Any Witches Here? Part 16

[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.

OfTheNight Welcome! Very glad you have posted. No need for any apologies at all. We are a mixed bunch here, some Wiccan, some witches, some other pagan path or simply curious- all are absolutely welcome to post.
No need to justify yourself or think you don't meet some mark, all are welcome.
Would be good to hear a little more about your life and path.

Afternoon sisters! Loving the discussion on magical mornings, mornings are my nemesis so I will take some inspiration and see what I can create. The idea of having a morning ritual beyond caffeine, meds and my journal actually really appeals!

Lovely to see you @Elphame and please don't apologise @OfTheNight , I'm not properly Wiccan either :) we walk all kinds of paths between us here and you are very welcome whether lurking or posting 💙

Thank you all for lovely hair comments 😍 It's fading out nicely so am trying to decide whether to drench it in turquoise or try and do something with pink and purple.

This afternoon is getting my magical prints and cards and little talismans ready for a fair tomorrow - have borrowed a gazebo because the weather is so very changeable at the moment, but hoping for a calm bright day and lots of visitors.

Have a wonderful jubilee weekend lovelies x

I'm not the least bit Wiccan @OfTheNight ! Welcome

Today was spent in glorious sunshine, picnicking in Glastonbury and we'll be spending the jubilee weekend helping my parents pack up their house as they are moving to be closer to me at the end of June.

That sounds glorious @Elphame !

I had intended to go to the medieval festival but my car has just packed up - well, she's making grumbly dragging rattly noises whenever I touch the accelerator so am leaving her well alone and have booked her in on Tuesday for hopefully fixing! Not ideal timing but mum's getting me over to the fair tomorrow and I'll play the rest of the weekend by ear :)

Happy June everyone! This is my absolute favourite month of the year and it’s the month of our wedding anniversary.

I had the best nap of my life today. I’m feeling really exhausted lately with the pregnancy and DD has recently started walking so I’ve been chasing around after her and I called DH crying about how tired I was. He came back home for his lunch break and took DD to the park and I had 45 minutes of a nap completely undisturbed!. I feel like a new woman☺️. He also came home with a takeaway and has done all the housework. He’s definitely in my good books.

@Elphame the temple was gorgeous! It was such a lovely day out. I’m glad to hear you had a lovely day today, I’m loving how much everyone on this thread loves Glastonbury, I know it’s quite popular on mumsnet for it to have ‘weird vibes’.

@VioletCharlotte Happy belated Birthday to your DS! Although DD only turned one in April it still baffles me how quick it seems to be going. I do wish I could stop time just for a little bit, she’s really wonderful at this age now that she’s getting a proper personality. I have a book that helps to interpret my dreams and I find it fascinating.

@speakout I’d definitely recommend a visit if you get a chance, it was magical. Your morning routine is wonderful, I’ve been trying to have slower paced/more conscious morning routines as I struggle with motivation in the mornings, I might pinch some of your ideas.

@CraftyCorvid I’m so glad to hear you feel positive after clearing out the house and the blessing is lovely touch, what a wonderful gift for the new owners as well to move into a blessed home

@OfTheNight hi! I don’t know what I’d call myself I’m a bit of a mixture of everything and although I’m only new here this is a wonderful accepting group! Please join in if you want to🥰

@hilariousnamehere good luck for the fair tomorrow!

I’m going to get an early night I think, DH has made me some sleepy tea and I’m going to cuddle up in bed with my new book. Goodnight ladies!

Thank you for all the lovely welcoming posts. I’m useless at explaining myself so I usually don’t say too much. Sorry this is a waffle.

I’m not much of anything at all really. I have always been interested in witchcraft and pagan beliefs. I love history, so I have looked at witchcraft from that perspective. I live pretty close to Pendle Hill, so the Pendle witches are a subject close to my heart.

I’m a bit of a misfit but I do feel a connection to nature. My friend gave me some tarot cards and helped me learn to read them and they have been sort of a trigger to start following the pagan/witchcraft path a bit more. Not that I know what I’m doing! I’m clueless. But it’s very nice learning and it brings me a lot of peace.

Sorry for rambling on! I hope you all have an amazing bank holiday weekend and thank you for being so welcoming.

hilariousnamehere I hope you have fun at the fair, I am sure you will meet lots of like minded people- and hope you sell lots too!
Elphame your picnic sounds lovely, I have never visitied Glastonbury, it is so far from where I live, maybe one day!
PaintingClocks glad you managed a rest, seems there are a lot of pregnancies on this thread at the moment. It is sweet to hear that you wish time would stand still, but in my experience children get better with age, and every new phase is the best. It is wonderful to get to know them as they grow, the school and teenage years are amazing, and knowing our children as adults is a whole shift again!
I love sleepy tea too- I have a few on the go, and really enjoying Morrisons Sweet Dreams herbal tea at the moment, it costs less then Pukka and is delicious.
OfTheNight how amazing to hear of Pendle hill, a placed steeped in such history. Your words here are welcome, and your voice is worth listening to. This thread is about many things, to explore ideas, find our right to space, but also to support our sisters' rights to their own path and support each other in claiming their own power. We need no excuses to be our authentic selves, women have been silenced for too long, when we speak we need no apologies.
Howl at the moon, scream into the wind if you need to.
You will find support here to claim your right to be who you are.
Be proud of all of it- your views and interests, your open heart,even the scars, the frayed edges- all of you is good enough.
I watched an interesting- if harrowing documentary on BBC yesterday, about the start of the witch hunts in the UK if anyone is interested. www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0bvhk3w/lucy-worsley-investigates-series-1-1-the-witch-hunts

Off to start my morning. Rose and Ylang Ylang shower this morning, and a rose candle to light my way. I have a pile of laundry to put away- all my things, but I have mastered mindfulness as I fold and put away. I give gratitude to my clothes for their usefulness, and will listen to affirmations as I make piles and put things on hangers.
My neck is a little stiff today I was mastering headstands in yoga yesterday, one to one with the teacher, but my neck seems to be complaining a little. My exercise today will be some very gentle neck and shoulder stretches only! a lesson in not pushing things too far- which I have a tendency to do!
I hope everyone is enjoying the new moon energy.

Morning all!

Well my feet have just about touched the ground again after a wonderful return to festival life. It was so incredibly good to see friends, some of whom I haven't seen in nearly 3 years. There were lots of hugs, and lots of very emotional tears too.
My son had the most wonderful time. He and his festival friend reconnected like they had never been apart.
I met a famous musican, one I have adored for more than 20 years and I honestly cannot believe it happened! (I say famous, he really is but not terribly mainstream) I definitely manifested this though....

@OfTheNight I am a misfit too. I have a mixture of practices and rituals all gleaned from different paths. Actual Wicca never appealed to me on a personal level as it feels like it has too many rules and I am very much an intutive witch.
Mostly though I would say I am just very connected to nature and love the mystery of fairy tales and mythology.

Well, I have just about got on top of the laundry from our holiday. My house has got out of control again and it is stressing me a little so today I am going to concentrate on hot-spots and try and knock some order into things.

@speakoutthank you so much. I also watched the Lucy Worsley documentary; it was very interesting but heartbreaking to know what those accused were put through.
I hope your neck recovered today, amazing work on the headstands. I’m a total yoga novice but I love it. I’m too fat to do anything cool though. You morning routine sounds so heavenly.

@Elphame your picnic sounds like bliss! I would love to visit Glastonbury.

@PaintingClocks happy anniversary I hope you have a fabulous June.

Thank you to everyone for making me feel welcome and the continuing inspiration. Finally have some sunshine here so we are off to a local country park to enjoy the good weather while it lasts. Feeling super grateful to have plucked up the courage to post here. Have a wonderful day everyone.

Another non Wiccan here ofthenight I remember a while ago we had a discussion about the various types of witchcraft and someone described themselves as an eclectic witch. That's always stuck with me, I like to dabble, my love of being in nature goes beyond enjoyment, sometimes I physically crave being outside and I feel most at peace when I'm in the woods or forest. I love cooking and stirring intentions into my recipes, I'm closely attuned to the cycles of the moon and have I'm interested in astrology. I read tarot and work with spirit guides. I'm always going down rabbit holes and believe that if your mind is open, there always an opportunity to learn.

I hope everyone's enjoying the bank holiday, it's wonderful to have a few extra days off work. I considered going to Glastonbury today but decided against it as I expect the roads are rammed. Instead I've been making the most of the sunshine, went for a long walk earlier with a friend and I'm going to a yoga class this evening.

Speakout I hope your necks ok - go careful with those headstands! I really hurt my neck a couple of years ago so don't attempt them anymore.

Queenrollo it sounds like you had an amazing time, I can hear the joy in your words. How exciting to meet your favourite musician!

Hello all
May I pop in for a brew? Will make whatever anyone wants.

I have a query...I hope this question doesn't offend anyone

Does anyone get a sense of there being a lot of (damaging) male energy around at the moment? I mean, just generally, in the real world. It might be my area. I would be interested to see some local demographic figures but they are never up to date.

Thanks.

queenrollo I am glad you enjoyed your festival, it sounds lovely to have all those happy memories stirred up.
I think most of us are "misfits" here too!
One of the great things about a pagan path is that there is no power hungry bearded guy in the clouds telling us what to do with our genitals.
EmmaH2022 welcome, have some tea and pull up a chair.
I think there has been a lot of damaging male energy around at the moment- if you count the past 2000 years or so. And things are still in a state of great imbalance.
I like to work with female energy and deity for that reason. Things need to find a balance.
It isn't men per se that sre the problem it is the male structure that is crooked.
Settling down for a quiet eveing and some sleepy tea. My neck is feeling better- thanks

speakout I know what you mean re past 2000 years.

it's just at the moment I am really feeling it, and possibly attracting it. I wonder what I can do to deflect it. I have been decluttering and have mislaid a print of Hecate...perhaps things will improve when I find it.

sorry to be dull but I'd also say be careful with the headstands.

EmmaH2022
I agree with Speakout that damaging male energy has been around for 1000s of years. It's the patriarchy and it suits our capitalist society to maintain the status quo. It may just be that your becoming more aware of it and your noticing it more at the moment.

No, I'm being approached a lot and have them starting unwanted conversations.

I find it very annoying and uncomfortable. It's possibly linked to a change of demographic in the local area. It's really bothering me actually. I used to have an excellent "keep away" aura. Someone has stolen my aura!! 😂

sometimes things just seem to be in the air though, hence I wondered if anyone else had noticed in anything.

Nearly the weekend, I managed a gentle yoga class this morning- a different teacher, so my neck is improving. Also useful chat about ego and humility!
Such a dark morning, dark clouds covering the whoe sky, and only 9 degrees. It feels like March! I love lighting candles on dull days- a little fire energy always gives me a boost!

Glad your neck is feeling better Speakout. I did a yoga class last night with a different teacher. It was challenging but fun, and the shavasana was divine. I felt like I was sinking into the ground, it was hard to pull myself back at the end.

I've taken advantage of a work free day to go to the gym this morning, followed by a leisurely swim and sauna. It's warm here today, although the sun seems to have disappeared. I bought some lavender plants yesterday so planning to spend this afternoon in the garden, I need to weed the flower bed at the front so I can plant them. I'm hoping they'll attract the bees and butterflies.

That sounds very powerful VioletCharlotte, yoga practice can run very deep. I often become emotional as the movement releases blocked emotions. I will go carefuly from now on!
Still chilly and overcast here, maybe some gardening soon.
I love to watch plants that simply appear in my garden, seeds probably carried by birds or wind- things I have never planted.
I notice this year wild bramble bushes, elder, a yew, loads of yellow poppies, st johns wort, dog roses.
It is always a joy to see unexpected guests in bare spots.

Afternoon lovelies💕 I got up really early this morning and have cleaned our home, it feels so much nicer now. I’m reading my Witchy Mama book, it’s really helping me through this pregnancy, I read it a lot with DD when I was pregnant but it’s crazy how much you forget. I’m also reading Children of the Green which is about raising children in nature which is also wonderful.

@OfTheNight how wonderful to live close to Pendle Hill! It’s lovely to hear about your journey. I started my own based on my love for nature and then I got into the Divine Feminine and I now worship many forms of the Goddess and it spiralled from there.

@speakout I’m reading about the Witch Trials and it’s harrowing isn’t it. I do feel as though there’s a sort of trauma, at least for me, that a lot of women still hold due to what happened to our ancestors. I think it’s me and @TurquoiseDreamCatcher who are pregnant, which is very exiting :). I am looking forward to seeing them develop into the people they will be, I love the relationship that I have with my mother as an adult so that’s exciting to have one day, but I do want to soak up every moment when they’re so little. I’ll have a look at the Morrisons tea!. Your morning routine is so perfect.

@queenrollo I love festivals, we went to one a few weeks back!. It sounds like it was a lovely time for you all. I’m glad you got to meet the musician.

@EmmaH2022 I think as a planet a lot of our society is based on damaging male energy, I hope that changes soon.

@VioletCharlotte that sounds like an incredible yoga experience, I do mine in my own home but guided by videos and it’s great when you connect with a teacher

That Witchy Mama book looks amazing, I was browisng on Amazon, also saw another- Pregnant Goddess, it is lovely to have pregnant friends amongst us- we can share in your excitement! The internet was not widely available whan I was first pregnant, in 1997, so much more information avalable now.
My neck and back are still stiff, hopefully it will ease over the day. I have a body balance class this morning, but it's only a 30 minute class, just a stretch.
I do have windows to wash, I did the outside yesterday, but need to do the inside too. I will listen to my neck though, and if my body is telling me to rest I will have an afternoon of Tarot and internet browsing.
I am looking to order some ink stamps, there are some lovely designs around, but lots of places will make a bespoke stamp to your design, just playing around with ideas. It is half hobby/half work, a sweet spot I enjoy. I am looking to make a little free gift to pop in with orders. I notice my contact lenses always come with a free little bag of Haribos, which is a lovely touch. I am thinking of a non edible, more esoteric gift. I love having a job that straddles work, sprituality and fun.
Off for a herbal salt bath this morning in the hope it will ease my neck.
Have a wonderful weekend friends.

A lot of the posts on here really resonate with me. I've had a long relationship where I was mocked for having an interest in these things but thankfully I'm freeing myself from this somewhat now
I too have always been a bit of a loner with an interest in astrology and a fascination with anything witchy but kept this interest hidden
I have my own place now and am slowly getting brave enough to put some things out on 'display'. I have bought some small witches runes from ebay and have placed them around the house and I keep catching sight of them and they always make me think and reflect. I've really enjoyed researching the meanings etc
I love this thread and reading from you all. Much love to you all

Thank you for the boom recommendations @speakout.

This pregnancy has changed my outlook on lots of things and has forced me to be more grounded and home oriented. I gave up my horrible job that paid well but meant I never saw my mini turquoise. Instead I've got 2 jobs that pay pants but allow me to enjoy life.

As my energy has returned in the second trimester, I've enjoyed spending time in the garden playing with my little one and preparing the house for the arrival of baby 2.

hkwses- I am sorry you were subject to such disrespect for having such inteests. I wish attitudes like those were uncommon, but unfortunately not. I can resonate with your feelings.- So much of the negativity echoes of days from the past- the fear, mockery, persecution- and still persist.
I am glad that you are disengaging with those people who cast negativity towards you.
Hold your head high- your views, interests , attitudes, spiritual path are precious and worthy.
It is good to hear you have your own space and freedom to express your authentic self.
This is a place you will be welcomed and accepted.
Dig your feet into the earth dear friend, and claim your right to be who you are.

Thank you for the kind words, it genuinely brings a tear to my eye. I may not post much but I am reading so thank you all so much ❤️

hkwses - readers, lurkers, ocassonal or regular posters- all are welcome.
It isn't always easy to be out of the broom closet, but don't allow anyone to make you feel silly or weird or the subject of ridicule.
I am open about my path in most areas of my life, except my mother and sister. They are both fervent born again christians, and if my sister knew of my interests she would literally send an exorcist to my home. Thankfully she lives abroad.

It looks like being another fine day here, my garden is growing so fast right now, some flowers alreadys, and hundreds of buds ready to burst forth, it is a magical site, a haven for wildlife, a feast for my eyes.
I hope everyone has some time to feel grounded today.