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.

moregarlic I hear you on the 'so many projects' thing and I realise last year I did almost nothing creative through being frozen by fear of picking the wrong one. So this year I have promised myself to not let that happen. My word for the year is Return and I am using this to guide me a little. So I'm delving back into permaculture and committing to more costumery fun.

As for altar talk - like others I have accidental altars on shelves and windowsills and also a dedicated altar. For the latter I have some devotional items to Freya (still working with her energy) and then to mark the changes of the seasons I have some little felted fae who represent them. I add to this fresh foliage/herbs/flowers from the garden and hedgerow. I will change the crystals on there too, though I am more moved towards stones I collect on the beach these days as I connect to the land around me more deeply.
I also have a hodge podge collection of precious items. An old broach from a grandparent, a bon bon dish from another, a feather from a friend.

It is glorious sunshine here today. I have put on make-up and a dress and jewelery today. For some reason I woke up sparking with magical energy. Not questioning it!

I don't have altars, i have surfaces. And a tendancy to collect nature. which gets dropped in what ever nook and cranny i can find.

I had to deal with the lingering spectra of the satanic panic of the 80s and how a multinational company is evil because the owner said he was a member of the satanist church back in the 80s. It was not acceptible to suggest that 1. ownership might have changed, 2. Satanic panic might have coloured opinions 3. things change and it might be worth investigating if the company connections and morals might have changed in the last few decades so it might be less morally adversive now.

That discussion side swiped me but really knowing the people that are involved, knowing their lack of willingness to change mind or reassess based on new information I shouldn't have been quite surprised. But Yikes, even 30 years on there is still strong echos of those times. Kinda reminds you what a knive edge we walk and how careful treading is sometimes needed because a return to those times is (although less likely) not impossible.

I don't know if this has been shared already? It has come up in a couple of groups I am in on Facebook and thought it might be of interest.

silverspoonscollective.org/

@queenrollo They have an article today in the guardian.

@onedayiwillflyaway1 oh I didn't know that! I shall go and find it online.
Thank you

queenrollo

That looks so ineresting, thanks for sharing, some worm holes tonight I see!!
HillsBesideTheSea I can't recollect that incidet- is this a company you were working for?

No. massive multi-national. Might have been the late 70s, early 80s of it. But i suspect mid 80s to early 90s. I had no recollection of even hearing of it. But the people involved are very religious and very opinionated on it, to the point where it still colours their choices of shopping today.

HillsBesideTheSea which company? I don't recall this story- sounds interesting- what happened?

I pm'd you. But did a bit of googling and found a link i am happy to share without fear of litigation and slander; and it would seem that my concerns about the factual nature of the people's beliefs were founded

link here

I smudged the house today and afterwards felt calm and then strangely energised. I've barely moved all holidays but found myself out doing a wee bit of gardening( nothing much as the hedgehogs and frogs are still sleeping in the wilderness) and then lit a fire and sat out watching the flames and listening to the wood crackle. It was wonderful and very uplifting. Have just made soup and soda bread for dh and ds come back from the footy. A good day.

I am having trouble replying individually but am enjoying reading about different approaches to alters/surfaces rituals and objects.

Like many above I have several spaces in my home with symbolic objects etc. I also often create a space for seasonal objects in the lead up to celebrations, I also often bring those objects to the table when I serve a feast. I try and have seasonal foods in the feast, and a monthly cake!

For the past few years I have felt a need for a proper 'alter' that isn't just my sage, crystals, oil burner, candles etc mixed in with the ornaments on the mantelpiece! Although I will keep those there, too.

For the new moon today I have cleared and cleaned a surface in my bedroom for my new alter. At present the alter only has a single new candle on a plate where I will place some of my crystals and sage. I will use the space to focus energy for meditation, and will undoubtedly bring seasonal ephemera to the alter in the lead up to each festival.

I have placed my blank black scrapbook on the alter. I will take a ritual bath in an hour or so and meditate, see if I recieve some guidance on how to use the book. Perhaps a toolkit, or automatic writing, I'm staying open to ideas at present.

I may get a cauldren at some point but undecided. I have recently made a 'fire bowl' (it is a big metal bowl with lots of tea light candles in) which I used for the first time at my solstice feast. We used to have big bonfires in the garden to celebrate but the neighbours complained (as one lives in the shed at the end of a garden)! It is upsetting not being able to have that freedom to celebrate, I wonder if that is a kind of religious discrimination? But for now, my fire bowl will have to do.

I also think I had alters without realising too and wanted my new alter in a space where there will be less contamination by the energy of visitors, nightmare!!!

I'm really tired today and generally in a stage of life where I'm trying to be open to spirit and guidance. Trying to accept and learn rather than control.

I also often have prophetic dreams and am trying to learn to trust my intuition and work with my own energy, and find my place within my higher power.

dementedma sounds a perfect day.
I don't have prophetic dreams, ( thank goodness, last night in a dream I was arrested fr shoplifting 7 carrots from Sainsbury's), but people are transparent to me, and as I get older that skill increases.

@speakout i'm not a worm hole.

onedayiwillflyaway1
@speakout i'm not a worm hole.

Do we have misunderstanding here?

Probably i thought you were referring to my post.

I was referring to your post and that of queenrollo.

A "wormhole" in this thread anyway is not an insult- in fact quite the opposite.
We talk of wormholes as exciting new subjects to explore, research, lose ourselves in as our curiosity is sparked by neow slants or observations. We can usually get lost in wormholes, and often the cosiest and most interesting places to be and burrow into for a few hours. The earth is sacred after all.
I meant no offence- quite the opposite, I will be burrowing tonight as I worm my way into these new ideas.
Many of us here get lost in wormholes on a very regular basis,, whether learning about Tarot or Runes,plants, spell craft, making candeles, or how the planets are named after deities.
Wormholes are exciting places.

Love a good wormhole, problem is that it tends to mean i loose track of time and often sleep. Amazing what you can learn in a good wormhole.

My dreams often betray my concious, and show me my desires, anxietys, concerns etc. I do get the odd prophetic dream. But there have not been so many of those of late, and i am kinda glad about that in some ways. In other ways there are dreams that i wish may be a reality. But there is always a lesson, a take home point atm.

Wormholes are exciting places, completely agree speakout and Hills, far from an insult onedayiwillflyaway1, as speakout says, quite the opposite- we love a good wormhole here!

Interesting talk of dreams, I haven’t remembered any of mine for a while now, they vary over time though- sometimes reflecting emotions I’m sorting through, sometimes more ‘spiritual’ and connective with an archetype/guide. I always find them fascinating and enjoy hearing about others dreams too

Perhaps prophetic was the wrong word... my dreams sometimes show me when someone in my life is suffering an illness or life crisis. They are more about sensing something happening at the time I suppose, which I then find out about later. I need to learn to trust these dreams and reach out at the time. Also need to trust and investigate waking urges to speak to specific people, or go to specific places.

I wish people were transparent to me! I have trouble understanding people's motives!

@HillsBesideTheSea what sort of prophetic dreams?

WrittenInGold i know what you mean, it’s incredible how much we pick up on isn’t it and our subconscious sorts it all through and can give more clarity through the stories of our dreams. Although I can also see that picking up on others’ difficulties and challenges in this way may feel like a responsibility or burden - difficult when in reality we have no control over them.

I can relate to what you say about transparency speakout, I’ve noticed it more being in situations with new people, what feels buried to others can be visible as though on the surface can’t it. Both the dreams and the ability to read others feels like part of the same‘skill set’ to me- as we trust our intuition or ‘knowing’ more the ability becomes stronger I think, although it also feels innate. Fascinating stuff

Aerwyna absolutely about people being transparent, it is often most acute on first meetings with people. I can see marriages in trouble, women afraid of their spouses, people being at the end of their tether. It feels exactly as if on the surface. Instinct or "gut feeling". A useful skill!.
Many apects of who I am I used to dislike about myself, consider weird, off the wall, freaky. I worked hard to keep so much of myself hidden, to silence my words, to fit in, to act as expected, to join in at drinking parties, to please men to be loved. I tried to hard to be "normal".
Now decades later, it's some of the "not normal" parts of myself that I treasure the most!

Speakout and Aerwyna that's interesting. I've been thinking about this for a while and pondering on how I am often cautious of people who others think are marvellous, it's like I can see straight through them. I often have to interview people who are applying for jobs. She now totally trusts my judgement, and if I say I'm not sure about one of the candidates, then we don't recruit them. I guess it's a combination of age and experience and having the confidence to trust your intuition....come to think of it, the same skills/qualities I use when reading tarot.

WritteninGold I understand exactly what you mean about dreams. I think when we're sleeping, our minds pull out information and memories from our subconscious mind and present them to us in a way that makes us examine them and realise we need to address them. I used to think this was a form psychic work, but now I think it's more that my brain has the information it needs, but my conscious mind just hasn't realised it. So for example, I may have a dream in which one of my DS is in need of help; I 'know' this because of things they may have said, or something I've seen, but for what ever reason my conscious mind has chosen to ignore it. So the information is stored away until it's pushed to the forefront of my mind in my dreams, if that makes sense? Well, that's my view anywhere, I'm sure there are many schools of thought.

Crossed posts Speakout, yes to everything you said! I look back now at how for years I masked my true self to try and fit in. It's a good feeling when you can feel totally comfortable in your own skin and not give a fuck what anyone else thinks of you!

Many apects of who I am I used to dislike about myself, consider weird, off the wall, freaky. I worked hard to keep so much of myself hidden, to silence my words, to fit in, to act as expected, to join in at drinking parties, to please men to be loved. I tried to hard to be "normal".
Now decades later, it's some of the "not normal" parts of myself that I treasure the most!

Yes!! Me too! You put it so beautifully, as ever. It feels so good (and much less exhausting) to rest into and finally celebrate these parts of ourselves I think.

Cross posted with you Violet!

I love this

It's a good feeling when you can feel totally comfortable in your own skin and not give a fuck what anyone else thinks of you!