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

Oestara blessings, one and all!

@667TheNeighbourOfTheBeast that is a fabulous username! 😆 And some stunning photos.

@Hedjwitch sending calming restorative vibes.

My bank holiday Sunday so far: a jog in the park followed by taking Mr C for a constitutional in another part of the park. Mr C and I admired the ducks and daffodils before heading back. I’ve just given our chest freezer a good scrub having defrosted it. Such exotic enchantments in this old Pagan life! If I’m feeling extra indulgent, I may have a cup of tea before deciding whether to do another job or call it a day and go to my gym for a sauna. 🫖☕️🧖🏻

I am sitting in a very cluttered summer house, listening to the birds and sewing name tags on socks for mum. Todays sun has helped disperse the darkness a bit. Thanks all

Oestsra blessings to all, I went to the forest yesterday but it was very busy as some people had set up an Easter 🐣 egg hunt for their children and grandchildren there were so many of them lol it wasn’t very tranquil but I did manage to find a corner and shut it all out for ten minutes. Fantastic idea though and gets kids out and experiencing nature so important now with computer games etc. I still remember walking in the forests where I used to live when I was a child I think that started my fascination with nature.
I’m not able to walk very far so couldn’t go further into the forest. I do have a fantastic mobility scooter that goes on grass etc it’s not quite all terrain though those are so huge you need a van but I can get around the forest when its not as muddy as it is now.

Ostara blessings lovely ladies

@Hedjwitch @speakout I'm sorry to hear you've been having a rough time, sending support xx

I just came back from a conference in Colorado rockies - I've been before but this time I had a bit of time to explore and found the area is incredibly rich in spiritual influences, especially as an area of indigenous tribes, it was fascinating! I stocked up on crystals and bought a true indian-made dream catcher. Now I'm recovering from jetlag, super-dry air and altitude

I’ve been steadily working my way through all the previous posts I’ve missed here. I often have a break from the internet as I find it can be a toxic place for me (present company very much excluded ! )

I was wondering how many of you are “out” as witches or pagans ? I’ve mentioned previously I’m very secretive and definitely am not !
Also is your house “witchy” or pagan would someone who didn’t know be able to guess ? My house generally isn’t but I do have a couple of witches balls and it’s painted quite strong colours which according to my adult DD is “weird” 😁
I used to have a lady clean for me who was a vicars wife and I used to hide my occult/witch/pagan books ! She was absolutely lovely and never mentioned God etc but I just didn’t want to get into a conversation. She did warn me once not to be “taken in by all the New Age” stuff at Glastonbury (one if my favourite places).

@667TheNeighbourOfTheBeast I’m reasonably ‘out’ in that most people who know me know I’m a Pagan, and our house is fairly witchy 😀. I don’t always disclose my beliefs to people I work with but that’s due to the nature of the job (I’m a therapist).

@Craftycorvid your user name has just reminded me I have a plush Raven sitting on my bed alongside a plush bat 🦇 lol. I did also leave up some crow wooden lights I bought for Halloween as I loved them so much they were taken down at Xmas/Yule for a Holly garland but I think they need to make a comeback !

I also have a bat box I don’t think that’s witchy though but sadly no residents even though I have seen quite a few flying around in the summer. The guy that put it up for me was telling me it would decrease the value of my house as nobody wants 🦇 bats.

@667TheNeighbourOfTheBeast
I am more open about paganism than craft - if someone asks if I'm religious etc. I answer truthfully, and I talk to my son about pagan ways in a similar way he's used to from RE lessons. Other than that, I have stuff around that may draw suspicion of the unaware - books, cards, crystals... but even my husband considers it just a "something I'm mildly interested in". He's ignorant in this respect (only in this respect, and tbh I like it this way). My sister knows, she's dabbling too 😊

Hello all. Lovely to catch up. A full on house of sickness here, plus stressful new freelance gig for me. On top of a teething baby!
@Hedjwitch how stressful it all sounds, I'm glad you've found some peace in the madness. I agree with the concept of others lashing out usually when they feel guilty. It's so easy to blame those close to us, but it's so harsh.
@RosePombear congrats on the babe! How old are they? I too have longed for a women circle near me, but the only one I found turned out to be hugely disorganised and I never got to attend. It was specifically for new mums, so I was disproportionally heartbroken as I'd found it about 4 months into pregnancy and was so excited for it. nothing else particularly pagan or spiritual around my way either.

As for people knowing about us, our parents know we're pagan and our home I guess would give it away if you looked closely. Some friends I'd never tell as I know they'd either shred me, or make wrong connections (especially as some have ended up being quite surprisingly church-y).

I dont broadcast my interests, but for example in the kitchen, main socialising area, I have deep windowsills which have moongazing hares, large quartz clusters, a crystal ball, pendulums, large cut crystals. Worksurface is home to my moon diary, nearby is a calendar, green man on the wall and several other bits and bobs, with more throughout the house, including bookcase in the lounge stuffed with ancient sites, natural remedies and more. Couple of pics in the next post.

Oh and two black cats.

@BlankTimes i love the sound of your kitchen! The cats are gorgeous, too.

Thank you all so interesting to me, @BlankTimes I would think that the crystal ball would be a give away to most people, your house sounds amazing. I don’t have a cat but I have tended to have black dogs as I have rescued greyhounds for many years and the big black ones particularly if they are male are the last ones to get homed. There is obviously some folklore about black dogs still at work I think in peoples psyche. I wonder if this is also true with cats that black ones aren’t as popular but we do have the lucky black cat myth here in UK unlike US where I think they are seen as malevolent.
I also have a green man I completely forgot about him!

@SeaEssence I am the same with my husband he doesn’t really know the extent of my witchcraft practices he sees I have books and thinks it’s an interest. I always understood that you shouldn’t tell anyone when you perform a spell to keep its power obviously if you’re working to do this for a client etc are going to have to know. My husband is an atheist but he has been known to ask if I could “put in a word” lol with the pagan gods if he’s looking for a new job etc.

@MaculataO I completely get what you mean about wrong connections, I told a friend who is a Christian that I was going to a pagan wedding and she mentioned Satanism ! She was unaware I was pagan but I did say to her pagans don’t believe in the devil , she said it was all the same thing being anti Christ. She was even worried about a goth wedding her son attended being linked to Satan so there is a lot of misinformation.

@BlankTimes I forgot to say we had a black cat when I was a child,it was a stray that followed me home. I miss having a cat sit on my lap, I’m allergic to them, not severely I can be in a room with them but if they are sitting on me or I touch them and touch my face my eyes swell. My dog tries to sit on my lap but he’s 36kg and very bony !

Witch/occultist here. I wouldn’t necessarily class myself as ‘pagan’, but that moniker would apply to me too, and I do attend a local Pagan Moot. I’m a polytheist (and in my case, that means I believe in the existence of every God and Goddess from every pantheon from all over the world - Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Norse, African, Canaanite, etc.)

@SorcererGaheris that’s very interesting. Yes the word pagan covers a huge amount of occult practices and beliefs doesn’t it, I would love to attend a pagan moot ,I am in the New Forest and am a member on Facebook of local pagan group but not much happening in person since lockdown. I know there are covens but I’m solitary and not really looking for that.

Belated Ostara blessings to you lovely lot!.
My dad, step mum and sisters (ranging from 11-15) are here to visit. 4 girls so close in age hasn’t been the most fun and there’s been lots of arguments and teenage strops, so I took time to take each of them to do something on their own which was lovely. They’re all getting older now and have their own interests so I try and make as much effort as possible when I do see them. My Nan, Grandad and aunt and uncle will be down later today and then everyone will be going back home on Friday!. It’s such a full on time, but I’m looking forward to when we do it again in the summer as we’ll be able to spend more time out in the garden.

We did have an Easter egg hunt in our garden, which even the big ones enjoyed😂.

SeaEssence that sounds wonderful, I’d love to see the rockies.

667TheNeighbourOfTheBeast I’m ‘out’ as a Pagan. All my family and friends know and I’ve never really been secretive about it. We had a hand fasting for our wedding and a naming ceremony for our little girl and our family got involved even though they aren’t pagan themselves, but I’m lucky to have supportive people around me. Our house isn’t ‘witchy’, I have built in shelving in our bedroom that houses my tarot cards and crystals. It is decorated slightly cottage core x mid century modern but it isn’t particularly witchy, other than witchy books in our bookshelves. However we do decorate seasonally, so at yule we will bring things in from outside so it might seem more witchy then.

MaculataO thank you!, she’s 7 months old so still quite tiny. That’s so frustrating about the women’s circle near you, I do wish there were more near me they sound brilliant.

I do think some people associate paganism with some negative things. I remember telling my dads friend I was pagan and he just kept talking about satanism, regardless of how many times I explained my beliefs. He was an odd man though.

Awh that's lovely @RosePombear My little boy is still only 10 months! So cute, and the best thing to happen to us. but it still feels like life has had the most seismic shift. We're often under slept, under resourced in terms of childcare and help, under the weather - lol. Everything! I hope weaning is going ok :)

@BlankTimes those cats are stunning. We also have one black cat. I'd hoped for a lap cat, but I got an independent wild woman who does what she pleases! She's mostly up for being held (briefly) which is sweet though. I used to think she was quite sturdy and heavy... and then I had a human baby! Oof, your back is never quite the same.

Very belated Ostara blessings to everyone. My best friend is a very committed catholic. I made a hint yesterday at my pagan leanings. She was a bit dismissive. I hoped it would up a bit better just because I’ve always been supportive of her faith. Hopefully she will warm up to it.

My DP is really supportive though, so I’m really lucky. I also did a tarot reading for a work friend recently. She really appreciated it and it was nice to feel like I could be myself and help her at the same time.

Things are very much different now. Being ancient, when I was first finding my way, there were only hints to help you along your path. No Internet, waiting long months for another book in a series you knew had real practise in it like Dion Fortune and Louise Cooper, fiction was the only way for them to pass on their knowledge. The other thing that kept us all almost invisible was To Know, to Will, to Dare and to Keep Silent. This was paramount, more than one set of friends had Social Services all over their lives, one had to fight them taking her children away. It was all in the times of the fabricated satanic abuse cobblers, a fantasy perpetuated by hysterical religious people who unfortunately had positions of authority in their small (and small minded) communities.
It wasn't until a lot of the New Age stuff like candles and crystals became mainstream that I ever displayed any of my toolkit openly at home.

In some ways it's much easier nowadays, but in others the overwhelming plethora of cobblers you have to sort through to find the truth is just as difficult.

Oh black cats and others just turn up here, I've never had chance to choose a pet, they just arrive and need caring for. I think it's awful that there's a modern trend to abandon black animals because ther are much harder to photograph for social media.

Thank you to everyone who’s replied. @RosePombear love the name! Had to Google what the link was years ago to mumsnet and Pom bears.
@BlankTimes thank you so much for sharing that, it’s truly shocking that this is within living memory and I think it’s good to be reminded of this.
I’m old enough to remember the Orkney so called “Satanic abuse” scandal. I think that was started by one social worker who was a Christian fundamentalist and had read about so called Satanic abuse in the USA. It was as you say hysteria.

I started out pre internet and it was much harder but I did find books at the library and I saw a TV program on channel 4 about witchcraft with an interview with Doreen Valiente among others. I don’t think it’s ever been repeated.
I agree that the internet is a double edged sword. I hadn’t heard about black pets being abandoned because they aren’t easy to photograph that’s just so sad. I had always thought it was some old myth about black dogs being evil or the use of the phrase “the black dog “ to describe depression I think this was what Winston Churchill called his.

@OfTheNight I really hope your friend is supportive especially as you have been tolerant regarding hers. I think for the most part people see Tarot reading as a bit of fun, excluding Christian fanatics etc. I used to do astrology charts for people years ago at work, before the computer could do it for you in five minutes,but I don’t think anyone would have even associated that with being a Pagan or witch. I did have one lady though who was a “born again” who said that horoscopes were the work of Satan etc and this was just to someone reading their daily horoscope in the newspaper!

Should add about Tarot that I meant most people wouldn’t have a fit about it and start mentioning Satan etc. Obviously lots of people take it very seriously and seek out a reading when there is some trouble in their life or they need to make a decision.

I am reading the last few posts with great interest.
I too remember days before the internet- information was hard to find and I had to travel miles to my nearest esoteric bookshop.
I think generally people are much more accepting of new age/witchcraft etc, these things have made their way into mainstream ideas- Tik Tock, you tube have enabled that.
The christian church has also had exposure to their cruelty, bigotry and illegal practices- so it no longer the holder of rightousness. For that I am very glad

The rise in super churches is concerning however- and many have very draconian and bigoted doctrine

Personally I could not be friends with a . serious christian. Religion informs so much of everyday attitudes, and the more evangelical adherants spend much of their waking time looking out for satanic influences.

I have to moderate my home however, which is a bit sad.
My mother lives with me and is a "born again", she has regular visitors to our house, bundle study classes so I keep things low key.
I have prints of stags, ornaments of hares, candles. hagstones., crystals, bundles of herbs hanging to dry, and a few pagan nick naks.
Those "in the know" would easily tell that I am pagan, but for the untrained eye, I look like a nature lover.

I would love to come out loud and proud don't want to rock the boat for my 90 year old mother. That isn't completely altruistic though - the church provides her with great support and social life- she is at church for hours on Sunday, They have many activities, take out for lunch often, church musical events, craft evenings, she enjoys the socia life.

And when she is out the house- 3 or 4 days a week- I have time to relax- which I love.
So as much as I would love to go wild and totally paganise my house I don't want to upset the friendship my mother has at church.
It feels a small price to pay.

@speakout I would do exactly the same in your position. Your mum is about the same age as mine and it would be awful for you to fall out with her at this stage in her life. It’s great that she socialises at her age and is still out and about and very good for you to have a break too.