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.

speakout I think we might be talking at cross purposes but it doesn't matter.

enjoy the rain and petrichor! Good word, petrichor.

I love the word petrichor! It's too hot for anything useful, I've been trying to work today but mainly just spraying myself with water intermittently and eventually gave up and went and met my stationery business partner for sorbet, and at least meeting up we got some stuff sorted out for the business and didn't have to look at screens 😂

I'm feeling a bit unsettled but not quite sure why, so this eve am doing some very gentle tidying and reorganising of my home in the hope that it will help move things around and tidy up my mind too. I don't know if I'll ever be able to see housework as magic, although I am often inspired by you all here talking about doing everyday things with intention, but I will light a candle later on too.

I hope you're all ok and you and your familiars (!) are coping with the heat - here is one of mine making a point that the weather was all my fault yesterday! Please excuse the mess on my office floor but she made me laugh - you could practically hear her huffing and puffing dramatically.

Oh, and I went looking for four leaf clovers after seeing them here yesterday but didn't find any. Maybe next time :)

Hilarious your poor cat! My dog is rather miserable too and keeps looking at me reproachfully like its all my fault that he can't go for long walks. I do feel sorry for them, I can't imagine how it just feel to be wearing a furry coat right now!

Oh Speakout if we had a downpour right now, I think I'd be out there dancing in the rain. I adore the smell of petrichor, it's such a fresh smell, it's a shame you can't bottle it.
*
EmmaH2022* when I read your words, the hanged man in tarot popped into my mind. I feel that what your friend was saying is that your are stuck where you are for a reason and you won't become 'unstuck' until you stop repeating past patterns of behaviour and look at the world from a new perspective.

Elphame hope the unpacking is going ok...I'm not sure whether parking to move house, or unpacking when you get there is worse. Neither are tasks I relish!

Queenrollo I'm glad you've had an apology and explanation, leats hope things get sorted now. I can understand you feeling emotional about your DS moving up to the next stage, the time just seems to fly by, doesn't it? I cried buckets when my two left in year 6.

hilarious stationery is magical!

Violet oh dear, I must be explaining myself really badly. The healer was saying "there's nothing you can do to change these situations".
Which I knew, but it was a bummer to hear someone else say it.

Poor cats and dogs. i've just been in the park though, and it's nice now, with lots of dogs happily chasing sticks.

My cats are perfectly happy hiding in the coolness of downstairs but still periodically moving to a sunny spot on the carpet.

My poor chickens are not happy, and I have let them out of the area that they are usually fenced in so that they can find some shade as the sun moves round.

Yesterday my son came into the garden holding a magpie feather - I asked him where he found it and he excitedly said 'in the kitchen!'
It was on the doormat just inside the door. I have a brave magpie who has figured out there is cat food down....it sneaks in the kitchen when it sees me outside. I like to think the feather is a gift. It's is a quandary though. I am wary of encouraging this bird into my garden, but might have to put food out for it to discourage it coming in the house.
Of course the witch in me is delighted, but my DH not so much!

Morning all! Just catching up with all the posts. My phone isn’t too fond of MN anymore, it seems. Keeps re-loading pages then losing them altogether!

Sending full moon vibes. Hasn’t she been magnificent? When so much in daily life either seems scary or frustrating, Mother Moon is wonderfully calming in her constancy. Keep cool!

And sisterly solidarity to those transitioning menopause. The Crone doesn’t mess about when she comes to stay, does she? Far from feeling my power as an elder and wise woman, I felt frazzled, lost and embattled for some time. When I was ‘officially’ post-meno’ I did a bathing ritual in a natural pool and waterfall in our area, and got myself a bloody big Pagan tattoo!

Good afternoon.

Been drowning in professional exams this last week. Have made the most of the good weather to walk in the evenings when it has been cooler. Was very lucky to hike to the top of a local hill to watch the super moon rise, which was stunning to watch. Unfortunately phone photos are blurry and fail to convey the sight even remotely resembling the experience

There are still a lot of emotions rattling around the house, but we tend to feel big here so not entirely uncommon. So i am making the most of this period of calm for focus on my requirements rather then tackling everything else. unfortunately it means that i actually looked at the house this morning and "saw" the chaos that is surrounding me. A little house magic is required i feel. Lemon balm tea has been calming my stress levels so i hope that i can harvest some more this weekend as my stash from last year is depleting rather fast and i know i am going to want at least double what i currently have for over winter.

Summer is season of harvest and i have camomile flowers drying, beans growing and garden peas to eat in the garden before even getting in the house. I appreciate the bounty of this season as well as the hard work involve in creating and preserving it. I am tumbling hard into the herbals and looking forward to the winter season when i can further build my materia medica.

My witchy practises are a little on the minimal state during this very crazy period of my life (which unfortunately is going to last until November) but as it is crazy because i am building foundations for a different future i am considering the loss of a big practises now an investment in the future which will enable me to indulge those at that time. My hills and walking and plants are still ticking over and i am planning an excursion to a medicinal garden and hopefully if i get chance before the winter Kew gardens (but realistically i expect that will be next year).

This weekend (and next week) is a head in study books for me time, however, i hope those of you who are suffering from the heat are able to find relief, those who need a quiet moment in nature are able to find it, those who require a little nuturing may recieve it. And that for all the weekend treats you kindly.

Glad to hear everyone is finding at least a little calm and cool in a busy hot life.
I am smiling as I read about the magpies- they constantly come into my house when I leave doors open in warm weather. They eat cat food mainly, but I have caught them stealing bread rolls and crumpets from the kitchen- they seem to be fearless, and my cats dive for cover if one comes inside. The crone cleansing ritual sounds lovely, what a lovely idea.
I wonder if our journey into cronehood is made more difficult by the way society frames older women. No longer young and pert, or able to conceive, or work, yet with an intimidating wisdom and personal power. Vilified as witches, crones are simultaneously feared and disregarded.

A cooler day here, we have had torrential rain for several hours, hopefully saturating gardens and fields for the fierce heat coming next week. Again the air is heady and heavy with the fragrance of petrichor as I sit drinking some homemade lemonade. I have a book to read- Where the Crawdads Sing. DD read it a while ago and would like to take me to the cinema, the movie is released next week- but she suggested I read the book first.
I also have some calm cooling fragrance delivered- This Works- I love many of their products, I have the stress check mood manager spray, and some sleepy ones too, with Ylang Ylang, Neroli and Patchouli, very light, subtle fragrances.

Some calm uplifting support-

Sorry if that link didn't work!

Thank you Speakout I love that song. We always used to finish one of the yoga classes I went to with the 'long time sun', it's so calming.

I hope everyone's doing ok in the heat, it's lovely and cool this evening. I'm enjoying relaxing in the garden (for once it's peaceful!). I had my hair done today and spent a rather warm 3 hours in the salon, but I'm pleased with the result, I love the colour and it feels so soft and shiny (you may remember my hair dye disaster a couple of months ago).

I've been mulling over our discussions about menopause and the journey into cronehood. Speakout I agree that the way society views older women makes the journey so much more difficult. Women are judged almost entirely on their looks, and once these begin to fade, we become invisible and irrelevant in the eyes of the world. I came across this post earlier about middle age which I liked and thought I would share it with you.

Still on the menopause theme, have any of you explored Yoni Shakti yoga (or womb yoga?) I went to a women's circle recently which was fabulous and so empowering to celebrate menstruation, pregnancy, menopause...the things that make us women.

The moon tonight! She is the most beautiful I have ever seen her despite not being full - couldn't get a photo but drove all over on the way back from mum's glimpsing her low in the sky, she was mesmerising!

More household magic (of sorts) for me today, clearing and sorting and reorganising Mum's larder - we transformed it and I am shattered but also feeling accomplished.

@VioletCharlotte I love Brene Brown but haven't seen that quote before - it's wonderful! And although I am in theory too young to be entering cronehood yet (36 - I'm on my way), it resonated very much with me and I'm adding it to my quotes by my desk - thank you so much for sharing it.

Am now pondering which parts of me reflect maiden, mother and crone because I feel like everything has shifted in the last few years - a prompt for tomorrow's morning pages I think!

Was intrigued by the discussion on journals and diaries a bit earlier in the thread, and some of you saying you don't really write because you mostly write when you're having a bad day - which seems entirely logical, and yet almost incomprehensible to me 😂

I have always written (a good couple of pages at least, usually by hand with a fountain pen because I'm a stationery witch too) most days, often in the morning but sometimes also in the evening, or before bed if I've been frantic all day and not had a chance to catch my thoughts. The quantity doesn't really change with how I'm feeling. But if I miss writing because life is busy, I really notice it in my mood and general approach to life. Written words are definitely part of my witchery, although I almost never read back my daily witterings - it's just the only consistent way I've ever found to detangle my thoughts and shift into real life each day from my ridiculously vivid dreams, and sometimes figure out what I'm actually thinking/worrying about/doing before I can get in a tizz about it.

Your women's circle sounds wonderful too - I've had mini versions of something similar with friends, more so recently as quite a few of my close friends have ditched hormonal contraception and learned more about working with our natural cycles and energy in the last couple of years. As I've been happily on the injection for more than 20 years I am not very useful on the cycles front as I've no idea what mine is - and not much to contribute from my own experience any of those things really (except hideous periods between age 9 and 16, hence going onto Depo which gave me my life back!) . But having friends who talk about these things openly and wholeheartedly is very precious.

Clearly in late night ramble mode so going to head for bed, sleep well sisters 🧙

hilariousnamehere i love the sound of your writing habit, it sounds a very positive activity for you. I am not a journaler, I do keep a grimoire, stuffed full of magical works, spells I have created, herb blends, recipes and other enchanted flotsam.
Those are very inspiring words VioletCharlotte, cronehood has landed for me like a christmas hamper.
Yes I feel invisible a little, but I am rather glad of that. Women are bombarded by unwanted sexual attention, wolf whistles, inappropriate comments and come ons. It is quite relief to be able so sneak about like Randall from Monsters Inc.
I think I would now make an excellent shoplifter.

My physical presence may go more unnoticed these days, but I now have a loud roar, the confidence to take up space, to own who I am. What random people think of me matters much less.

I love those close to me with with greater voracity, I have a loving attitude towards myself too. My magical practice has deepened, and grown to encompass seemingly mundane acts- cooking, laundry, caring for plants, animals, people. Cleaning my home with full moon water, saining with herbs,
invoking the energy of deity ,healing my inner child, working the planets, communicating with trees. Magic is no longer a set aside time,
it suffuses every simple daily act.
For me cronehood feels like a culmination of my parts- I was once a maiden, then a mother and now as a crone I find all three of me
joyfully co existing and supporting each other.

Have a magical day sisters

Hilariousnamehere the moon is just so incredibly beautiful isn't it? And there's something so calming about it, I think it's because, despite what turmoil is going on around us, the moon cycles continue to repeat, a constant in an ever changing world.

I used to journal when I was a teenager, every night I'd fill up the pages of my diary with my thoughts, dreams and fears. I found out one day that my DM had been reading it and since then I've never really felt the same about journaling. It does help me though to get everything down on paper, I tend to have writing sessions when I've got a lot going on in my head and need to make sense of my thoughts, but I always burn it afterwards.

I'm enjoying the morning sunshine in my garden, it won't be long before the sun comes round and it'll be too hot to sit out here again until the evening. I'm off to Body Pump shortly (air conditioned gym!) then I'm planning a lazy afternoon, reading my book in my front garden, which is shady and much cooler.

Hope you all have a lovely Sunday.

Same thing happened to me VioletCharlotte with a teenage journal. I was mortified.
All my teenage crushes, lots of private thoughts, angst, then found out that like you my mother had beeen reading it.
Since then I have been cautious about writing my feeling on paper- always lurking in the back of my mind that someone will read my journal- it never feels a private thing to do, so I feel guarded about writing my feeings, like you I destroy the rare things I write
Cool and cloudy here so feeling quite pleasant for now.
I had some good finds in my local charity shop yesterday- a couple of cool loose cotton tops and light trousers.
I love wearing baggy clothes, and they can be cooler than tight clothes, as the air can circulate.
I am off to spend a night at my DDs, she has worked 4 thirteen hour night shifts in a row and she is tired. Her flatmate is away this weekend, so I am going over to help her find anchor. I will take groceries too, and I am ccooking one of her favourite meals to take over for dinner tonight.
My mother has covid- she is 89, so a little concerning, her symptoms are not too bad at the moment, I keep checking on her, she is sleeping a lot. Still eating light meals and drinking lots of water, and we are testing every day, so far we remain negative.
My OH has a day off work tomorrow too, so someone will be here to keep a check on her.
I seem to know so many people with covid right now, both pharmacies in my town are closed because the pharmacists have covid, and my local post office too is closed because of staff covid.
My niece also has covid, and one of my best friends too- it seems rampant.
I hope everyone here is safe and well.

Hello lovelies, hot witch here 🥵 I'm very grateful for working from home however. I hope you're all doing ok and coping ok. I'm very much looking forward to tomorrow when it's forecast to be 'only' 26 C!

Speakout I hope your Mother is doing ok, there's so much Covid around at the moment, a lot of people know have it too. I hope you and the rest of your family managed to avoid it. I hope too, that your DD is feeling more rested now. Nurses work so hard and such long hours, I've got so much admiration for them. It's lovely that you can be there to support her and make her life just that little bit easier.

I set up a watering station in my front garden last week for animals to use in the hot weather. I expected it to be used by passing dogs, but I've had feathered an feline visitors too, and was delighted last night to find a hedgehog enjoying a drink. My front garden is becoming a really lovely spot, it's almost entirely screened by trees, and the lavender I planted is attracting bees and butterflies. I've got some colour changing solar lamps out there too, so it feels quite magical 💫

VioletCharlotte your garden sounds magical, it is so good seeing things we planted come to fruition. I have a lot of lavender in my garden too- the bees love it. The stars of the show right now in my garden are my Buddleia- they are monsters, must be around 18 foot high, and just coming into flower. August is heavenly - 100s of butterflies visit to feed, I often take a chair and tea outside just to watch and note all the different species, including hornets, hoverflies, bees and many ther visitors.
It's 27 degrees here, cloudy, with a heavy heat- not nearly as hot as some parts.
As this hot weather system breaks down we will hopefully be treated to some thunderstorms, it just feels sticky and muggy right now.
I am off to the post office and supermarket, I think another cold meal tonight. I have lots of salad and yummy bits in the fridge but will pick up fresh crusty bread and ice cream for my mother.
Thanks for your words about my DD, she has a couple of days off work at the moment, although she lives in a flat the surrounding grounds are very beautiful with a river and trees, lots of room to sunbathe and picnic.
I hope everyone is finding some respite from the heat today.

Ohhh I'm dying in this heat - what a time to be pregnant (31 weeks).

I'm delighted to share with you some news from my garden. We have a hedgehog! DH saw him/her snuffling around by my shed and could hear more of them in the bushes. I really hope we have a family of them.

I'm usually pretty able to cope with high temps but this is knocking me for six today! It doesn't help I suppose that I have to periodically go out to check my chickens and top up their cold snacks. They are really struggling and once again I have had to let them out of their run to free range my garden so they can find the coolest spot. Currently all under the deep shade of my hazel tree and I have misted the ground around them to help cool the air.

@TurquoiseDreamCatcher though not quite this hot I do remember the summer of 2005 having some fierce days as I was in my last trimester with my eldest. Memories of getting in a very cool bath as it was one of the few places I could get comfy!

Gardens and hedgehogs, how marvellous.

I can't figure out if I should go to a nature spot on the bus. It's been 40+ in London and doesn't seem to have changed. Temp might not be much better even among trees.

It might not be possible Emma the peak district has suspended right to access and essentially closed the hills due to the fire risks. They are actually urging people to stay out of the hills for safety reasons. hopefully you are not being affected by any of the fires raging through the capital.

Hills I decided against it. The sky looks very odd, presumably from the distant fires.

I hope you manage to find some relief from the heat soon. Our temperatures are finally starting to break and we have dipped to around 30C. I hope everyone else is as lucky

We drove to the coast at about 6pm. DH wanted to swim in the sea. I had a paddle but mostly sat on the sand reading a magazine. It was gloriously cool.
Back home and the heat inland was oppressive.
I live 9 miles as the 'noisy jet' flies from the RAF base that recorded the UK's highest temp yesterday!

A huge block of flats in a nearby town caught fire and crews are still there this morning. Awful devastation for those families.

We go away tomorrow to a festival, and lost two days packing time to the heat. So will have to pull my finger out today to get things done. My heart isn't in it - I don't like this festival at all. It's science based (with music) and science just leaves me cold.