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

Morning all. Yoga class this morning which I dont really enjoy as I'm rubbish at it, and then definitely some pottering in the swamp of a garden. The seeds I planted before Christmas are now robust seedlings which I must do something with! Too cold to plant them out tho....

Thank you so much to all. I had a wood fire blazing at 8pm last night and felt a very comforting energy emanating from it, so thank you for the candles, I was with them in spirit.

If I've missed welcoming any newcomers, I'm also very glad to see you.

I'm continuing avoiding divination and casting, as these still feel wrong for me at present. However, I'm still finding my Pagan spirituality a great source of strength: connecting with the goddess, the trees, moon and the stars, leaving offerings and marking the sabbats. My sojourn at the sacred well was a powerfully healing experience: I intend to return there soon and bathe my feet in the 'bath' at the foot of the spring. I now always carry a quartz crystal which has been cleansed and charged in its waters. I intend to mark the 'waxing' sabbats in a similar way in future, leaving a tiny crystal as an offering in the spring (no clootie rags!)

I'm not following every aspect of my growing practice, but I'm still very much a pagan. The presence of my matron goddess is currently a comfort: during the waiting period I gave an offering of dragon's blood incense, and had barely opened the window before a dog barked, which according to her devotees is a sign of an offering accepted.

@speakout your words are an enormous comfort and help. I'm more glad than I can say that I ran across you by chance in another thread that day ❤

DH is in good spirits now that we know what we're dealing with, and that treatment and a likely cure is probable. This is wonderful to hear.

Had some time pottering in my tiny greenhouse and garden. It's early but the wheel is turning. Lots of green shoots and buds. Planted out some potted herbs into my new herb bed, and sowed more seeds. Also pulled handfuls of weed out of our "pond" which is just a deep puddle really, but attracts frogs and dragonflies etc. No sign of the frogs yet,still sleeping in the mud

Glad to hear you sounding calm SerafinasGoose, and feeling supported by the goddess, nature and your friends here. Hard times happen to all of us, but can be eased by self compassion and support. Trust your judgement regarding divination. I use Tarot or oracle cards a few times a week, but not often for divination., I use the cards- I usually pull one, or sometimes two as a clarifier- as a way to give me insight or a deeper understanding into a situation, or to give me an indication of an alternative way of handling things.
Often I will choose a card from the deck purposefully, say the Strength card or The moon and keep the card propped up somewhere visible to invoke that energy.
I love the sound of your planting Hedjwitch watching seedlings emerge never fails to enchant me, growing is a magical thing to do. I don't have much room for planting in my garden, the previous owner covered most of the ground with concrete and a very thick layer of gravel type stones. The layer is a good 10 inches or so, there must be a few tons of material.
I have "spot planted" quite a lot though, 8 or 9 trees and they are thriving, also lilac, buddlea, climbing roses, and others- all doing really well.. I have also dug up a large part of lawn at the front, too and have lots of herbs, native plants and varieties that provide food for insects. I would love a large garden to grow more, but I am very blessed to have protected woodland all around me- so I see the forest from all my windows. It isn't my land- but it feels that way and compensates for the lack of my own growing space.

I am also excited because my full moon women's circle is starting up again soon-it stopped during the winter months, I have already booked places for the next few months. They will be held in a heated yurt until the weather warms up, then outside in the summer months.
I plan another quiet day here, Keeping things simple, maybe choose an audiobook to listen while I work.
Love and enchantment to my sisters.

Can I join you please? I’ve considered myself pagan since my late teens and it’s shaped a lot of my life. We have a house in a gorgeous town that is quite spiritual and it helps me feel really connected with the Goddess. But recently I’ve been struggling with some family issues and I feel like I’ve stopped my practice and it’s had such a negative impact on me so I’m hoping chatting with like minded people will help. I’ve also found it I’m pregnant with DC2 (very early days) and I do think the tiredness that comes with early pregnancy for me has stopped me from being able to connect with my beliefs in the way I usually do.

Warm welcome moonwitchmum- always good to have new faces in our cosy kitchen. And congratulations on your pregnancy!
Tiredness can make us lose enthusiasm for things we normally enjoy.
That's part of the reason my craft is "small magic" these days- although I do still go to town with some spellcraft and ceremony if I have the need.
Connecting with our magic can be incorporated in very small ways and can be incorporated into tasks that we need to do during the day anyway.
I think someone posted a link to Molly Roberts on you tube about how to find magic in the mundane.
Cooking, cleaning making and drinking tea can all be magical acts- I know Molly Roberts uses the time brushing our teeth to speak words of affirmation or a mantra in our head while we brush. A daily or regular Tarot or Oracle card will help clarify aspects in our lives.
Taking a soak in the bath is magical, showering cleanses our aura and releases us from negative energies. Something as simple as lighting a candle in the evening and whispering incantations or intent to ourselves, others or the global community is also a special and powerful act of magic.
A number of us here are also laundry witches, just a few seconds of time to set intentions in our garments (and I am excited about line drying when it is dry enough.
I look forward to getting to know you moonwitchmum, there is a comfortable place near the fire and always tea in the pot.

Welcome,moonwitchmum. This is a friendly place. I've got a pot of soup on the go if anyone would like some? Carrot and lentil

Hedjwitch oh yum, your soup sounds delicious- save me a small bowl if you if you can

Lining up in the queue for carrot and lentil soup! 🙂

Warm wishes to all. - health and protection for those in need today. We have been on our travels with the family this weekend up in rural north Yorkshire. The gorse is already beginning to get flowers and the snowdrops are a carpet of white. It’s glorious!

Hedjwitch carrot and lentil soup sounds amazing and just what I need right now as I'm suffering with a painful sore throat. Would you mind sharing the recipe please?

SerafinasGoose I'm so sorry to hear about your DH's diagnosis, but very relieved that it's been caught early. I'm sure you both must be dealing with all sorts of emotions at the moment. I will light a candle for you tonight at 8pm.

I'm not feeling I have much to contribute right now, although I'm enjoying reading all the posts and being in your energy. My grandmother hasn't been well and we fear she's close to the end. She's 98 so has had an incredibly long and happy life, but I'm filled with sadness when I think about not having her in my life any more.

SerafinasGoose I'm sorry to hear about your husband's diagnosis. A cancer diagnosis shocks you to the core. I had a cancer diagnosis a few years ago and I think it changed me forever. Like your husband mine was small and I've supposedly been cured (well my consultant thinks it's very unlikely to return). But the shock had many positive consequences too. It made me slow down and appreciate life much more. Hopefully it will be the same for your husband too.

sets up soup kitchen
I make a lot of soup but rarely to a recipe. This one started with onions,garlic,celery and carrots being softened in oil( or butter) then red lentils added plus couple of pints of vegetable stock. Seasoning is mixed herbs,cumin( pinch),salt,pepper and....crucially...caroway seeds! They are a bloody gamechanger when it comes to carrot soup.

Next up is red pepper and tomato as red peppers were reduced t'other day.

I believe there are very few soup recipes that can't be improved by adding a generous handful of Stilton to it.

I used to love a stilton and button mushroom sauce over a baked potato back in the day.

Stupid nightshade allergy has stopped that and i haven't really found a suitable replacement for the baked potato yet. Other veg are just too sweet/are different in flavour profile.

I pulled some oracle cards at the weekend. Original card from one deck, 3 clarifiers (modified question) from another. All i can say is there was a reasonable amount of sass in the answers i got. I don't always like the answers i get but i try not to use the cards if i know and i am not going to want to listen to what may come up.

@HillsBesideTheSea I dont know if you have a veg patch, but Thompson and Morgan do a squash called 'baked potato' that might be worth a go? Apparently it tastes like spuds. Bad luck on the allergy, I feel for you.

I'll have a look thanks! I have had reasonably good success with thompson and morgan seeds in the past. I have a couple of spagetti squash i have grown in previous years and was going to try it on that. Failing that it will just be a sauce i chuck liberally over pasta. Kinda like a grown up fancy mac and cheese.

it is the stupid little things that you would think would have nightshades in that catches me out. Like potato starch in doughnuts and sweets, and paprika in coloured foods. Good job food is something i love to create and love working on new recipes.

Thank you @speakout your post was really enlightening. I think social media has really hindered me as lots of things I see regarding paganism/witchcraft etc, people have lots of time to dedicate to their practice, or they live in a really beautiful setting in a forest or something similar. It has caused me to become a bit disenchanted because I’ll compare my terraced house to what they have and feel like I’m not a ‘proper’ pagan. Which is really damaging and I have to get out of that mindset. The ways of practicing that you spoke about are definitely something I’m going to implement. Today was lovely, the weather was the nicest it’s been in a while so I sat in the garden with DS and did some gardening and listened to some music and I felt the most at peace I have in a while.

@Hedjwitch carrot and lentil soup sounds stunning 🤩.

@Craftycorvid I’m glad you enjoyed your travels. We live in Yorkshire, we were just passing through when travelling and fell in love and then never left!!

@VioletCharlotte I’m sorry to hear about your grandmother💐

@HillsBesideTheSea I don’t do oracle cards enough. I should really get a routine going because they’re very enlightening

moonwitchmum I am deeply cynical about internet presentations of all sorts- including those of witches or magical paractitioners. Shots are heavily staged, often just one corner or small area of their home, and outside shots are also chosen to leave out the supermarkets or electricity pylons etc. If I believed it all then I may become cross at the carefully chosen slices of beautiful lives, but all these content creators also wake up to cat vomit on the carpet, piles of dishes in the sink, a dreary commute to work, piles of laundry- just like the rest of us! But that doesn't make for instaperfect content.Molly Roberts on youtube is often "real", and has shown her modern terraced duplex home, local area with graffiti and litter around- she shows beauty too, but is more realistic. I do like watching the really beautiful witchy videos, but I treat them lightly. There are a couple of channels which I take with a massive pinch of salt.
I love the Witch's Cookery channel on you tube. Most of her shots are beautiful, informative,but she keeps it real ( she has two young children) and has a great sense of humour. This video is a look at a the day of a witch, it's funny - and deals with the very subject you mention. Sorry my youtube links don't work but this is the title. It is worth a watch.
My daily routine as a Witch (on YouTube) | BEHIND THE SCENES REALNESS

@Bookist i'm allergic to blue cheese! For years this was an easily avoidable issue, but recently so many restaurants are adding it to more items on the menu that my DH (also allergic!) and I now have to scour the menu to check.
More recently he bought a pre-made ravioli from the supermarket and it was only because I was reading the ingredients while the water heated up that I saw that it had gorgonzola in it. It wasn't mentioned anywhere else on the packaging.
I know that for some people label checking is a much more arduous daily task.

@moonwitchmum I adore the 'fantasy' of a lot of the online content around witchcraft and paganism but as Speakout has mentioned The Witches Cookery also tempers her beautiful videos with the reality of life as a mother. There was a video I watched recently where she tackles a loft space.....very down to earth and shows the reality that a tidy house is often because there is a 'doom room' somewhere piled high with junk.
I haven't done for a while but I used to make quick costumes and do an impromptu few photos to share to Insta. Finding a clutter free space for background was at times challenging. Likewise my garden photos, kitchen photos. You name it - the clutter shoved to one side reveals the true aesthetic of my life.

Those are such reassuring words.

I have had a good day. Planted seeds with DD2 who has always been my gardening buddy. This year, in addition to planting some new things, we are trying to use only our own homemade compost of which we have an abundance.

I turned a lot over today and discovered my usual mixed feelings about worms. I love them because they indicate that the soil is good but I also shudder at their otherness. These were big healthy worms though so I think overall a good thing. What do you all feel about worms or other minibeasts?

I love worms, I'm not a fan of slugs though. Snails are ok, they are cuter somehow! I try to let all mini beasts go about their business undisturbed if I can, whether I like them or not. I'm chief spider-putter-outer here.

My dyspraxia means DH and DD1 put out spiders. I just am worried I will hurt them with my clumsiness.

I read that we respond better to snails not just because of the houses on their backs but because their bodies are inherently different to slugs.

I'm ok with all the mini beasts, but we are very lucky in the UK that our mini beasts are mostly harmless. My half sister lives in Austrailia, and has quite a different attitude, but then some of her spiders will actually kill you. She couldn't believe that I wander round the garden barefoot, the only thing that bothers me is the odd thistle!

Can't say any bug troubles me- I just let them go about their business. If there are bluebottles in my house I encourage them to leave. I ignore spiders in my house, they usually move along in their own time. I have this idea that we only ever see a tiny fraction of spiders that are living in our homes anyway- most are hidden in nooks and crannies, under furniture and behind skirting boards.
Worms to me indicate a healthy soil so I am pleased to see them.

I seem to have fallen into a fug in the last few days life feels very monotone, same old routines, realising DIY chores are needing done,- a leaky tap, oven door needs fixed, a couple of rooms need decorated, but I just can't seem to fire up ,uch enthusiasm for anything right now. It all feels like groundhog day- working,, buying food, cooking food, clearing up after food, taking bins out. I feel a bit resentful having to look after people constantly. I had cross words with my mother too, over feeding birds of all things! I feed the little birds- finches, tits, robins etc, have been experimenting over the past few years to find out which birds like types of food and offering different feeding containers and baskets. I love to watch them. My mother ( who lives with us) also likes feeding birds, but she throws out roughly torn bread, whole stale cakes, chocolate biscuits, pizza etc directky on to the lawn. Inevitably the seagulls arrive ( we live 3 miles from the coast), swoop, squawk, fight and feed, and usually the little birds will stay away for several hours if not the whole day. There have been two attacks on toddlers by seagulls in the area in recent months, and I know they will eat smaller birds and their eggs. I know she enjoys feeding birds, and I have bought her cages for fat balls, peanut feeders etc, explained the risks to smaller birds, but she is undeterred. Seagulls are magnificent creatures, but are wide roaming, have large territories, and I don't think pizza or cake is ideal for them. My mother casts herself as victim and me jailer, upset that she is " not even allowed to feed the birds". I think I may have to stop feeding the little birds myself, I don't want to put them at risk in my garden where there can be a dozen seagulls. Sorry for the ramble and I know it is way off topic, but just an example of my "stuckness" right now.
I may take myself to a different class this morning to see if that can budge me out of the greyness.
Have a magical day friends.

@speakout I get the stuckness, too, and it seems to go in phases. Sometimes I think of it as being a resting season just as the earth seems to ‘rest’ in winter, though what is happening is germination and is a necessary stage of growth. I think people might be similar. I get myself out of stuck stages in time, and I’m trying to see them as places where I pause to take stock.

The bird feeding sounds very trying. I wonder if it feels rather as though you can’t have something without your mum coming along and changing its nature? It’s clearly bad to throw out the kind of food you describe your mum doing, and you may also attract rats as well as gulls. Would she respond to you sharing some of the information you have about which birds like which diet? Might help her understand that, far from drawing songbirds to the garden, she may put them off. We have the same problem in our local park: everyone has childhood memories of feeding bread to the ducks, but it really isn’t good for them and pollutes the water when it starts to go off. Try telling folk to get wild bird seed instead - ‘but I’ve always fed bread to the ducks’ is the cry. I think it assails some fond memory for people, perhaps it’s the same for your mum?