Any Witches Here? Part 15

[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.

Good evening everyone, I haven’t posted much as I have been reading and thinking and learning (I hope!) about this new way of thinking about the world! When I first posted I was desperate to understand the new feelings I was having....I have now realised that understanding the energies of the natural world is a lifelong project rather than a quick evening job, and I have (unusually for me!) relaxed into a kind of contended understanding of my own ignorance.

I do have a question though. I was waiting for a smear test at the GP and trying to take my mind off it with the psy ball energy practise @BlankTimes linked me to earlier. And it was the first time I have felt anything in my hands - a warmish push I think. I was wondering if the energies are different in places like a doctors where there is so much LIFE happening - there was a pregnant woman, a baby going for jabs and a very old woman all sitting close to me. Or is it just a fluke? This was on Friday and I haven’t managed the same sensation again. I’d be so interested to hear if anyone else feels like that.

My sympathies for the medical problems up thread - women’s health is a ridiculously low priority for our society.

Good evening everyone, wonderful to hear about everyone's days.

Verbena I think that's a Dryad's Saddle.

Speakout Two remarkable encounters with two remarkable women
in one day, wow!

Queen how fabulous to attend a concert and congrats on finding MUTU, I've heard it's also excellent for diastasis rectii.

Violet well done on the freebies, somehow a small token unexpected, like those, can really give you a lift. so sorry you too have a friend who is severely affected with mesh.

PersisFord I couldn't say about the energies in the GP waiting-room, but as you progress with energy-work you'll find the biggest obstacle is your own logical mind. Once you can get it out of the way, or at least distract it enough, then your perception of the flow of energy is so much easier.

Please do carry on experimenting with creating a chi ball, because once you can do it proficiently, there's a whole lot of fun and creativity to be found in what you can do with one !

Good morning, all - another Monday!!
I have woken out of sorts - probably due to a poor night's sleep, but I am mindful there is an eclipse later this week. Eclipses don't normally affect me, but there is a first time for everything! I will be busy renewing the energy in my home today and could do with a good wind, but will make do with bells, incense and plenty of fresh air.
I hope everyone's day is calm and productive x

Weird energy today. Everyone I’ve spoken to has expressed a similar feeling - like a need to just go home. Even the children had their eyes on the clock. Very odd.

@Woolyminded “ I'm more keen on living an active life than being able to accommodate a penis!” I love this 😂 sorry I don’t have anything practical to add, but it sounds like you’ve had some solid advice here. I hope things pick up soon.

@queenrollo your night of music sounds fabulous - did you enjoy the energy of a crowd after so long?

@speakout your goodwill parking tale made me smile, I bet it put a spring in her step too. Sorry to hear of the credit card issue, what a stress. That woman sounds like she was balancing a lot!

@Trenzalor yes we’ve had similar here really. Odd. I wonder what it is.

I can’t remember who recommended Lunar Living but thank you! It arrived at the library today and I’m going to settle down in a bit with a cup of tea and have a read.

Does anyone here experiment with fasting?

Moregarlic I've had a lot of success with 5:2 and generally lower carbs.
I'm also interested in having a small window of eating time in every 24 hours too, but haven't put that into practise as yet.

These are the first Winter Solstice products advertised as such that I've seen in a high-street retailer.
www.dunelm.com/category/christmas/shop-all-christmas?f_attributes.productDescriptiveAttributes.Trend=Winter+Solstice

www.dunelm.com/product/3m-woodland-animal-winter-solstice-wrapping-paper-1000191898?defaultSkuId=30738326

Although the cards don't actually say solstice ...
www.dunelm.com/product/pack-of-10-winter-solstice-cards-1000191888?defaultSkuId=30738316
but it's nice to see they've made the effort

Good morning everyone 🙂
I too felt something a little off about yesterday. Let’s hope today’s energies are better !
There are some nice things there at Dunelm @BlankTimes indeed good to see they are getting with it 😬 I’m on the lookout for a new teapot, had forgotten about Dunelm.

Wishing you all a good day.

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265026353165

I've also been searching for cards. I found these gorgeous ones on ebay, they come with a cloth bag which would be handy for tarot!

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265073434372

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/194286191450

These are lovely but maybe a bit too pagan for my family and some friends, they might out me and Christmas maybe isnt the right time to come out of the broom closet 😒 🙄!!!

Good morning.
Yes there are a lot of great christmas cards around now- I haven't gone looking this year , but I found lots last year with quite pagan images and the words " seasons greetings" or similar inside.
I use Vistaprint - they have a sale on at the moment- 50% off christmas cards, so 10 cards for £5.99.
It is really easy to make your own cards- take any image you like from the internet ( no problems with copyright as long as you are not a commercial enterprpise).
If you download the image into your phone or a site like picfont you can write any text over the image - great for creating memes too.
Re upload to vistaprint and you have custom cards.
I have made cards this way in recent years.

Can't quite get my head around chhristmas yet, we have a family birthday this weekend, usually after that it's full steam ahead.
Off to yoga this morning after my cuppa.

@BlankTimes oh that’s interesting, how do you find your fasting days? I’ve been experimenting with extended fasting the past few months (mainly 21 hrs, but I did try 36 hrs!) and more than anything I’m enjoying the mental clarity and focus. It makes me feel more in the flow of things, even peaceful. Strange, not what I was expecting which is why I asked here. I suppose fasting has a long history with spirituality and religion so I don’t know why I'm so surprised. On an altogether separate note, I love that wrapping paper.

@speakout I love how integrated your yoga practice is - do you practice daily? It used to be a big part of my life but I’ve struggled with back problems and a hyper mobility diagnosis this year, so I’ve had to back off. I’m back lifting weights now though, so I’m half tempted to join in with yoga with Adrienne in January. I get put off by the long videos!

Ah, Christmas. After a day out on the high street and stocking up on goodies for loved ones I'm feeling quite festive. DH had a much needed day together just the two of us, I felt like a teenager.

I had a lovely encounter in a crystal shop, I popped in and said to the woman “I'm supposed to be shopping for others!” And she said “we have to look after ourselves first!” isn’t that the truth?

Wishing you all a peaceful evening.

moregarlic I love your encounter in the crystal shop.

Yes I practice yoga pretty much every day- I am hypermobile too, I understand the temptation to push poses, simply because you can, but building up muscle is a very protective thing when we have soft ligaments. I think weights or body pump is a wonderful complement to yoga.
Regular standard practice in yoga will help stregthen and keep joints in place- so lots of flow, sun salutations, standing strength, boat, core, just to keep everything strong.
Even a 10 minute practice is beneficial, Adriend has loads of quickies- you can filter by video length.

Wrt to fasting I am going to offer one word of caution. You need to be really mindful on how you do it because it can become addictive. I am no longer allow to fast in any form. I got too good at it. And it started off as a simple I'd rather sleep in than grab breakfast, eat 2 meals per day thing. It can lure you into patterns that are not helpful even if they appeal. But done mindfully it can be an amazing tool.

MoreGarlic lovely experience.

I'm feeling quite festive already this year, which is unusual for me. I've bought a few presents and I'm busy making a list of ideas. The 'Gifts for men' thread on here is really helpful if anyone's stuck with knowing what to but the men in their lives!

I ordered some Christmas cards from a website called Penny Black, they arrived today and I'm really pleased with them. I love exchanging cards, so if anyone would like to, please do pm me your address

Speakout and Moregarlic I want to increase my yoga practice, I normally do one flow class and one yin every week, but I want to get into the habit of practicing at home more in the mornings before work. I agree Body Pump and yoga complement each other nicely. I find this time of year really have to push myself to up the exercise. It always feels like a bit of an effort, but it makes such a difference to how I feel mentally. I'm starting a walking challenge with some friends this week, the idea is to walk to the North Pole by Christmas Day! (We're going for the shortest distance which is 100km - about 14km a week). Let's see how that goes! I might give yoga with Adrienne a go again this year. I really like her, but sometimes she can be a bit too chatty and I feel some of the classes are a bit long for home practice.

@Woolyminded

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265026353165

I've also been searching for cards. I found these gorgeous ones on ebay, they come with a cloth bag which would be handy for tarot!

I get either Hannah's calendar or diary each year and last year had both - her work is a joy and I use the bag the diary came in for tarot cards great minds!

Love the Dunelm solstice things but have been way too spendy lately so will keep away from my local one. So nice to see solstice mentioned there though.

Had some goddess energy this evening meeting with an old friend from work - due to pandemic, the first time we've properly had a chance to see each other outside of work since I left, and I am feeling full and happy and restored by our conversation and some amazing Vietnamese food.

And now trying to track down a copy of Lia Leendertz's almanac for next year - it's on Amazon but I think I might order it into my local bookshop and savour the process of picking it up. Do any of you also have it? I'm not so good at reading it daily but love it as a reference!

Oh, Violet, I'd love to exchange cards! Stationery and real post are some of my biggest little joys :) I shall PM you x

Hilarious i had it for this year and kinda fell off the wagon at looking at it when life got out of control. Do you know what theme it follows for next year?

Good morning
I’d love to exchange cards too @VioketCharlotte I love cards, handwritten letters and the like 🙂 I shall pm you.
Off to meet up with a friend this afternoon. We met at the school gate 22 years ago and instantly connected. We now live a little further apart but tend to meet up every few months. We’ve vowed to make it more often since Covid, so although we met up at a mind body spirit fayre a few weeks ago we are getting together for a bit of Christmas shopping today.
Have a lovely day everyone.

I would love to exchange cards too VioletCharlotte- a lovely idea. I feel a little sad at the loss of this old tradition. I have fond childhood memories of being excited as another card from a distant reative would flutter through the door.. Foreign stamps and post marks would be scrutinised, after christmas we would cut up the cards and turn the picyures into gift labels for the following year.

I will pm you- if anyone else would like a real card pm me too- I would lvoe to send you one!

Adding my voice to the please pm if you'd like to exchange real cards :) I've got an appt just now and then will get on my messages! Real post is so happymaking

Long time lurker here. I would love to receive and send some cards, we don’t get many anymore as my family numbers have got smaller over time. I often visit a cosy kitchen in my thoughts in the early hours and imagine you all by the hearthside drinking tea and it brings me a lot of comfort so thank you for these threads.

Thank you so much to everyone who has got in touch about Christmas cards, I was so excited to see your messages! Like Speakout I feel sad at the decline of this old tradition. For me, these simple things are all part of what makes Christmas magical. Today's been a bit busy, but I'll reply to everyone tomorrow

Elasticatedwaist I hope you had a lovely afternoon with your friend. Some of my closest friends are women I met through my children's school.

Is anyone able to offer some suggestions for things to boost immunity? DS2 (20) is suffering with recurrent tonsillitis. He's had it four times in two months and understandably is feeling really low. He's on antibiotics (again) and has just been referred to ENT, but I'm trying to persuade him that there's things he can do to try and help himself in the meantime. I've suggested increasing his fruit and veg intake, more sleep, vitamins, no alcohol, etc, but would be really grateful for any ideas for tried and tested remedies. Thank you x

Vit d, mag and zinc. But being mindful it is possible to over dose on at least 2 of them. Also elderberry syrup.

Honey is antiseptic so honey lemon in theory should help if you can get an organic honey/local honey.

I also like the apple cider with mother, water thing that was floating about a while back. I use a tsp in a pint as a little goes a long way. And ime it helps reduce sugar craving too.

Be cautious on the increase the fruit side of things as it comes with a lot of sugar and sugar (even in the natural form) can in some cases throw out the gut bacteria and depress the immune system.