Any Witches Here?- Part 19

[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 18th 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

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/philosophy_religion_spirituality/4717929-any-witches-here-part-18?page=1

Greetings sisters,and welcome to newcomers. Shake the rain off your cloak and come and sit by the fire awhile.
I made a new skin cream for my sis who has had a nasty flare up of exzema patches on her skin.
Pics show no tretment,day 1 and then day 2. Even as a firm believer in herbal remedies,I'm staggered.

@speakout and @Hedjwitch I've just been watching a video showing the floods in Scotland. The weather looks horrendous, is this near where you live? I hope you and your families are all safe and snug indoors.

Back in the UK, though still in zombie mode, completely exhausted despite having slept through most of the day. The weather didn't feel too bad, warmer than I expected, even had some sun in the afternoon - but I saw the photos from Scotland and Wales of the floods, really bad. Hope the damages will be material only.

@natura sounds like a wonderful morning,

@Hedjwitch would you be willing to share the recipe (or guide to the right ingredients?) no pressure, completely understand if you'd rather not. Unbelievable result!

I've had several messages fritz into the ether, however, persistence is my middle name.

Big hello to new ladies, returning ladies and
frequently posting ladies

I think everyone I know is burdened with so much stress right now, it seems to be a combination of things that arrive before you can sort one adequately that's a major part of the problem.

Hedjwitch brilliant results with the skin cream. Dd also has eczema, I make a salve with organic beeswax, organic olive oil and vitamin E which works well on hers. All skins are different and some respond to some ingredients (like oat milk for itching) more favourably than others.

I hope everyone has survived this awful storm, the footage on TV is horrifying.

Happy to share the recipe...will go and find it. The difference with this one was doing it over two days. First a salve then whipped to make the cream.

Ok, recipe is based on one by the American herbalist Rosemary Gladstar. But you can adapt to suit as previous pp said. Its in American measures so you have adapt as you go if in UK

3/4 cup calendula oil. ( I use sweet Almond as my base for infused oils, but there are other choices) I also added a little chickweed oil.
1/8 cup cocoa butter( I used shea butter)
1/8 cup coconut oil
I rounded tblspoon grated beeswax ( i buy beeswax pellets but either way make sure your beeswax is in tiny pieces or it takes ages to melt)

Combine all of the above over a very low heat( i prefer in a bowl over a pan of simmering water for a gentle heat). When all is melted pour into cup or bowl and leave to set overnight. You should have a firm,creamy waxy product the next day.

Scrape this mixture into a blender. ( I used a bowl and old fashioned hand mixer)
In a seperate bowl combine 1/4 cup aloe vera gel( buy this commercially! I squeezed it from aloe leaves and it is a sticky,slimy bugger to work with. Lesson learned),3/4 cup distilled water and a few drops of lavender essential oil..or oil of your choice. Rose is also nice.

Start beating the wax mixture/ turn on the blender and slowly drizzle the water mixture into the oil mixture until all the water has been absorbed. The mixture will become white and creamy.
Scoop into small,sterilised jars and label. Keep in cool dark place.

@speakout a little late but I do have ritual in my daily life; I have a lararium, an altar that looks like a mini Greek temple with small statues of the goddesses and gods. I give wine, incense and fruit as offerings. I really love it.
@BlankTimes and @Hedjwitch I've had bouts of eczema brought on by stress. Oatmeal baths + homeopathy+meditation alleviated it by about 90%. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

Thanks so much for the recipe @Hedjwitch. I don’t suffer from eczema but I do get extremely dry hands in the colder months. Will definitely be making some!

Just popping in to say hi It has been a busy week and difficult energies to deal with too..
It's been a bit of a struggle TBH, my anxiety has been hard to tame in the past week.
It has been stormy here, but no floods thank goodness. despite me living just a few minutes from a river. The river is deeply cut in a forest glade, has never been known to flood here.
The name of the nearest town is Gaelic, translated it means ""Valley of Trees".
Widespread deforestation in the UK contributes so much to flooding- it's very sad.
Amazing results with your cream Hedjwitch. Eczema is a nasty condition, and too often heavy steroids are the medication of choice

My friend has eczema too, particularly around her eyes I make a simple remedy of grapeseed oil and rose absolute. Just a few drops can halt a flare up overnight.
I love rose oil, but so expensive to use everyday.

Work has been super busy the past few days, I have been working 12 hour days and even had to cancel my yoga classes. Not good. I may decide to switch off work for a day or two to get back on track. I still have a backlog, and OH is at work tomorrow.
I have yoga this morning thankfully, I am so lucky to have so many inexpensive classes near me, despite living in a rural place'
A newish instructor leads an intermediate class on a Sunday morning, it's a small class, and he is taking a personal interest in each of us, leading us to deepen and develop our practice in the way we wish. It is lovely to have such focussed attention.
Off to start my morning rituals- heralded by a beautiful sunrise - the view from my bedroom window

You're welcome. Let me know if you try the cream and if it helps. Today I bartered a jar of it and a jar of scalp oil for two jars of a friends chili apple jelly. Excellent deal all round

What a beautiful sunrise Speakout.

l saw this about a possible Serpent Mound in Scotland and wondered if its of interest

https://www.megalithic.co.uk/modules.php?op=modload&name=Forum&file=viewtopic&topic=9250&forum=4

There are many legends of giant serpents throught the UK and beyond, it would be great to have some of them substantiated.

@MaculataO I meant to repsond to you but have been so busy at home this is the first chance I have had. I wanted to say about mother and babe groups in Church Halls - it's really worth giving them a go. In my experience it was just that they were the cheapest place to hire so the group itself wasn't religious at all. Indeed at my most local one (though 18 year ago now!) I met the most wonderful pagan friend. We gravitated towards each other. Some of the other mums were not pagan but very 'muddy wellies, woodland walk' types. There wasn't a single churchy person among us.
I think as Speakout has said, a little digging can help. We have one in my area (though my youngest is 10 so I am well past this stage) that is very churchy, but it was through my village hall one that I was directed to a local Steiner playgroup. It would be worth searching to see if you have one locally, and likewise we have lots of Forest School based groups locally which I think might suit you. See if there are any in your area?
I never fit in at my local NCT at all!

I haven't so much raised my children Pagan, as they are just around me as I observe the wheel of the year. My eldest is completely uninterested. My 10 year old has lots of questions, he likes to know the origins of things but isn't really interested in observing or celebrating with me.

My spell candles have arrived! I'm.very new to spell work and rarely do it,other than to ask the Goddess to help my oils and potions to heal.
But with Samhain almost upon us,its a good time to try.

That's an interesting link Blanktimes,yes there are many myths of serpents, including the Loch Ness Monster, claims of sightings go back many centuries

Serpents are common symbols in mythology and religion. The snake in the garden of Eden, the Kundalini, many cultures see snakes as symbols of renewal and rebirth , or have a special connection to the underworld.
Snakes seem to elicit strong feelings in many people, even in cultures like our own where most people have never seen a snake in the wild.
Hedjwitch those candles look amazing- are they bees wax? I like to work with correspondences too,
It's a calm but cold morning here, I had t scrape frost off my car windscreen yesterday, but I think it is a few degrees above freezing today.
Last weeks emotional storms have calmed thank goodness. I am enjoying calm and grounded energy. No real change in circumstance, just a better internal landscape! Life needs a manual!!

I feel I am improving my toolkit, both for emotional first aid, but also implementing preventative aspects to make sure I Stay strong and centered, some magical, some not, some are very important like plenty sleep and daily meditation.
The moon spends the day in Pisces, bringing calm energy with an ability to connect with our inner world. It aligns with Neptune tonight, bringing a need to unwind, go with the flow, or accept and forgive. The Pisces Moon is idealistic and spiritually aware. We're tolerant, mellow, psychically aware, and easily touched. We quickly tune into the vibrations around us today.

Have an enchanted day sisters.

What a lovely set of candles @Hedjwitch ! I have just learnt to accept beeswax candles as the best (I’m vegan so naturally tried to shy away from them). I’m from a long line of beekeepers though so perhaps it was inevitable to embrace beeswax! I just find it better in so many ways. there is an energy to them that is lacking in other mediums (and they burn better too!).

@MaculataO do try the groups. You’ll quickly be able to see which ones are for you. I went to many that were held in church halls. Most were just hired spaces. Two were run by churches, one was run by lovely people who just wanted to give something to the community and the second was preachy. I ignored it until we were all told if we ignored Jesus we were condemned. I still described myself as Christian at the time but left and never returned. Look for children centred as well tied to local primaries. They are very good.

I just received these via Etsy (Sacred Moon Candles) for Samhain.

@speakout @BlankTimes it's Western too.
Romans regarded snakes as guardians of the home ancient and bringers of abundance. You can find them on every home altar. Tons in Pompeii and Herculaneum. It's all been supressed by christianity.

The healing goddess Sirona has snakes as one of her attributes from what I remember

I just looked, spot on. She was equated with Hygeia. And both she and Asklepios are depicted with healing snakes.
www.snakebitefoundation.org/blog/2022/4/15/asclepius-symbolism-of-the-serpent-in-medicine

thank you @queenrollo and @Trenzalor you've inspired me to try one out!
Have joined a few local mum groups on FB to see what's happening near me. I think it'd be good for me and as you say, I may meet similar folk to myself.

We're having a tough ride atm! Hubby has an infected cyst which he's now got antibiotics for but he's in loads of pain. Feeling very worried about him, and also want to keep the lion share of parenting to me, so he can catch a break. Or (hopefully not) go to a&e. Sickness as self employed folks can be so crappy. Am such an anxious sort! Have made up one of those Quercetin style reductions for him to take with honey just to boost his immune system and sent him off to work with a turmeric tea. Any other ideas from my kitchen witches greatly appreciated. Love to all. Loving the descriptions (and pix) of people's morning views. I adore winter for the otherworldly light it gives views/nature. x

@MaculataO . Can I help at all? I have been making treatments tonight; a hot oil muscle rub and another batch of skin cream and will help if I can.

Thank you @Hedjwitch - it's basically an epic boil (what happens when a cyst in a hairy place, levels up!) Red skin, swelling, the works. He's currently sudocreming the raw skin, and keeping it clean and we hope the antibiotics work. But I'm also aware when stuff like this is entrenched it can take more antibiotics, or even possibly the need for draining/excision) to be fully gone. Poor bloke. My anxious mind leaps to sepsis down the line and gives me terrible jitters.

Sounds like it does need antibiotics to deal with the infection,but happy to send a pot of soothing balm for surrounding skin if you want. It won't,and mustn't,replace medical intervention, but may help?
PM me yr address if you want some

I'm wondering if a compress of witch hazel might help....

Witch hazel is not meant for use on broken skin. And speaking from experience when i have accidentally gone against this it stings like a bitch and can get irritated. So whilst i won't say don't, I will say it is something to be real careful for.

Life is out of control here. destructively overwhelming.