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

VioletCharlotte a stunning photo. So often photos of skies can't capture the majesty and beauty- but your pic does exactly that!

OnceThereWereDragons I agree- the women on this thread are so amazing, empathic, full of wisdom and understanding-and you have just contributed some loving words and energy. Thankyou! Non witches are very welcome here- despite the thread title. I call myself a witch, but not all of us here do- and that is totally fine. There are many ways to journey in life.

@historygeek12 I recommend YouTube as well. Tylluan Penry is amazing and there is also a lovely Tarot community on YT.

@ISaySteadyOn I literally spent well over an hour in Watkins on Wednesday. I must have looked through every Tarot deck! They have open samples so you can have a really good look through which many shops don’t have. I didn’t buy a single deck in the end but I certainly enjoyed myself!

Hello there, I’ve been lurking for ages but have never posted. I like it here but I constantly get drawn into the trending topics and find it quite bad for my mental health.

I feel like a fraud calling myself a witch because I don’t really do spells and I forget to celebrate the festivals! I’m autistic, infj, HSP (as I guess lots of us are), suffer terribly with anxiety and these threads really help to calm my nerves.

I’m 50 and currently live in Cambridgeshire but I’m moving to Yorkshire soon to be my mum’s carer although she’s still independent at the moment. I’m a bit worried because I don’t have any friends up there and my mum is absolutely nothing like me and the most irritating person in Yorkshire😳.

Trenzalor I am glad you had a good time in the bookshop. There are so many Tarot decks around it can be difficult to choose.

RemoteControlDoobry welcome- I know some mumsnet threads are combative, but this is a gentle cosy space- make yourself comfortable.
You don't need to be a spellcaster or call yourself a witch to join us.

I know there are a lot of feelings and opinions surrounding the term "witch". Some feel it is appropriation and misused, the word witch is firmly embedded in our psyche, conjuring images of frightning old women- toothless and warty.
The word witch is used as an insult by some, but it's a term I use partly to reclaim the whole idea. The idea of being a witch is shocking to some and being a witch was illegal for a long time in the UK, the law was only repealed in 1951, not that long ago.
The term witch talks to me about female power- as in this song by Devon Cole entitled WITCH- I love the spirit of young women claiming their space.

Not sure if this link will work, but you can find the song on youtube

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=witch

Not sure why my message has been hidden.

Sorry- a slight technical issue, my post hasn't appeared, maybe because I posted a link?
I just wanted to give a warm welcome to RemoteControlDoobry

@speakout I can see your post but the link is just text and not clickable.

@speakout, I can both see your post and click on the link 🙂.

Love what you said about witching and women / power.

I'm finding today difficult. I feel sluggish and weighed down by worry. I might try to get out into the sunshine this afternoon.

I hear you @HazelTheGreenWitch. I'm feeling much the same.

I've managed to break my spiral of negative thinking and recognizing ominous patterns in the series of life events I'm experiencing. I'm actually quite proud of that. It's very difficult indeed to get out of that habit, once you've got into that state of mind.

But the wait for DH's diagnosis is weighing heavily on me. Now I have to wait for my own set of blood test results - if negative they will bring me off Apixaban and then test for lupus. I don't have any symptoms of Lupus that I've ever noticed. Apparently the clots were all caused by the same event, which ordinarily would have allowed me to come off anticoagulation, but they are concerned because I have a history of repeat miscarriage. If any tests come back positive I don't quite know what that means, but apparently I'll be on the wrong blood thinner and would then need to be put on Warfarin (rat poison)!

Always something! I think I'll join you for a bit of frosty air under my beloved tree, and hopefully watch a beautiful February sunset later this afternoon.

@Speakout, I can also see your post. And I find your take on the empowerment of witches both inspiring and comforting. You can tell when a person calls a woman a 'witch', what they really want to say is 'bitch', but are worried it would make them look bad so go for the softer option. I instantly think less of anyone who uses these kinds of misogynistic pejoratives.

Hazelthewitch same. I've been blaming it on hormones, but as you and SerafinasGoose are feeling the same, I wonder now if it's linked to astrological goings on...off to investigate!

SerafinasGoose well done on breaking the cycle of negative thinking - it's pretty hard to do so you should be proud of yourself. I imagine the wait for results - both yours and DH - must be stressful. Sending love x

I am sorry to hear that some of my sisters are struggling at the moment. I will light a candle at 8pm tonight to send support.

SerafinasGoose I agree with your ideas regarding witches and misogyny.
A woman has power, which increases with age- and women in numbers supporting each other is a threat to patriarchy.
Because the witch hunts was about male power, silencing women, making sure they continue to pull each other down. It is about male domination and ideas of witchcraft are central to the threat against that.
Building a society supported by a male dominated church disenfranchises women, we are the problem, we need controlling lest we speak up and speak out and disturb the status quo.
The sad thing is that the world needs female power now more as we move forward in this broken global society.
The healing of our planet won't come from the stuffed suits in their ivory towers. We have been forced to live by their systems of pillaging and roughing up our earth and they are clearly not working.
To me witchcraft is political, and I am proud to call myself a witch.

There is something wrong with the atmosphere.

Enjoyed your musings speakout, I'm an historian and the history of women is fascinating, especially the persecution of women. We could also consider ageism - In 12th Century Kiev, where periodic fears of witchcraft arose, all the old women of the area were seized and thrown, with bound hands and feet, into the Dnieper river.

“To me witchcraft is political, and I am proud to call myself a witch.”

I love that speakout, and your understanding of witchcraft resonates with me deeply.

So good to sit down after work and catch up with all the wisdom, support and energy shared here in this wonderful place. Thank you all for making this such an oasis of calm and strength.

I love seeing everyone’s pictures too, and feeling the energy they convey. I wanted to join in and share this rainbow from last week. I am loving the variety in the skies right now, teeming with energy and heralding the promise of spring unfurling.

I’ve been up and down energetically these last few days but have found points of learning along the rollercoaster ride. I can relate to the need to be individual amongst being part of a team. It’s been a pertinent point for me recently. Interesting that this matches the energy of the full moon.

I’ll join with a candle at 8 to send comfort and peace to those going through tough times currently. Sending love x

What a fabulous rainbow! The trees look as though they are stretching their branches up to touch it.

@speakout, your description of what it means to be a witch / to say you're a witch really resonates with me - thank you.

@Aerwyna, and it's a double rainbow! 🌈🌈

I mean to add - I'm listening to Hagitude by Sharon Blackie on Audible. It's so beautiful - it's calming and enraging in equal parts 😄. And Sharon is a beautiful story teller; I'm really pleased it's her narrating it.

Hello everyone. I follow these threads but rarely post and name change .
I wanted to ask for recommendations for suppliers of essential oils? I know it was mentioned in a previous thread . I have this horrible sore throat and cold thing and wanted to burn eucalyptus oil. Also interested in using essential oils in cleaning.

BeautifulDayintheneighbourhood I buy a lot of essential oil.
My two favourite manufacturers are Mystic Moments and Fresh Skin Beauty. They both have a big range including organic essential oils.
The quality is very good, and inexpensive compared to the likes of Neal's Yard or Tisserand.
You can order from their web sites, but I usually buy through Amazon as delivery is faster.

DS and I went walking yesterday and we were suddenly hit by this beautiful scent. I am not sure what the flowers were but it put us both into such a cheerful mood.

And he took my hand a few times which was lovely as he is starting to not want to do that being very grown up at nearly 9.

I feel hope today.

I love when that happens ISaySteadyOn, sweet fragrance in the breeze.
I have a very acute sense of smell ( makes up for my dreadful eyesight) and always take in the scent of the day when I leave the house.
I was just thinking this morning that I may buy some Night Scented Stock seeds.
The scent mesmerised me as a child, the delicate flowers only opening at dusk to be pollinated by moths, I thought the plant must tbe magical.
How lovely that your DS wanted to hold your hand.
My DS gave up on wanting cuddles around 11/12, but by the time he was 20 he started to hug me again. So all may not be lost!

My just turned 10 year old still holds my hand and is very cuddly (i spent most of last night in bed with him as he is poorly and needed my prescence to sleep) but my eldest was never really a very affectionate child once he got past about 5. He still isn't, and literally the only person allowed any physical contact with him is his little brother!

Bright sun here today but bitterly cold and I have had to light a fire. Plans for today have changed as my DS is off school, but that's ok.

Thanks so much!

Hello! Can I have a cup of tea and a seat by the fire even if I'm not a witch? I've been interested in paganism and Wicca since my early teens when I read Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. I followed that with The Golden Bough by James Frazer and that was it, I was just fascinated. But despite doing a lot of reading about paganism (I read all of the time, anything and everything that catches my eye) I've never actually physically done anything that's witchery.

But now both my daughters have left home, I feel there's a space in my life to begin something new. I poured out so much time and energy on raising my children that I feel a bit like a husk! I would like to fill myself up again with positive energy that's also calm and gentle.

queenrollo I hope you enjoy your day with your DS and a warm fire.
Bookist a warm welcome, glad you have joined us, you don't need to be a witch or a practitioner to join us.
Raising kids is a massive job isn't it, you absolutely deserve to fill your own cup.
My kids are young adults now too, and I have had more time and energy to cultivating my magical path and making sure I am cared for.
You have found the right place if you need to top up and find ways to nurture yourself.