Any Witches Here?- Part 18

[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..
This is the 17th thread- anyone looking for a deep dive into juicy magical topics may like to browse previous threads.....
It is a long list!!
Part 1 //www.mumsnet.com/Talk/philosophy_religion_spirituality/3241689-Any-witches-here?pg=1
Part 2
//www.mumsnet.com/Talk/philosophy_religion_spirituality/3338025-Any-Witches-Here-Part-2?pg=1
Part 3
//www.mumsnet.com/Talk/philosophy_religion_spirituality/3366411-Any-Witches-Here-Part-3?pg=1
Part 4
//www.mumsnet.com/Talk/philosophy_religion_spirituality/3404406-Any-Witches-Here-Part-4-Edited-by-MNHQ?pg=1
Part5
//www.mumsnet.com/Talk/philosophy_religion_spirituality/3437092-Any-Witches-Here-Part-5?pg=1
Part 6 //www.mumsnet.com/Talk/philosophy_religion_spirituality/3482023-Any-Witches-Here-Part-6?pg=1
Part 7 //www.mumsnet.com/Talk/philosophy_religion_spirituality/3520269-Any-Witches-Here-Part-7?pg=1
Part 8 //www.mumsnet.com/Talk/philosophy_religion_spirituality/a3568622-Any-Witches-Here-Part-8?pg=1
Part 9 //www.mumsnet.com/Talk/philosophy_religion_spirituality/3637696-Any-Witches-Here-Part-9?pg=1
Part 10
//www.mumsnet.com/Talk/philosophy_religion_spirituality/3726266-Any-Witches-Here-Part-10
Part 11
//www.mumsnet.com/Talk/philosophy_religion_spirituality/3850635-Any-Witches-Here-Part-11
Part 12
//www.mumsnet.com/Talk/philosophy_religion_spirituality/3997761-Any-Witches-Here-Part-12
Part 13 //www.mumsnet.com/Talk/philosophy_religion_spirituality/4116107-Any-Witches-here-Part-13
Part 14www.mumsnet.com/Talk/philosophy_religion_spirituality/4213962-Any-Witches-Here-Part-14
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/philosophy_religion_spirituality/4328830-Any-Witches-Here-Part-15?msgid=113505801
www.mumsnet.com/talk/philosophy_religion_spirituality/4435233-Any-Witches-Here-Part-16?page=40&reply=118807589

www.mumsnet.com/talk/philosophy_religion_spirituality/4598225-any-witches-here-part-17?page=40&reply=122990208

Thank you for your warm welcome. Raising children is definitely both the best and the hardest thing I've ever done.

Driving home from work tonight there was a beautiful silvery grey mackerel sky so I stopped to take photos. It felt like just stepping outside of my normal life for a few minutes, and very peaceful.

Suffering a fibro flare up so feeling low. Drove 3 hours this morning to get home from a business event, and vaguely remember collapsing into bed. Woke up 3 hours later! Had a hot bath with rosemary oil and back in bed. As a trainee herbalist," physician heal thyself" comes to mind but this thing is so unpredictable. Grateful for soothing vibes.

I'm applying for a new job, so I'm feeling simultaneously terrified and excited about the possibility of a new start. I know I'm qualified to do the job, but I need to believe it as well. Please send any positive thoughts my way 🙂.

The sun and the moon looked so beautiful this morning on my way to work. I felt lucky to see them.

Good luck Kraken.

Wishing you all the luck! Imposter syndrome is so annoying isn't it. I've been doing my job successfully for the last year and have already been promoted but I still feel I'm faking it.

@LandlubbingKraken , I send you all the positivity I can.

And here is a tree with beautifully coloured bark that I wanted to share with all of you because it made me feel hopeful and calm both.

Hedjwitch I hope you are feeling a little better this morning- sleep is a great healer. I have slept way past my usual rising time today,my alarm went off as usual bit my body just wasn't having it.
Good luck with your new job LandlubbingKraken. I have known imposter syndrome too- interesting that it is rarely felt by men. Just another of those bear traps set to undermine us. Don't fall for it- you will be amazing!.
That's a beautiful tree ISaySteadyOn, I think it is the same type as Mother Tree in my Wolf Wood. She knows a lot about me, but is very good at keeeping secrets. She is also home to many other creatures too.
I must dash to start my day, my long sleep means I don't have time to indulge in my usual slow mornings.

Thank you for the fabulous tree, @ISaySteadyOn . And wishing one and all an encounter with the reality of just how marvellous we all are in our own unique ways.

Welcome to all our new sisters! I'd love to mention you all by name, but I have the memory of a goldfish at the moment 🙄
I'd like to thank you all for your wonderful posts and photos, they have lifted my spirits considerably . Something I've noticed, there seems to be a fair few of us who are neuro diverse and cope with anxiety and low confidence . I wonder if it's because we are neuro diverse we are the world differently and therefore are attracted to witchiness and alternative thinking ? Obviously this isn't always going to be the case . I don't think I'm putting this very well as my thoughts are jumping from one thing to another, the witch trials, and throughout history demonizing those that think differently and are seen as being outside of societal norms?
I'm coming round to the conclusion that a lot of low confidence and anxiety stems from how we as women are expected to behave , think and act by others. It still happens just as much as it did in times past, just differently . And the scope of it today blows my mind.

I can't go back to find who it was who posted ( sorry!) about feeling they have no skills, and all they wanted to do was have a home , kids and a garden, it saddened me greatly that you feel like this. You have skills, you may not recognise them as such, but you have them and use them well. None of us are perfect and have a perfect life, we all have the cards we are dealt and they are not always easy, but if you're muddling through and no ones suffering, that's a win ! We are way too hard on ourselves . I think that modern day living is much harder in some ways than it was in the past, we are expected to be Wonder woman. Not only have a scintillating career, but also to be able to parent, house keep to an unattainable standard and be everything to everyone without losing sight of WE are as a person , as a woman .

Here endeth the ramble of today . I'm not even sure I'm making any sense!

WeeFreeLass you are making perfect sense, and I agree with you!

Hi all. Fibro flare easing thank the Goddess. Just tired. In bed with a mug of Valerian,Chamomile and Mint tea. Itching to get into the garden and get growing. I have seedlings ready to go out but still too cold. Garden is a right mess but dont want to disturb the insects and creatures still asleep. Come on spring!

@WeeFreeLass you are making perfect sense to me. I’ve long been aware of how many neurodivergent folk are Pagans, certainly in the circles in which I have mixed, and a little more than you’d expect to find in a random sample of people. I wonder it it’s a combination of having unconventional ways of seeing the world and finding tolerance and acceptance of difference among Pagan folk? Whilst we can at times fulfil the saying of being capable of starting three arguments when there are only two Pagans present, I love how we embrace and accept all ways of being.

I think it's exactly that. The embracing of difference in thought. Especially in a world that seems to demand lockstep of thoughts.

I am hoping that spring will come sooner and that the seeds I have planted will survive.

ISaySteadyOn I love planting seeds, what are you growing this year?

Dear sisters, I want to thank everyone on this thread for your support over the past tortuous three weeks. DH had his biopsy results today. It is prostate cancer, and it is one of the more invasive types, but even those tend to progress quite slowly. The good news is, it's very early stage and it's localized. It hasn't spread, but if left untreated, it will. Because it's been caught so early, if the prostate is removed the condition it is curable (that is the word they used). So this at least is an enormous relief.

It's also fortuitous. He was being treated for prostatitis which is entirely unrelated to prostate cancer. And he was doing that at my persuasion: he'd sought help originally because it was causing issues with our sex life. Thank all the gods and goddesses that he did. Because this condition is symptomless, by the time symptoms had manifested themselves it would have been too late to cure it.

I shan't feel completely easy until the surgery has been done and tests confirm that it's gone. Cancer is always a terrifying diagnosis, especially when it involves a potentially invasive form. But if it hadn't been caught, we'd have had at the most a decade of living in a fool's paradise and the outcome would have been much more devastating. We are both only just turned 50.
This thread helped talk me down when I was spiraling into negative patterns of thinking. But I now feel that some kind force has been watching over us. Once treatment is complete, we should be able to get our lives back but things are going to change with both our priorities, that's for certain. In the meantime, thank you for the positive energy, kindness, and sanity-saving wisdom on this wonderfully supportive thread.

xxx

SerafinasGoose thank you for the update. I know the past few weeks has been very difficult for you- I am glad you have a diagnosis. Cancer is such a loaded word, but most cancers can be cured- especially certain types like the prostate- you have every reason to feel optimistic about the outcome.
Wonderful that it was an early diagnosis- again things are stacked in his favour, so that's great.
I can understand you still feeling some worry and trepidation about the immediate future, but the chances of a good outcome are extremely high. Hold that in your mind.
We are here for you if you need a listening ear and need to unburden.
I will light a candle for you at 8pm tonight to send you both relaxation and love. X

@SerafinasGoose , I too am glad you know what is happening.

@speakout , I have seen you talk about lighting a candle at 8 pm before. Can you tell me a bit about why it has to be 8? Or candle lighting in general? I don't yet have a safe place to light candles but more knowledge is always good.

@HazelTheGreenWitch , I haven't planted them all yet but this year I am trying for chili peppers, rosemary, cucumbers, courgette (new this year), tomatoes, coriander, parsley, sweetcorn and I can't quite remember everything else.

SerafinasGoose sending you much love. I'm sorry that you have had such bad news, but very glad that it's been found early.

@ISaySteadyOn just remember that the chili plant will over winter on a warm windowsil. Ditto re pepper plants. And my experience the 2nd year the yield was higher.

ISaySteadyOn
Tomatoes are my very favourite thing to grow, they have the essence of summer. The smell of the leaves especially is one of my favourite things about summer. I always get excited and start my seeds too early, and they go all leggy. But never mind, I don't need them to be perfect 🙂

@SerafinasGoose , I'm so sorry that test results are positive for cancer, just hearing that must have knocked the two of you sideways. I'm glad it is the treatable and curable type though , that's good news indeed 🙏🌹 My FIL had had this kind, was treated 25 years ago, and is fitter than me now at 92 !
it explains the doom filled feelings you have been having though, more of a heads up than a heads off ! I do wish that ( for me at least) the disband portents that we receive were just a smidge clearer sometimes. Cloud writing in the sky perhaps, or a wee post it note now and again 😹 Realising what it meant after the event is so frustrating 🙄
I went a bit mad today buying seed tatties, and loads of bulbs for the swamp of a garden . Luckily it was in the cheap pound type shop so I'm not bankrupt just yet! I wish it would stop bloody raining for a while so the swamp can dry out properly and I can start organising it.

Re. an earlier post about what we wear, I have aspirations to being Stevie Nicks, but dress more like Compo. A good day for me is not wearing work trousers, bugger boots ( as autocarrot prefers to spell it) and a tool belt. I scrub up fairly well when needed which isnt very often, then I look like an ageing bedraggled hippy !

@WeeFreeLass that's so funny you say that, I would like to dress like Stevie Nicks too, but spend more time digging up vegetables than floating around with a tambourine....

I've decided to stop colouring my hair. I'm sick of being told that I'm too young to go grey, it's my effing hair and everyone will have to just accept that it's beautiful. Why does society want me to look younger than my age anyway? That's just weird if you think about it.

ISaySteadyOn Lighting a candle at 8pm was started by our sister Aerwyna. Anyone can join, it is a way of connecting through flame, all lit at the same time to share, heal, lifts spirits within this group. The single flame is all flames, and a way to bridge geographical distance between us. You can join with a battery candle or a video flame if you can't use a real one.

@SerafinasGoose another one thinking of you as you digest your DH diagnosis.

@WeeFreeLass I did chuckle at your Stevie Nicks/Compo comparison. With me I am either Barbara Good or Margot Ledbetter! In fact I got a new (to me) 70s dress in the post yesterday!

My DS came out of school looking decidedly peaky on Thursday and was very distressed with shoulder pain. I was beginning to worry about pleurisy, because he fit the criteria. 3 hours in Urgent Care, told it 'might' be a chest infection and given antibiotics to see if it finally clears up. He has had this cough since well before Christmas and his immune system is clearly affected as he is bouncing from one virus to another. Half Term this week so a chance to recover without exposure to yet more germs!

I am loving the talk of planting right now, I bought some seeds too, wildflower varieties. Lidl have a good range. inexpensive and always germinate well.
I have been sleeping so deeply this week. Normally I find it easy to get up, even when it is early, but it has been hard lately.
I tried to hit the snooze button on my phone this morning, but instead knocked it off the bed under the headboard where it clattered to the floor, still sounding out my alarm. I couldn't reach it, and had to get up and physically drag my bed away from the wall to pick it up. Needless to say when I did reach it all plans of sleep had vanished. At least I am up in good time!
Mercury moves into Aquarius today, which starts a couple of weeks in which we have inspired and novel ideas and thinking processes. A good time to consider any stuck situations we are dealing with as we can find novel or creative ideas - thinking outside the box will come to us easily during this transit.
Chiron has a positive aspect with Mercury today, increasing our powers of healing and cleansing, clearing out negative energy within our homes and ourselves. We may feel a pleasant, gentle motivation and an ease of anxiety when dealing with any problems.
I am planning a slow day of flow, a Body Balance class this morning then work. I have a lot to do, but find that I can accomplish more if I slow and find the flow rather than galloping at breakneck speed. Trying to work too fast gives me fumble fingers, a disorder to my thinking, paper cuts, neck and shoulder stiffness.
Working within the zone is far more enjoyable, so I remind myself to use that as my default, listen to uplifting music, make sure I have a candle or incense, plenty short breaks and herbal tea to hand.
WeeFreeLass I agree about this idea of being perfect, to me it is such an alien concept to use as a yardstick for humans. What is a perfect human? A stepford wife? If a perfect human could even exist they would be very dull.
Many of my family are religious and often use that phrase " none of us are perfect", it's just silly.
Would we say "look at those wild elephants- none of them are perfect". Elephants, like humans have individual personalities, some may be playful, or timid, or bossy, or kind- just like humans, they may have torn ears, or scars on their skin, but none of that makes them "imperfect".
I am a perfect human- and all that entails,a big bucket of personality traits, motivations, imprinting- like us all.

I hope all my wonderful sisters have a magical day.