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 @speakout. I tried to post a few minutes ago, but couldn't find the words. I hope that all of my sisters are able to find a little peace and joy today.

I am glad you posted LandlubbingKraken.
I am sure this thread is read by many who don't post at all- but they still add energy to our group. All are welcome.

Sending some warmth and positive energy out to those taking the black dog for a walk at the moment. I’ve been feeling low in mood and jittery at the same time - a winning combo’ if ever there was one! My physical wellbeing is a bit sub par, feeling squashed into my clothes rather than comfortable - a sign I need to do more and eat less, but I hate feeling out of sorts and out of control. Venturing out for a walk to see if that helps.

Craftycorvid I know that "low in mood and jittery at the same time" feeling too well.
Hopefully you can move into a more comfortable mindset.
My mood has picked up a little since yesterday, I have avoided world news and doom scrolling on youtube.
I have done a little laundry magic, but the sun has gone, so not sure how dry the clothes will be. At least they will have some outdoor energy and smell fresh.

Thanks for the yoga support. I'll keep at it. The sunshine today has been most welcome. It certainly has lifted my energy.
Sharing it around with those feeling low

I am very inflexible right now, have to modify most poses and spend a LOT of time in child's pose! I can't do downward dog too much (my wrists complain) and can't sit in hero pose because my feet and ankles hurt!
But just being on the mat for 15 or 20 mins brings me a mindfulness that is valuable, even if the physicality of the yoga sometimes seems too hard.
I concentrate on one practice to stretch out my neck and shoulders and another for hip flexibility. Just these are enough to keep the worst of my aches and pains away.
My cousin is the most amazing yoga teacher, of the super bendy/headstand type. And I am going for a walk next week with a local friend who now teaches classes and she is more of the middle-aged 'can't touch my toes' type.

I had a sports massage for my neck, it was fairly brutal (but I actually prefer a really dynamic massage) and it was worth it as I have improved a great deal. The advantage of my trainer also being qualified to do this work is that when I get back into the gym he can tailor my training to my needs much better.

I am at the doctors tomorrow to discuss having my Mirena coil out. I hope I don't meet too much resistance as I am certain it is making me ill.

I cant hold downward dog either because of the wrist pain. It really frustrates me when everyone else can do it!

I am still banned from yoga and currently banned from pilates. Need to stabilise my joints more before i will get signed off to return to pilates and anyone ever considers yoga as a good idea. And yet I can hit over splits, bend my elbows when i touch the floor. What i can't do is not "pop" joints. Modifiers are the best thing and NOTHING to feel bad about. Imo it is the regularly getting out and trying part that is the most important part.
Ain't none of us going to go to the olympics and win a medal. So it is about the enjoyment. And enjoyment is not making yourself feel bad about what you can't do, it is feeling good about what you can do!

I over did it at the weekend so woken up sore, stiff and urgh. Who knew a day in the kitchen doing all the things was so taxing on the body? or did i just get old and creaky?

Gosh its got cold here today. I've decided its a baking day, warms up the house and heart, I am mindfully adding herbs and love to cheese and onion pasties.

@HillsBesideTheSea I misunderstood and wondered what you'd done during your yoga class that was so awful, you'd been banned by the teacher!

Hello all, just catching up on the thread. I've had a few difficult days and have been feeling completely exhausted, although feel like I'm starting to come out the other side of it.

I've been neglecting my yoga practice, I've not had the energy to get to classes. I really feel it mentally and emotionally when I'm not practicing regularly. I'm glad February is coming to an end tomorrow. It's not been a good month so I'll be pleased to the back of it! Looking forward to March and the promise of spring.
*
Probablymagrat* your baking day sounds nice and a good thing to do on such a cold day.

@WiccanWonderer That made me laugh. Nope banned for medical reasons.

I may be asked to say Grace at a work dinner tomorrow. Quite formal( not black tie) but all other guests are olderr,white,traditional males. Not appropriate to go totally off piste,much as I would like to,but also dont want the usual God stuff. Any ideas?

Theres this one by Grace by Ralph Waldo Emerson it doesn't actually specify who is being thanked. You could just leave out the 'Thy' and put in Gods, or just leave it as 'goodness sends'

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends,
We offer thanks.

There is always the traditional "for what we are about to receive may we be truly grateful. Amen"

Although the one that sticks with me is the one my nan taught us to recite when we where there that us kids used to butcher terribly from what i have just found looking it up. Yikes.

Thanks,like the Emerson one.

I think
"Look out teeth
Look out gums
Look out stomach
Here it comes"

May not be suitable?

I actually really liked the grace that Sheldon's mother uses in Young Sheldon. I modified it a bit and it goes:

Bless this food and the hands that prepared it.

I am glad to see the back of February too. It's starting to feel like Narnia now, always winter and never Christmas.

DS would love that one.

Hedjwitch what kind of employment do you have? I'm not sure how I would feel about being asked to say grace, the tradition is christian in origin, has its roots in christian scripture.
Are you OK with this? If this is a group of christians only and you are fine with this then great.

I have to say I struggle with the ideas of gratitude which have crept into mainstream wellness practices. I feel they are too christian in origin to be useful to me..
Summoning thoughts of gratitude or thanks to me has an implicit idea that someone or something has given or is blessing us and we should be grateful to him/them/it.

I understand the mechanism of finding gratitude in order to think about the space and resources we do have, could easily not have, and how fortunate we are.
I think about my current situation a lot- often in terms of other humans who are struggling and finding life much harder than mine.
I never take for granted the fact I have a ( warmish) home, clean water and enough to eat. I live in a quiet, safe place, I know many people don't have such things on this planet.
But I don't have anyone to thank for that, because I am no more deserving than others, and I would feel uncomfortable if somehow god, or a greater power had decided to bestow more blessings on me than others.

As you can probably read life is jagged and spikey right now. I am finding more burdens than solace from other family members, and finding the need to withdraw and turn to my inner resources. My own cup is running low, but others are drawing more than I can give right now.
I need to pull up the drawbridge a little and strengthen my boundaries.
I have a yoga class this morning which will help me come back to centre, so trying to creep around the house quietly while I get ready, in the hope that I don't have to engage with anyone.

I am another one really struggling with difficult family dynamics at the moment. I feel very low and depleted and am really struggling to cope. Let's all hold hands and be there for one another.

Oh that low mood + the jitters, I know it well. Mine is very much linked to my menstrual cycle. I can happily go months and months feeling upbeat and outgoing, then suddenly the black dog walks in the room and it's game over. I have the most awful inner bleakness, no hope, can't even muster a smile for my lovely husband or children. Sometimes it's accompanied with severe anxiety and that can be unspeakably bad. Nothing helps to shift it and believe me I have tried everything. I just have to endure it and then it disappears as fast as it came, always 9-10 days later, you can almost set your watch by it.

If there is such a thing as reincarnation I really hope I come back as a man.

I struggle with the fact that gratitude is being used to make people feel bad about being dissatisfied with things. There is a complete difference between acceptance of a shit situation and being grateful about things in the shit situation. There is difference between finding joy in small things and being grateful.

It smacks of social mobility control of the great unwashed masses. almost the old "oy peasent be gratful it is not worse, you were born to serve and you should be grateful of this privaledge"

I live in a toxic for me situation and it has been getting to me lately. But that is the nature of being hypercussive with inability to use ear plugs in a house with deaf people who are just loud. Grates on my nerves constantly. Thankfully it is almost daylight savings with longer light evenings so i can escape to the hills for some relief soon.

I work for a traditional organisation, top heavy with middle-aged white males,all from similar backgrounds. E.g there will be a loyal toast to the King.

I'm going with
Blessed be the hands that produced,cooked and served our food this evening. For what we are about to receive,may we be thankful.

BeautifulDayintheneighbourhood I hear you. Yes lets support each other.
It's hard when home and family life is stressful.
Ideally we have homes that are safe havens, families a pleasure to interact with, but it doesn't always feel like that. People we care for can have issues, toxic thinking, and when stretched I don't always act or speak in the best way either.
My load often feels too heavy to bear, other family members are sticking their head in the sand or just acting in a mean way.
When we realise life is a journey that can often take us on roads that increase separation, decisions I take are not ones that others may want to walk. As I try to heal, others deal with their lot by shutting down or turning to unhealthy habits which in the long term distances us even further.
I often feel anger and frustration at having found myself in a caring role - we are four adults living in the same house, and it is difficult sometimes.
One family member ( who is able and is regularly out on shopping trips) came to tell me that I "had run out of milk".
I don't drink cows milk, I prefer oat milk and keep a supply for my own use.
Not sure why the "running out of cows milk" is my responsibility-why couldn't the others check on their own usage, give some thought to plan when they go shopping. Just observing how others look to me the "what's for dinner" questions.
I will light a candle for our solidarity, and hope that noise calms, rough edges are smoothed, and we find a calm place within us for safety and healing.

Oh, loves I have missed you all! Been feeling really low and struggling to do even the nice things for last few weeks, then had the funeral and my birthday close together in the middle of it and sort of fell off the planet. I'm slowly emerging and have booked some counselling and hoping to get proper time this week to come and catch up with all the posts here as it's my favourite soothing internet place. Hugs to everyone, I haven't read anything but I will come back and catch up as soon as I can. Here's a shot of the sun setting over the river in my village by way of apology for not being here for ages and this very fly-by message 💙 xx