Any Witches here? Part 20

[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

Sorry to hear you have been under the weather VioletCharlotte. Our bodies and minds are so entwined, each has an impact on the other. Life can be so dang hard at times, I hope you are feeling a little better x
Blanktimes- good to see you and thanks for your kind words. Finding balance in life and healing are very important to me. My situation has been intolerable in recent years, but working on self compassion, self trust has really helped. We all have an instinct to push away painful emotions, but these feelings are our teachers, and show us where we need to heal. And feeling crap at times is Ok, that is just life as a human.
Doyoulikemyyams your new chapter of life sounds exciting!There is magic everywhere on this planet, sometimes it takes time to see it clearly when we move. Finding the genius loci, tradition, history and local customs will give you insights into new energies. Smudging is a lovely thing to do, smoke cleansing rituals exist everywhere, with different plants and herbs, different intentions. I tend to do saining at home, although I smudge with sage too. If something feels right then it certainly will be.
I am planning an easy evening here, I have a habit of charging around at 100 miles per hour, as soon as one chore or activity is finished I dive straight into the next one. I have to remind myself to take breaks, sit a while, drink some tea. This past week has been full on, so I am changing gears- at least for the rest of the day.

Hi everyone, just wanted to drop in and say we had our baby (a little boy!!!) on the 2nd. He’s lovely, I feel like I’ve been hit by a bus. Will be back when I’m feeling more myself and will catch up with everyone.

A huge congratulations kfellover - that is such wonderful news. I hope your little one is doing well and you are OK.

Take time to snuggle down and enjoy your babymoon. x

@kfellover , congratulations!

I would like to pass on to you the piece of knowledge I found most useful in the newborn days and it is this: a newborn baby's stomach is the size of a walnut so it is only natural for them to be hungry a lot.

Congratulations on your lovely little boy @kfellover that's such wonderful news!! Looking forward to hearing how you're getting on and wishing you lots of rest and a swift recovery

I've been doing some early Mabon baking to celebrate the season - some chocolate and maple syrup oatmeal cookies and a satsuma and dark chocolate brioche loaf. I started a new job about two months ago and have had a very busy few days with deadlines and an all-day group event yesterday that was very intense! On top of that I've had a sudden rush of orders for the services I offer in my spiritual business in the last few days so have had plenty to be getting on with. Tomorrow should also be busy but I enjoy the work - hopefully Friday will be more restful

It's been nice to connect more with my practice recently, feels like exploring a side of myself that is seeking more expression. ✨

@kfellover congratulations to you. It’s such a wonderful journey, but can be an emotional rollercoaster. Do check in with us if you need nurturing. Enjoy that new baby smell!

@kkfellover congratulations!!! Enjoy these beautiful early days! They are over too soon! Lean into the rhythm of your little one of feeding and sleeping and everything else can wait. 💖

FrostedSunrise your baking sounds delicious. I have had no success in baking, I consider myself a good cook, but baking seems to be tied up with food guilt for me.
It's silly really, as I do sometimes buy and eat cakes from bakeries and supermarkets- I am sure home made versions would be much healthier.
I did make a lemon and poppy seed cake recently, but was so dense most of it was fed to the birds. I'm not even sure what went wrong. If you or anyone has some surefire baking recipes I would love to try again.
It sounds you have a busy life- a new job and running a business too.
I am coming up to a busy season with my small business, although the past 24 hours have had a welcome lull. I am hiring a carpet cleaner today,and OH has a day off work, we have 6 rooms to do , stairs and landings.
OH and I have very different approaches to tasks like this- he is quick and moves at breakneck speed trying to complete a task as quickly as possible, I prefer to take my time and be meticulous. And we end up butting heads sometimes. I take too long and he misses bits!
But we will sit down before hand and discuss how to tackle the task. ( does anyone else have "meetings" like this with loved ones?)
So probably he will do the large areas and heavy lifting, I can focus on keeping things tidy as we work and the fiddly places!

This morning is so beautiful here, a soft silvery dawn light, quite misty with gentle rain, I feel so moved watching the day open up as I sit with my coffee.

I have to make a move however- I need to finish off packing some orders and make a trip to the post office before clearing up before the carpet cleaning.
Have a magical day sisters.

Wonderful news on yr baby boy. He is blessed with a coven of witchy aunties already.

kfellover what wonderful news, enjoy this time together, it's a path of discovery and joy.

Speakout Sponge cake - I heard John Torode on morning telly saying he had the perfect foolproof recipe for a Victoria Sponge. Aha, I wondered, could this be the best cake ever for dds birthday, so I thought I'd give it a whirl.

JTs recipe.
Weigh 2 eggs Add the same weight each of of SR flour, butter and sugar.

I haven't got a round cake tin so I thought I'd adapt that for food intolerance (cows milk) preferences (don't like sweet stuff) etc.to make a dozen small buns. I used

Weigh 4 eggs
Same weight of SR flour
Same weight of cows milk free spread
Quarter of a tablespoon of sugar
.

Added
2 tablespoons ground ginger * *
1 tablespoon frozen chopped ginger pieces
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Bake at your usual temperature for the usual time you would do for the same type of thing

Topping
Melted vegan white chocolate and/or Willies' Sambirano
Freeze dried raspberry bits.

My energy had completely gone by the time it was to decorate them, so not as attractive as they could have been.

BUT

It was the best Sponge cake I've ever made!

Do try it and let me know 😋

@kfellover congratulations!

Hope everyone is having a peaceful weekend? It would have been my dear mum’s 90th birthday today. Sadly, I’m not in a position to be able to put flowers on her grave - too far to travel with Mr C and too long to leave him alone - so I lit some incense and wore some of mum’s jewellery.

We went to an interesting talk today on witch bottles and how their use has evolved over time.

Interested in witch bottles @Craftycorvid , I'll have a google !
Thank you for the recipe @BlankTimes ,
Love JT so will try that .

Hope everyone has been enjoying the weekend! We were woken up at 2:30 last night by the most intense thunderstorm I have ever experienced. It was directly over our home and I’m questioning whether it might have struck the building because when I woke up it really felt like the walls were shaking. DP and I both love thunderstorms but even we had to admit it was a little bit scary! Incredible though, I’m sure some powerful energy clearing has happened!

We’re en route now to a town about 2 hours away that we’ve never visited, looking forward to a little adventure. Have a magical day everyone

Hello everyone! @FrostedSunrise I heard the thunder last night too and today there was an almighty crash or thunder but no rain!!!! Very strange!

My energies were very low this week. Back at work (I'm a teacher) and struggling with a new class. I'm sure it will get better, but I'm feeling quite isolated right now. I would smudge my classroom if I thought the caretaker wouldn't have a fit!!! Does anyone know of a way I can (subtly) bring some cleansing and positivity into my classroom?

I made myself feel better with a lovely yoga session this morning and plan to try a 5-min meditation to set a positive intention for my day before I get out of bed tomorrow morning.

I also made delicious apple crumble from the apples from my garden! We planted an apple tree when we moved in 7 years ago and this is the first year that the apples have been really sweet and tasty!

Have a lovely week!

Thank you for the congratulations and advice everyone it really means a lot!. I won’t bore you too much with baby chat so will try and keep it short and sweet and will catch up with you all.
I’m so happy but so overwhelmed, I struggled a bit the first few days as I really wasn’t prepared for how sore I would be following the birth. You’re only really told to prepare for the birth and then I kept being told as soon as my baby was born I’d forget about the pain, which definitely wasn’t true for me!. I had a 30 hour labour and hardly managed about 2 hours sleep altogether so was just absolutely exhausted.
I’m feeling better now, and just so unbelievably lucky. Still exhausted and trying to navigate this new role of mine, and the new dynamics between DH and I, but it’s all so magical and I’m trying to soak in every moment.
Still feeling sore and we haven’t ventured out of the house yet, other than to the garden. That’s the next step but I’m trying to be as gentle to myself as I can be, especially while DH is off work and can run around after me!.
Our little boy is just gorgeous, the absolute double of DH as a baby but with my eyes. He’s named after my dad and grandads, there were lots of tears when we announced his name. We’re all just so in love.

@MaculataO thank you so much, I’m sure I will need to message at some point as I try and navigate being a new mum. It is so rewarding but so difficult isn’t it.

@FrostedSunrise it was quite difficult not knowing the sex sometimes, but really worth it when he was born. I enjoy hearing about how you decorate your home for the seasons, I also enjoy working with fragrance and I usually have a simmer pot burning away, especially in the winter.

@BlankTimes that recipe is brilliant and the cakes look delicious.

@Craftycorvid happy 90th to your mum, it sounds like you honoured her memory in a really lovely way ❤️

@Stepbreathesweep Could you bring some crystals in and have them on your desk?.

@speakout I made these cinnamon and apple cupcakes today for Mabon but swapped the salted caramel frosting for some orange-coloured buttercream. If you're not icing them, I'd say these are relatively simple to make, and you could top them with a drizzle of maple syrup or a dusting of more cinnamon. They're also not too sweet if you don't have a sweet tooth like me!

@Stepbreathesweep My Year 6 teacher used to burn incense in our classes to help us calm our minds and focus! You could definitely bring some crystals in, or some aura spray, or light a candle perhaps? If it were me, I would also say a prayer to an appropriate patron deity, ascended master and/or angel. You could extend it into a meditation as well, perhaps on a Sunday night before starting a new work week. Archangel Raguel helps harmonise relationships and Archangel Gabriel helps with communication. Ascended Master Lady Nada is also a great helper when it comes to relating to children (or our inner child). None of that might be your thing though! ✨

@kfellover the autumnal wax melts are out in force here! Glad to hear you're on the mend and taking things slowly after all that. Enjoy this magical time with your little one

Those recipes look amazing, I will definitely try when I get some time.

This week seems to have flown by, Friday again, I have been chasing my tail..
I have managed to get my nails done, and went to the cinema with DD to see the new Beetlejuice movie though- it hasn't been all work.
I have a woman's circle tonight, this time we are making smudge bundles.
I sit on the fence with this a little, although I do have a lovely kit including abalone shell and sage from my niece in Australia.
I more often cleanse bless and move energy with other practices- using sound, salt, flame, water, or botanicals from my own garden- rose, lavender and rosemary. I know some materials can produce toxic smoke.
I hear about the idea of cultural appropriation, but smoke ceremonies are widespread throughout the world in various forms, and documented in the distant past.
Saining is the traditional smoke ceremony where I was born and live, but I usually use a liquid spray rather than smoke.

I usually have yoga this morning, but I have cancelled, work is very busy right now and if I try to do too much I end up feeling rushed and frazzled- even though some of these activities are meant to calm and de- stress me.
I will do a short yoga flow at some point today at home, just to limber up my spine and neck- get the juices flowing!

I hope everyone is good right now, and able to find some down time and self nurture.

Hello all, please may I sit quietly amongst you and share your wisdom? I have some lovely peach and marigold green tea to share....
I have always had an affinity with nature, the moon and the "old ways", always mocked in the family and "friends" for being odd, and after the last couple of years being filled with loss and trying times, I'm starting afresh and decided to be true to myself, and it's led me to seek out other like minded souls. Wishing you all a blessed day

Hello, @MistyMoonlight and I’d love a cup of peach and marigold tea!

It’s rather wonderful what happens when we stop trying to conform to the ideas of others and start going our own way.

MistyMoonlight you are very welcome, glad you have found us. that marigold and peach tea sounds delicious. I admire your resilience- staying true to your heart despite having rude comments from friends and family.
Craftycorvid speaks wise words- authenticity is queen. When we start working from a place of authenticity magical things happen.
In the past I would take great care in protecting my magical identity for fear of ridicule or shame.
But I am so past that now. If the subject of my work or beliefs come up now I answer briefly. With my head held high. If people are shocked or critical then that is their swill to wallow in.
I have made more friends by coming out of the broom closet than I have lost.
I know it isn't easy- and I am NC with my sister, partly because of my spiritual leanings, but that is her loss. She can play with her boogeyman and feel fear all she likes, nowt to do with me!
I am having a sit down and rest for half an hour, my day has been very busy so far and I need to gather my juices for my woman's circle this evening.

Thank you for the lovely welcome. Fresh, fragrant tea for you both. As the garden is winding down for autumn, I am having an afternoon repotting and refreshing my house plants (it's taking me a while, there's 75 of them!) There's something wonderful and grounding about burying your hands in soil, untangling root structures, and they joy of seeing a new leaf or bud appear, be it a house plant in a pot or something planted in the earth outside. I'll be going for a dusk dog walk later on, and admiring the changes in the hedgerows and fields, watching the little mammals go about their business (and keeping an eye on the terrier, so she doesn't cut anyone's business short!). Last night I stood in the garden barefoot and admired the northern lights, I was going to try again tonight, but it's gone quite cloudy in my part of the world now.

Hope your women's circle went well @speakout! I've never actually smudged before - I tend to use incense or a lighted candle/burning essential oils to clear energy. Plus some strategically-placed black tourmaline, jet or black obsidian. I have sage incense but it's not the only kind I would use. I've heard a lot about women's circles on this thread but when I've googled near me it seems to be largely therapy-focused for women who have things they're processing - is that correct or would you say your circle is more open?

Welcome @MistyMoonlight - I'd love a cup of peach and marigold tea! Huge tea enthusiast over here I'm also very new to this thread, it's nice to see others gravitating towards it. 75 house plants is unbelievable!! We have a succulent and a windowsill herb garden in the kitchen, I can't imagine the responsibility of having so many plants to care for! Like you, I'm also making the decision to be more open about my beliefs now. Those who know me are aware that I'm spiritual, that occult topics are a big part of my life, but still using the term 'pagan' feels different somehow, even though I've described my beliefs in that way in my own head for upwards of a decade, saying it out loud feels like it takes courage. Perhaps because, with my beliefs, it's adding a religious element to a previously vaguer 'spiritual' label that people would have ascribed to me. So many people are hostile to the thought of any theism nowadays, so the idea of pre-Christian polytheism might tip some of them over the edge 😅

Tomorrow I'm heading to my first ever moot, which feels somewhat daunting. I'm hoping it will be relatively casual to allow me to get to know some people in the local community. Unsure what to expect though. Tonight DP and I are heading to the ballet (his first time!) and tomorrow morning he's asked if I wouldn't mind going with him for brunch at the home of two of his friends who recently got engaged. I do mind (nothing against the woman but I find the man really irritating as he tries to make a joke out of everything he or anyone else says!) but I'll go along anyway for him. So, I'm a bit worried that my social battery will be quite drained before I even get to the moot tomorrow but hopefully it will all be fine!

But … ( forgive me I haven’t read the whole thread) you’re not really “ witches” are you? You’re into green issues and the Mother Earth and all that’s natural…- you’re not devil worshippers . Witches are devil worshippers…..
You can’t just reclaim the name. Find a new and more honest name to describe who you are…

Witches are not,and never have been devil worshippers.
Perhaps do a bit of research and then come back and chat to us??

Thank you but lots of sources say otherwise
eg “The term witchcraft originated in the Early Middle Ages as the Old English term wiccecraeft. Prior to the 19th century the common understanding of the terms witchand witchcraft among English speakers was a negative one. In this context a witch was someone who drew on supernatural or occult power to harm others, engaging in what was often referred to using the Latin term maleficium.”