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.

queenrollo just been watching the band Henge on youtube.
I haven't heard of them before, reminds me a lot of prog rock style- early Genesis etc.

I both love/hate the word witch. I agree that it's a powerful word indeed but I get so tired of "witch" not being enough. Oh are you a white witch? No - I'm a witch. But you are a white witch though? No - I'm a witch. Oh so you are wiccan? No

• I'm a witch.... It's endless!

Today I've been making pumpkin earrings - great fun. A "magical practitioner" 😂friend came round and we had an afternoon making stock for a stall at an occult event in the autumn. I've now run out of silver ear wires and headpins so that is the end of that for a day or two until I get a delivery. I didn't realise I was so low. I'm quite frustrated as I just got a great idea for some chakra inspired earrings but until the new supply arrives I can't do much! I can't get real silver locally. The local craft shop just stocks silver plate .

elphame I love the sound of having witchy / magical practitioner friends. I don't do much magical stuff, just been dipping toes in for years. It would be great to share it with others though - where do you meet people with these interests?

Sorry - I pop along as a random unknown person but have posted in the past under a different name, back in 2018/19 I think.

@Elphame I would love to know more about your chakra inspired earrings. My yoga teacher has made me very aware of chakras and it's helped me a lot.

One of them I met at a Mensa meeting of all places, the rest I've met either through work (again oddly) or at the local pagan moot. Although it's a "pagan" moot it's open to all paths and there is a nice mix of people and I was lucky enough to meet some people who subsequently became good friends ( not just witches either).

We're everywhere nowadays it seems!

Elphame your earrings sound lovely, what a great idea. I am toying with the idea of getting a table at a Witch's Market- they are held several times a year on the sabbats. I attended the last one and it was very busy- who knew so many like minded people were around.
I have offers of help from my DD, her friend and friend's sister, but it seems like a great deal of work. Some of the stalls were so magical, I would enjoy pimping up a table with lights and props. I am still mulling it over, I know these events are a lot of fun- I help a friend of mine who has an artisan food business, so I have quite a bit of experience at fairs, pop up events and farmers markets.

optimistic40 good to see you again. I don't know many magicals in real life, I agree something like a pagan moot would be a good place- you will probably find a large mix of different types- satanists, tarot readers, clairvoyants, druids etc.
I have found several people on a magical path at my yoga groups, I imagine other types of activity like meditation or woman's spirituality may have like minds.
Have a look at local facebook groups nearby, there are also meet up websites for groups.
And you have a tribe here- we are all people behind our usernames.

I don't even know what counts as a "magical" person.

I was aware of this thread for years before hopping on because I'm still not sure.

EmmaH2022 I think there as many definitions as there are practitioners. The Occult- in its very name is hidden, secret, so I assume that over the centuries practitioners would have to be secretive because of the persecution they faced from the church. Much information would be carried by the spoken word, rather than the written, and the whole practice of working in that area would be so intertwined with healing, growing it was hard to separate the magical from the mundane.
Rosehipe would be gathered in the autumn and turned into a syrup, it would be noticed that kept people healthier during the winter months- long before vitamin c was discovered. Using runes and bones and stones, herbs, sigils the lines between magical and non magical would have been very blurred.
I think as science advanced, the "age of enlightenment" spread, mechanisms of disease, the mapping of the skies pushed many of the older practices to the periphery, so we are now in a situation which seeks to call things "woo" and "non woo"
I could tell you of my magical path, but it will not be the same as that of others.

I do know that my practice informs my life on a daily basis, but it is so integrated I hardly make a distinction now. If examined probably do 20 to 30 things a day that could be called "magical"

As this thread is almost full, thought I would move on over to the next cosy place. Kettle is on, cats have been fed, any home baking would be appreciated.
Come and rest on the comfy sofa and chat.
www.mumsnet.com/talk/philosophy_religion_spirituality/4598225-any-witches-here-part-17?reply=118807881

@EmmaH2022

That is a very simple question but very hard to answer. As @speakout says, there are as many definitions as there are practitioners!

My form of witchcraft is much more shamanistic than some others here. Most of my work is done on the astral although I do play around in the physical world with plants etc but from an animistic point of view. It's the plant spirit I seek to work with when I use the plant to make oils and tinctures rather than its medicinal properties. Once the relationship is established with a single plant, I find it gives me access to the "true nature" of the plant on the higher levels where everything is connected. The original world wide web if you like! At that point the actual physical plant becomes unnecessary for me to continue working with it. I hope this makes sense. It is very hard to explain!

As a result I actually do very little spellwork. If I do, again I don't often do it in this plane of existence and it's more of an energy manipulation than anything else.

speakout and Elphame thank you.

do you have any book recommendations please?

you wouldn't want my baking but I'll wash up!

I enjoyed reading about how you both practice your crafts. When we've had this discussion previously, someone used the phrase 'eclectic witch', I feel this describes me well.

I work with spirit guides and use divination - tarot, a scrying, a bit of astrology in my practice. I also dabble with using herbs and incantations in my cooking. I have strong connections with nature and enjoy working with plants and incorporating the elements into my practice. I'm very in tune with the lunar cycles and any spell work I do is normally aligned with the moon phase (although I don't do a lot of spell work).

Like Speakout much of what I do is so closely entwined with my day to day life, it's almost second nature to me.

Lammas blessings to all of you Lovelies.

Apologies I've been off the group for ages, a lot going on but I'm really good.

Good to see you again GenExer- just to let you know we have a new shiny thread- this one is almost full, and won't be accepting messages soon.-
Come and join us here- we are still settling in and unpacking boxes-
www.mumsnet.com/talk/philosophy_religion_spirituality/4598225-any-witches-here-part-17?page=3&reply=118952200