’t it, and new growth is stirring.

I’m loving the resonance amongst us as we reflect on our group. I love being part of this tribe too

It’s a takeaway and tv kind of evening here, not the healthiest choice but sometimes good for the soul!

A takeaway is sometime the best option!.

Lying in bed with some tea, I have the window open listening to the patter of rain and wind blowing through trees in the forest outside. Such a comforting sound.
I love a cool bedroom. Cosy jammies and warm bedding. Cood nose and warm feet!
I grew up in a house with no heating, just one fire downstairs. Bedrooms were like ice boxes, I remember drawing pictures on the ice with my fingernail on the inside of the bedroom windows. Our beds were piled high with feather quilts and woollen blankets- I can't remember being cold in bed but even now I like a cool bedroom and a warm bed!

Cozy dreams sisters.

Good morning all. Just checking in as I relax with a big bowl of porridge after a session of yoga. I'm finding I'm naturally becoming more and more of a morning person and I'm revelling in all of the extra time it gives me. I have a lot to do today in terms of chores, life admin, etc...but I have plenty of time to do it, and all that stuff will fit easily between my reading, walks, drawing - rather than the other way around.

Enjoying reading all of your posts. This is a place of comfort, strength and inspiration.

I meant to post last night but had a shower yesterday evening, laid down on my bed and was out like a light! Can be explained by the birthday party I hosted for 12 children aged 4-7 earlier in the day! It was great fun actually, and they all had a brilliant time. I wish I had their energy though.

I really wish the weather would improve, it's not helping my mood or energy levels. I like being outside, I like taking the kids outside to burn off energy. I'll feel so much better when the rain finally stops.

Good morning. InTheTempest sounds like a fun party- I am glad everyone had a good time- these things are exhasting though!

Ogress you have described my ideal day. I am an early riser too, I can achieve a lot in the first few hours, and it frees up the rest of the day for more potter time.
Today was an exeption though- I woke at 6am, my normal time with such feelings of gloom and sadness I was dreading a day of trying to deal with a low mood. However I fell asleep again for another couple of hours and my mood is transormed. I am feeling light and ready to meet challenges. Strange how those two extra hours has changed my outlook.
So I need to have a very quick spa shower clean cosy clothes ( still a crashing storm outside) and start my day.
LIght some candles and start some work.

Good morning!

I'm writing this in bed. I've been awake for sometime exploring an amazing wormhole.

I loved the quotations you posted YashmisCrone and decided to look up Jane Hardwicke Collings' blog. What a find! I don't know how to post links but it's well worth a look.

I will be back later but now must get up and get going. Lots to do today. My readings and musings so far this morning have stoked within me a fabulous surge of energy, deep and strong, so I feel that today will be rich and productive.

First stop: yoga

Good morning sisters,
I love these accounts of the start of everyone’s day. It strengthens that web of connection and the collective energy we were talking about.

The sun is out here for now- not set to last but for now I’m enjoying it streaming through the window as I sit at the computer getting some admin done. Sending out bright solar energy for those in need of it too.

So glad you feel better for that extra bit of sleep speakout, your body knew what it needed and you were wise to yield to it’s instruction I think.

Rosebuds
Im pleased that quote resonated and led to a relevant wormhole- I love it when that happens and it happens a lot round here here’s the link to the blog

janehardwickecollings.com/

Speaking of these synchronicities, my phone opened up this tab, I don’t remember listening to these before. It may well be something that was previously shared here.. anyway, I’m enjoying it as I work.

www.acommoncraft.com/healing.html

Wishing everyone a magical day 💫

Good morning sisters.
It's lovely to read your posts, so much positive energy! It's bright and sunny here today, so I'm going to make the most of it and head out for a walk shortly. I've just been for a morning swim, it's such a great way to start the day. I love being in the water and find it almost meditative, swimming up and down in my own little world.

Speakout I'm so glad you managed to get some more sleep and awoke feeling happy and refreshed. Sending you lots of love for a peaceful day. I'll be thinking of you working away and weaving your magic into the beautiful things you make.

Ogress I loved the quotes Yashmis posted too. Thank you for mentioning the blog, I'm going to have a look later. Thank you for sharing the links again Yashmis ❤️*

InTheTempest* I hope you enjoy a much deserved rest today! I always really enjoyed hosting children's parties. They're hard work, but the energy is wonderful and it's so uplifting to watch the children enjoy themselves.

Off now for a walk, then home to do some more laundry witching. DS1 is home for the weekend, so I'll take him to do a food shop, then this afternoon I'll cook a roast dinner before taking him back to uni.

Love and blessings to you all ❤️