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

Happy Solstice from a lurker!
May you all carry through today's sunshine, joy and blessings through to the darker months
And thank you for making this space 💜

Thanks for the good wishes, it's so good to hear of all the wonderful celebrations and support.
My DDs cat has responded well to medication, and she has him home, more tests tomorrow, but time for her to catch a breath.

My mother has daily carers visiting and as one was leaving she caught sight of me working and took an interest.
I try to keep my work private, but she seemed keen to look at some of my items, then proceeded to tell me how angry she is because of the horrors of the burning times, how the church targeted independent women as if found guilty of witchcraft the church could seize the assets.
It was lovely to hear a random person speak out with such fire on this subject.

Thanks for the video link VioletCharlotte I have missed some classes this week, but after a few emotionally charged days, feel more in rest and recovery mode. I have some yoga later today, but will be restful and gentle.

Solstice blessings sisters 💛.

speakout sorry, I missed that kitty isn't well, glad meds are working.

Blessed be sisters,blessed be.

In memory of our sisters gone before. We hear you

Sorry for my silence over recent weeks. I've been regrouping after a hard few months and taking a bit of a step back from my practice, as when my energy is low and my mood less positive, I tend to do less from a spiritual perspective.

I'm feeling some magical stirrings coming back again. I continue to visit my sacred healing well and clootie tree, which has been a sustained place of faith and comfort.

I will read back over the thread time-permitting, but in the meantime, as the year now enters its waning cycle I wanted to wish you all many solstice blessings. Love and light to all ☀

The solstice candle.

Happy solstice, everyone. I didn't know how to celebrate exactly but I found my own path. Tried something new.

The plant I suspected was a nettle was indeed a nettle. After feeling a bit silly, I thought of this thread and asked myself what would @Hedjwitch do? And now for the very first time, I have homegrown nettles hanging up to dry. I don't know if I have done it right, but I have tried.

Today was also the first day I could use rainwater to water my plants.

Oh steadyon what a compliment!
Once they are dry,take them down ( or they will get mouldy or dusty). Put in an airtight container. You can use them to make tea.
Well done.

Is there a specific time you leave them to dry for? Or do you just check on them until they are? I'm asking because, as ever, the internet gives conflicting answers.

I grow and dry herbs, and mushrooms.
Drying in a cool or warm atmosphere with flowing air is best, you can use a cool oven if it is damp and cold.
Once dried I store in airtight containers with silica gel pouches in hte bottom of the container- they really work well to prevent mould and deterioration. I buy the pouches on Amazon, but they can be reused indefinitely, reactivated in the microwave or oven.

Generally it is impossible to give exact timings for drying herbs because of all the different factors that can affect the drying process - air humidity, moisture content of plant material, and which can be so unique to each situation.

I can't dry generally as humidity can be too high so i use a low temp dehydrator. But the end goal is so dry it could crumble, i also condition the dried product before i store it. But that is just a fancy word for stick in jar, shake everytime you walk past for a week watching for clumping and any other indicators of residual moisture which can lead to the dried herb going bad. Somethings you have to watch as they are more prone to naturally clumping even if they are full dried (fruit powders)

but that is a lot of fancy words to say dry until really dry, it will potentially take different amounts of time each time.

i love the idea of nettle being hung up drying. I don't have enough nettle to do that with. I could harvest some more lemon balm and set that to dry. But not today. Today i am busy.

I hope that you all find a few precious moments to do the things that bring joy to your hearts.

Fine, thank you!

Does anyone have any recommendations for good books as a starting point for anyone interested in growing, identifying and using plants and herbs in their life?

I had a lovely evening in the kitchen and the garden and have two lovely bouquets of flowers in the house and some yummy snacks.

HillsBesideTheSea you have inspired me, after reading of the medicinal and magical properties of nettle I am off to forage this afternoon.
There is a large wild flower meadow at the edge off the forest near my home, including an area that has some very large nettle patches.
I'll take my gardening gloves and secateurs and make some nettle tea later.
I have been dealing with joint pain in one knee for a few months and I have heard nettle is good for joints.
I generally find GPs are not very interested in small twinges in middle aged women- it is only painful when I do a full lotus, lizard or mermaid in yoga, I have had the eye roll from the GP before. And rightly so really, there are people in greater need than me of my GPs time, and it doesn't limit my day to day activity. So I may try make some dietary adustments - including the nettle tea!

@Hoolahoophop I'll send you the names of a couple that I like and use. Working late today so probably be tomorrow

Nettle soup also yummy.

@Hedjwitch thank you very much that would be appreciated

Eliminating dairy is a proven way to lessen joint pain. My late parents became vegan for heart health but their incipient arthritis entirely went away.
And stayed away.

QueenHippolyta thanks. I don't eat dairy anyway, so that isn't an issue.
I am just sitting down with a delicious glass of iced nettle tea from nettles I foraged this afternoon. I added some lime and a touch of maple syrup.
It's very refreshing.

If paying for private physiotherapy is an option, that might be worth looking at. They will be able to advise whether the pain stem from muscles, etc, or whether it's a problem with the joint itself. It may also be referred pain from the hip or lower back.

Physio really helped me when I had an issue with my hip. As well as giving you exercises to do, they can offer manipulation, ultra sound, acupuncture, etc

Do you have a knee pad for yoga?

Thanks VioletCharlotte, I have come to that conclusion too.
Yes I do use a pad for some positions in yoga, and I am very mindful to pull back if it is painful.
I had hoped it would resolve of its own accord, and whether to accept it as part of ageing.
There is a good local physio that some of the teachers and students at my DDs old dance school use- my DD has had treatment in the past, and he advertises as a sports physio, so understands that some of us want to push our bodies a bit harder than "normal" activity- like ballet or yoga. Walking, running, taking stairs two at a time, climbing over fences are all easy and painless for me.

Speakout I think that you're right not to just accept it as part of ageing. Often, this kind of thing can be resolved quickly, but people sometimes are resistant to getting help, or are unable to access help. It's a shame, as what could be a quick fix, can then deteriorate and become more of a problem. I hope you get it sorted.

I'm flagging a little today. Last nights solstice celebration didn't go quite as planned. One of my friends is in quite a bad way with her mental health (she has long term, complex mental health needs). The evening ended up being rather intense, and she got very upset. My other friend and I tried to offer support, but it was thrown back at us as she just wasn't in the place to hear it. It's sad, but having reflected, I feel I need to now step back for a little while to protect my own energy. She refuses to engage with professionals or take her medication regularly, and I can't be responsible for her mental health. Does that sound terribly selfish? It's hard, because my natural instinct is to always try and help, but I feel rather out of my depth with her.

Yeah nettle is pretty dang amazing.
Can help those that struggle with the temp changes with the changing of the season
good for reducing the effect of hayfever
Good for reducing swelling in joints etc.

The one that i found was really useful was Cleevers (stick weed) tastes like cucumber and gets the lymphatic system going. Not a take every day thing. It has more nutrients than nettle. I felt so much more human coming out of the winter /spring sluggishness when i took it for a few days.

I used dehydrated foods as a meal prep thing too so my pantry does not look like most modern peoples. And i have so much more i want to do and add.

However, i am but one person.