Any Witches Here? Part 12.

[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.

sweetkitty

I am sorry to hear you still have pain- I am sending healing thoughts to you.
I don't think it's such a strange idea that we are "hibernating" animals- not from a physiological point of view, but from the view of watching the seasons and adjusting our habits accordingly.
Slowing down, taking time to read, and think , and talk.
Our ancestors would have used this time to tell their tales and sit around the fire, to share connection, to dig deep and talk of old.
In our busy lives we try to ignore the tug of the deep and try to carry on as normal- but it is still there, the desire for stillness, for introspection -to tend our roots.
I think the conflict can lie when we try to carry on as normal, indeed perhaps even busier with dashing around Christmas shopping, trying to get more done than usual. Our bodies and minds protest at this conflict and we become prone to physical and emotional malaise.
I don't dismiss those who suffer depressive aspects at this time, but when I started acknowledging the natural cycles connected to the winter months I was able to treat myself with more compassion and understanding. To know that much of this is a normal rhythm of human existence.
Some of us on this thread use the winter months to do shadow work, to nurture our roots at this time. It can be healing to dig into the darkness during the winter- and will shore up our foundations for the coming year. I know a few of us have started winter shadow work in the past few weeks.
Taking time to move with the slow, to keep warm in our nests, to allow the mind to move into a quieter frame may help.

Friday is upon us again dear sisters, I was very lucky to attend a yoga class this morning, I know lockdown is affecting many of us quite badly at the moment.
It has been frost overnight, trucks have been out spreading salt and grit on the roads, winter is beginning to clench her icy fist.
I am working today, but finding that easy place that is productive, but not so busy that I feel stressed.
Also thinking of christmas trees. Still a bit early, as it has to be a real tree, and I don't want it to dry up too soon.
A christmas tree is such a wonderfully pagan symbol, reminds us that we can prevail like the evergreen through the darkets of times.
Plus I love the smell. my hands always end up with sticky pine resin which is impossible to wash off!

A christmas tree is such a wonderfully pagan symbol, reminds us that we can prevail like the evergreen through the darkets of times.

I love that too speakout, and that glorious pine smell. I know it’s early yet but I’ve been thinking about trees and evergreen decorations too. Along with the lights and paper snowflakes these things always really cheer me through the season. I’m looking forward to them.

A slow week here compared with the pace I could have done with working at but I’m trying to be gentle with myself. It’s been a tough year for all of us in various ways and any kindness we can afford ourselves is extra valuable I think.

Managed to get to the water (beside it, not in it!) earlier in the week which was very soothing.

I hope everyone is able to take the weekend gently with at least a little time for something that soothes your soul

A beautiful picture Aerwyna - you have a skill for photography.
A peaceful evening here, and an earky night. I feels so good to keep warm when it is cold outside.
I may have a trip to Ikea soon, I love all the Scandic christmas stuff and food, think I will wait until midweek though, I suspect it will be very busy this weekend.
I love paper snowflakes too- I used to make them with the children when they were young- and would be some of the first decoratios to be put up in early December. I usually buy them nowadays though, although I fold them away carefully every year so they
can be re- used.
Sleep well everyone.

speakout could you tell me about how you're tending to your roots and shadow work? That sounds like an excellent direction for winter, especially in 2020.

I’m find life tricky at the moment. There’s the general context of chaos and unrest, then personal feelings of overwhelm that come with trying to juggle new motherhood / work / marriage / health / finances / domestic stuff etc. And then there is worry about loved ones health problems. It’s just a lot and I feel I have to constantly dust myself off and take a deep breath.

purplefig you have a lot to deal with right now, No wonder that you feel ace and overwhelmed at times- many of us do for lots of reasons I think.
When energy and time is limited it is so easy to give up space and priority that we need ourselves.
But when life gives us a buffeting I think taking care of ourselves become more important, not less, so we have strength and connection to find resources so we don't become drained and overwhelmed.
So for me self care is part of our roots work, physical acts, time resting, sleeping, time alone if we can find it. Tending to our spiritual needs too, to connect with deity, to use our craft to honour and connect with the inner source- however that manifests to you. To give compassion and generate self love with meditation, exercise, nutrition, supporting ourselves with spellcraft, crystal work, salt baths, herbs, oils, whatever is meaningful to you.
When we start to salve ourselves and play in the shadows we may want to spend some time there and start some healing work too. I would suggest a very gentle approach to any shadow work, we all have a lot of underground architecture and best approached in small gentle ways.
There are lots of types of shadow work, and how you approach that is an individual thing. For me it can involve meditation and pathwork, visualisation, using tarot and scrying, connecting with my past self, dreamwork. It can be very powerful and sometimes things we unearth can knock us a little off kilter as we assimilate new aspects of ourselves into our consciousness. But it can strengthen ourselves and lead to great growth.
I hope you find some relaxation this weekend.

Very interesting post Speakout and your words reflect some of the thoughts I've been having. This week has been horrendously busy, so I've been trying to be kind to myself and go back to the basics of self-care and just make sure I'm getting enough rest, nutritious food and some fresh air.

I agree shadow work can knock you off kilter. I inadvertently unearthed some memories from my childhood this week which took me right back to being 8 years old. We all carry wounds and hurt deep inside us, by bringing them to the surface, we can start to heal and move forward. It does need to be done gently though.

Purplefig sorry you're going though all this. Having a new baby is hard. It's a wonderful time, but also exhausting and often isolating. It's also a huge transition as you move from being only really having to think about yourself, to suddenly being completely responsible for your baby's every need. I remember feeling pretty overwhelmed.
Sending you lots of love.

Aerwyna thank you for sharing that photo, just beautiful. Being by the water always helps to soothe the soul. I'm glad you're taking things slowly and looking after yourself.

I came across some of this on Facebook. I know some of you follow Bridget Anna McNeil, but I thought I'd share it as we've been talking about self-care. Also I love the image ❤️

I have come to love the simple rituals that can be called self care.
To me they are rituals of gratitude.
Giving thanks, in small or big ways to this tremendous body that works so hard to keep me going in whatever way it can.

When I realise how self care is an act of gratitude, I understand that bit deeper, why myself and many people have struggled or still do struggle with it.

Most of us have not been taught to love the work that goes on behind the scenes, to appreciate the way the heart moves to stay alive, the way it speaks to the world.
Or how our livers work tirelessly to get us through toxic ways.
Or the way our breath, is a simple and powerful dance between us and nature.

Instead, we focus on the bumps or lumps we dislike, we try to shape how it looks rather than being healthy in body and mind.

But it’s more than that, we have not been taught to appreciate our individual beauty either, our soul essence.
So much out there profits from self dislike.
We are, in so many ways, fed the message that we aren’t quite good enough.

To feed ourselves well, to kindly smooth plant oils into our skin, to make sure we are warm enough, to care about the sleep we have, or the drinks we consume, much of it is born from how much gratitude we have for our skin, our bones our hearts.

Life may have been difficult at times, and perhaps we blame ourselves, or the message of not being beautiful enough has sunk too deep.
All of this leading to a lack of gratitude and increasing a sense of blame to our our own being.

Sometimes it doesn’t have to be a huge thing, sometimes these acts of self care can be a simple yet powerful moment of sincerely thanking one small part of us, our heart, skin, bones, spleen, nose, eyes, whatever you are drawn to thanking.
Or just placing a hand on your body and whispering deep into your marrow, thank you.

When I first did this, alone and awkward, tentatively touching my heart.
I whispered thank you, I cried a little, then I laughed a little, then I smiled.

That simple step, let my body know, I was up for meeting it, joining forces, choosing a new way.
Wanting to no longer punish, or ignore, but welcome and respect.
—————
• Words Brigit Anna McNeill •
• Illustration Lee Sueng-Hee •

VioletCharlotte

Such powerful words. Thanks for posting this.

I was brought up in a time when ( women) were taught to think that self care- self gratitude was selfish, self indulgent, childish, haughty, prideful, that to put oneself last and scrub our fingers to the bone showed you were worthy because you put yourself last.
The few women I knew who took time to drink tea instead of dusting were scorned- I see now they were the brave ones.

Thank you so much for sharing that Violet I do follow her but hadn’t seen that. Just what I needed 🙏

Thank you also for the reminder that the idea of putting ourselves last is a misogynist thing speakout. It really helps to remember that- I like the idea of self care as an act of defiance! I’m smiling fondly at the thought of the women I knew when I was younger who chose to drink tea instead of dust. I always looked up to those women.

No dusting going on here, I’m enjoying the bright crisp cold day with the doors open and savouring my tea. I hope everyone can find moments of joy and brightness in the day despite anything else that may be happening. I’m taking joy from birdsong, clear skies, warm socks and hot tea. Everything else can wait..

the idea of putting ourselves last is a misogynist thing

Absolutely- and sad to see when women themselves have internalised the misogyny, and use it to beat up other women.
One thing I love about my friends on this thread is that we are in the process of building each other up, not tearing each other down.

Lovely, positive words to Aerwyna and Speakout.I love that we all support each other too and there's no ego in our cosy witches cottage. That's a rare thing, women are pitted against one another from a young age and encourage to pull one another down. When we support one another, it's amazing what we can achieve!

Hear, hear! speakout and Violet.

Another thing that makes our group so special- supportive and subversive all at once

Thank you, @VioletCharlotte!

I'm feeling cooped up now, even though I had some time out of doors yesterday...but in need of ritual or purpose...it can be difficult at times to stick with rituals, even when I know I need them.

Delphinium20

I hear what you are saying about rituals- these things can easily feel like work, or another chore to attend to.
It helps me to keep rituals very simple.
When I take a cup of tea or coffee I simply whisper a few words " support and calm " as I take a sip. I light a scented candle as I do housework, I open a window and invite the wind to clear and cleanse my home. Rituals can be complicated and time consuming, but they can also be very simple and take just a moment.

I just wrote a huge long reply and then mumsnet ate it!! This will have to be brief.

@speakout thank you SO much for your wisdom. So many great ideas and I got so much out of your reply. I really appreciate you taking the time do it. Thank you. I am going to avoid deliberate shadow work atm, I don’t think I’m robust enough right now! Less taxing Self care all the way for at least the rest of 2020!

@VioletCharlotte beautiful words! And yes, I am relishing motherhood, but it’s a constant effort to remind myself that my needs matter too. I’m getting there. Even simple things like drinking enough water are monumental.

Some practical things I have implemented following on from this chat: guilt free early bedtime of 9pm, online food shop of quickly and healthy meals, yoga nidra instead of cleaning 😂 (just done this gorgeous winter themed one - absolute bliss www.yoganidranetwork.org/mp3/winter-solstice), early Christmas decorating for maximum cheer, prioritising my early morning solo dog walk. Here’s a pic from tbe sky on this mornings one....it just sets me up in the best possible way.

Have a peaceful week everyone x

purplefig- always very frustrating to lose a post isn't it!
If I plan a long post I sometimes write it in word first- plus it helps correct my many typos!
Sounds like you are taking a very sensible approach to motherhood- I remind myself that every act of self care is a caring act for my family.
If I am well rested and soul nurtured my interactions with others becomes softer, lighter, more good humoured.
Your sky photo is breathtaking. live just a few miles from the sea- but Covid means I am banned from travelling there right now. I do have a beautiful river near me though, just 300m from my house, set in a thickly wooded gorge, it abounds with wildlife, deer, kingfishers, otters.
It is nourishing for me to take the time and think about all the wonderful things around- even in the city we still have the night sky, the moon- and many cities have a surprising amount of green space too.
I am in danger of becoming overwhelmed with work at the moment, christmas is always such a busy time for me- I really struggled to carry my post to the post office today- three full huge Royal Mail sacks, I ended up having to drag them from the car.
Off to start some veg for dinne, I am glad I cooked a casserole on Saturday, may make some dumplings too.
THe sun this afternoon is a very warm light, starting to feel like sunset, although only 2.30pm,
The branches of my three sycamore sister are lit up in a blaze of gold- just outside my property, I like to think of them as my tree guardians.

Delphinium with rituals I think you have to be realistic and not try to do too many. I have a tendency to do this; when I'm feeling at my best, high energy and in a good place mentally, emotionally and spiritually, I'll start all sorts of new things. But then as we move through the cycle of the month, things get busy at work, etc, some of the rituals can seem like a chore. Ive only recently became aware of this so have made a conscious decision to not pressure on myself, as rituals should enhance our lives, not just be another thing on the to do list! As Speakout says, it's often the little things that we can weave effortlessly into our day that make the real difference.

Purplefig I think you're doing amazingly well and so glad you're managing to carve out a little time for yourself. Your yoga nidra sounds divine.

I'm feeling more energetic and positive this week. I'm so relieved gyms are opening up and yoga classes can take place indoors again from Wednesday (although we're not allowed to interject!)

@VioletCharlotte @speakout

These are good reminders. I did NOTHING for the full moon this month and feel guilty about it...but that's not the point, right? I like the idea of some quick words over a hot drink.

Hi wonderful ladies I too wrote a long post and lost it. Had spent the weekend putting up my trees and hoping the cats don’t bring them down again and lighting up the house. Love the idea of bringing light inside and outside too. Kept thinking to myself not only for Christmas but for Yule.

The moon is so beautiful tonight I’ve done nothing this month either except light my candle and stand at the back door with a cuppa and stare and think. Still in awful pain but now visiting a chiropractor which should help a bit.

Moon blessings to you all

Hello everyone, I need to comment on here more often, not just read. I got bumped off the 'I'm on' list.

It's lovely to be part of this community, always there, always supportive, a place where the equilibrium prevails.

There's not been much joy in the wider world, but I did spot this unusual thing happening.

Timeline for Utah
23 Nov 2020 - Helicopter pilot finds 'strange' monolith in remote part of Utah www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/23/helicopter-pilot-finds-strange-monolith-in-remote-part-of-utah

24 Nov - The video www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2020/nov/24/this-is-wild-state-employees-find-mysterious-monolith-in-utah-desert-video

24 Nov 2020 - Theories abound over mystery metal monolith found in Utah www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/24/monolith-utah-theories-what-is-it-mystery

27 Nov - Visitors track down mystery desert monolith in Utah www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/27/monolith-red-rocks-utah-desert

29 Nov - Mystery Metal Monolith Vanishes www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/29/monolith-vanishes-from-utah-desert

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah_monolith

And it's not a single occurrence, there was one in Romania too.
jurnalfm.ro/2020/11/30/monolith-disappeared/

There's no doubt these are man-made, but it's still nice to think that some people are happy to create a sense of mystery in the world.

Purplefig that picture is stunning when I first saw it i could hear the sea, so it was interest to see that it was not the sea that captured Speakout's attention but the sky

Sorry that you and Sweetkitty has lost long posts recently. Seems to be happening to a lot of people around the site. It's frustrating but I do like Speakout's solution but never remember to do it.

I have been following this too Blanktimes. Apparently it was an art installation with possible copy cat, and the one in the desert was removed because people was trashing the site and being disrespectful to nature. people can be the worst.
conclusion to the monolith

Greetings to anyone I have missed. May your days be gentle.

I finally figured out what has been trying to get my attention and get me to understand. And as such finally found peace in my mind. Still a lot to work through but understanding has helped. I have ordered some oracle cards and almanacs. Looking forwards to them arriving this coming week. I have been reflecting on the year as I always do this time of year. Health issues, house issues, care responsibilities, and the fact that I finally accepted the witchy side and was feeling ready to consider more active practice was taken as a sign by the universe to bombard me with all the things has meant that this has been the cause of the chaotic mind. I have researched enough to see the bigger picture and how the path i will take will go, and the bombardment seems to have calm slightly. I am not the same person as I started 2020 but equally I did not die despite the best efforts of various medical stuffs on multiple occasions. In no way do i feel 2021 will be easy, but I do feel more ready to face it. And i feel like my magical path will be an interesting journey.

(apparently I am still a little to chaotic to make sense. I need to keep working. sorry about that)

sweetKitty the moon was stunning last night I could see it from my bed through a window frosted up around the edges. Totally magical.

HillsBesideTheSea - how obsevant you are! I just noticed that it was the sky in Purplefigs photo that did capture my attention first!
Maybe because live close the sea, and see it several time a week- has dopped off my radar a bit- but a wise message contained there.
BlankTimes amazing story about the monolith- I believed the one in Utah disappeared again! Seems a lot of work to make such an installation, so significant to someone.
HillsBesideTheSea good to hear you are working towards a place of calm, the journey towards that point of calm and focus is a good thing- even if we never seem to reach that point.
Delphinium20 I have to remind myself not to feel guilty about using a full moon, or marking a Sabbat in a big way. A little voice would tell me I am not a "proper " witch if Iet things go. I am much better about treating myself with compassion.
Sometimes I feel like marking festival and events with big plans, sometimes I do very little. Just looking out of my window at a full moon and taking a moment to note the happening is enough for me.
Strange tilmes right now, I know many of us are struggling, and moving into unfamiliar territory as Christmas will take a new shape this year. Feels like walking on shifting sands.
Almost dark here, sunset come so quickly now, time to light candles and find the fire!

I did some gentle yoga and meditation tonight I feel delighted. As you know (as I complain regularly) I have a trapped nerve in my neck, basically years of bad posture means the bones are fused and the nerves are haywire. I finally feel able to do a little gentle yoga. Feels like a huge step. Next is my horrible tilting pelvis. I also have inflamed ribs. And some sort of eczema on my hands and fungal infection on my feet. I feel truly broken lol.

For me 2021 will be a year of healing and getting stronger and as I’ve finally found my witchy ways exploring those paths. Work is not going to be good for a variety of reasons but I’ll deal with that as it comes.

Hills thank-you, that's a great bit of research about the metal monolith and I too was saddened that peoples' only motivation seemed to be to get to it without any thought for the delicate area it's in.

Speakout walking on shifting sands is absolutely spot on, the only constant is change and massive changes are upon us, wave after wave, all we can do is tread steadily and carefully until it's calmer.