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

@Hedjwitch so sorry for the loss of your mum 💐

Oh @Hedjwitch I'm so sorry. Sending hugs and lighting a candle, and will have a word with dad and my godmother and make sure they're pouring her a drink and pulling up a chair to swap stories 💙 my thoughts are with you xxx

Thank you all. I know you are out there and sending me strength. It helps a lot. When I can stop crying I will tell you all about her: a truly amazing incredible woman who took on everything life threw at her and was hugely,deeply loved.

I'm so sorry Hedjwitch. Sending lots of love. Your Mum sounds like an amazing woman. I will light a candle for you tonight xxx

I am sending energy to you Hedjwitch and hope you are finding solace- even if only for a moment. I hope too that you can sleep- so important when we are in distress.
I am not a huge fan of medication, but I think in difficult circumstances we do what we can to get through or find sleep.
A beautiful photo of your mum Hedjwitch, I can see wisdom and strength in her eyes.
Please don't feel any pressure to post here- but do if you find that helpful.
We are a wise tribe here, and bereavement is something many of us have experienced.
Lean in sister, we understand and support you during this difficult time.

I’m so sorry Hedjwitch sending so much love, she sounds like a wonderful woman❤️

Thank you sisters . I feel your energy around me,protecting me,comforting me. Giving me strength.
Blessings to you all

It''s a wild and windy day here- outbreaks of sun with thunderously dark clouds in all directions.
I have just finished food shopping and visiting the post office.
I enjoy small outings - I get a little stir crazy if I am at home.
A change of scene works wonders for me, but I am always glad to come home.

Hedjwitch you are in my thoughts today, I have sent whispers of support in the wind to you. Be as kind as you can to yourself.

I have a woman's circle booked at a local private yoga studio on Friday- they are increasing the number of activities on offer, I think this may be the first woman's circle they have hosted- so I wasn't sure what to expect.
I received a text message today outlining the plans- which include a cacao ceremony. meditation, group work and a soundbath. I am so pleased to have all these juicy things to attend.Although I live in a quiet rural backwater I feel very blessed to have so much abundance around.

Off to do some laundry, not sure I can trust my clothespegs in such stormy weather though!

Sending more love your way @Hedjwitch, your mum is a beautiful soul!

I'm putting the finishing touches to a workshop I'm giving tomorrow which involves a hideously early start, and fretting about my cat who has a tooth which is on its way out - vet wasn't too concerned a month or so back and said it might drop out on its own, but it's definitely moved in last few days! While she's eating and more or less herself, I'm worried she's in pain and hiding it. So will call vet when I get back from the workshop and see if they can fit us in for a checkup this week. Poor fluff, how I wish our familiars could talk!

Gran has had another couple of falls and life has been manic - I've withdrawn from a weekend away with friends so I can be nearby overnight, but apart from that worry I'm ok, just wondering how on earth to fit working enough to pay all my bills in around life stresses 🙈

Definitely feeling more positive spring energy underneath the madness though :)

Sorry I'm so sporadic at posting, honestly don't know where the weeks disappear to.

I'm so happy to have found this cosy witchy corner!! If you'll have me, I bring a pot of hot, fresh coffee, and new spring rosemary from my garden.

This year I've experienced such a renewal in my connection to my spirituality. I would call myself a witch, although it's taken a while for me to claim that confidently. I don't do a lot of formal spell-casting or ritual. My magic tends to be more in concentrated moments of energy and emotion, and a constant connection to the energies and world around me. I would dearly love to introduce some more spellcraft and ritual into my practice, though! Maybe I'll share my experimentations here. Similarly I also really want to set up an altar at last. Watch this space!

I hope you're all doing well this blustery April day.

@Hedjwitch i love this photo of your mum, the mug says it all, I look forward to hearing more about her when you’re feeling up to it xx

@tattygrl Hi 👋 I don’t have an altar either, I use my open fireplace and I don’t have any tools such as ritual knife etc. I use candles for spell work and herbs/incense that’s it really. I have things I’ve collected over the years like hag stones and bird feathers ,one from a female blackbird who used to come into the house to get her food if I didn’t feed her quickly enough so I feel a special connection to that.

I mark the solstices/equinoxes quietly lighting a candle etc ,the exception is Samhain where I decorate the house and of course house is decorated for Yule/winter solstice. For some reason I always feel more connected to winter festivals. Someone pointed out that a lot of the art work in my house is of winter and snow.
I don’t know anyone who is on a Pagan path so it’s all very low key.

@tattygrl warm welcome.

@hilariousnamehere sorry to hear about your gran, sounds like you're having manic time!

@Hedjwitch lovely photo of your mum. Hope you're coping as well as you reasonably can in the circumstances. Sending more love and strength x

We've been away on family holiday, I love it and feel blessed to soak in the sun and make memories with family but quite looking forward to go back to my dog, garden, see the bluebells. And send DS back to school, the Easter school holiday is wayyyy too long. Wherever we travel, I try to learn about spiritual traditions and local folklore, but this time it's been rather mundane and I feel a little disconnected (my own fault, not enough energy for exploring).

Good morning sisters, and a warm welcome tattygrl

Life continues with a turbulent path, and can be overwhelming.
Close family members have struggles at the moment and I have such a tendency to help, sort things out, want to make things better, My family- OH DM, DD and DS are all adults however and I don't have the capacity to carry the load for everyone.
I have stretched myself so thin in recent times that I can feel my own MH and well being stretched to breaking. My OH and DD are concerned for me.
I live in fear of yet more problems coming into the mix, and dream of an existence alone in a small cottage in the woods where no one can find me.

The past few days have been better however- it was my birthday mid week - DD and I had a delicious lunch in the city and visited an old traditional herbalist and enjoyed the testers and tea.
We called into an exotic fruit shop on the way home, and I bought a papaya the size of a toddler, and some fruit for DD. It isn't often I have found a papaya at the peak of ripeness here in the UK, and brings back memories of my times in the tropics where fresh fruit was so abundant.
On Friday I had a yoga class then a woman's circle in the evening- so those two days have been so so healing.
We had a circle set up, calling down the elements to open and protect us, meditation, a cacao ceremony, sound bath, group talking - the theme was self care- some craft- we made a candle holder, then final meditation and closing off the circle. I went home and slept deeply for 10 hours.
Yesterday was lovely, I felt so calm, so safe, so strong - I moved with my day with ease, worked for 4 hours, bought a stack of ready meals for those who are unwilling or unable to cook in my family, then chopped up the remains of my papaya, squeeze of lime juice and froze on a flat tray- will be perfect for morning porridge toppings in the weeks to come.
I have yoga this morning and work, OH is here so I have no plans to visit my kitchen other than to grab some nutritious snacks for myself- there will be time for me to meditate and do some laundry.
I have another full moon circle later this week too, a much deeper dive into the spiritual areas of circle work, so I look forward to that too.
I feel healing energies within me again today tending my core, my fears and anxieties are waning and being replaced by feelings of safety and self trust.

Life can be so hard, but it is within the challenges that we grow and expand.
Have a wonderful day friends.

Good morning to you all.
I could use some support and I know I will find it here. DS and DD1 are school struggling again. This is because some children seem to dislike other children who are clever and kind and well behaved and, well, like our whole family, a bit nerdy.

I am not allowed to talk to their teachers about this and any coping strategies I suggest are scoffed at.

They both have great friends who will be missing them today but don't actually believe me when I say this.

To be frank, I am both sympathetic and angry with them at the same time.

On the upside, my camellia is blooming and my new plants seem happy. Hope you all have better days than mine is going to be.

ISaySteadyOn I hear you.
Often our emotions play flip flop- I can feel resentment and sadness all at the same moment.

I joke with my OH that I only signed up for a baby- pregnancy and birth being the focus for most of us.

But it is the year that follow that can really test us. I don't know how old your children are ISaySteadyOn, but things can change over time.
My DD had only a few minor traumas during primary school but did manage friendships well. She is a very kind and giving person- still is- although has been taken advantage at times- which is gut wrenching to witness as a mother.

My DS struggled more to make friends in the early years, a geek, sensitive and very bright, with no interest in football or roughhousing. He was bullied for a while, but the school were amazing and the bullying was stopped in its tracks.

When my DS was 10 or so one of his few friends urged him to join a local rugby club- which he did and enjoyed for a few years. He also met some boys who attended other schools, but these were feeder schools for the large secondary school he moved on to. So he had good friends already and they formed a good friendship group, attended computer club and hung out together.
So although my DS was not a brilliant rugby player the social experience really helped him find a foothold at secondary.

I guess what I am trying to say is that things can change, new tribes can form, all is not lost.

I am feeling centered and calm today, such a welcome relief from stormy seas of late. I am enjoying an iced coffee and a slice of cake before a couple of hours of work.

Sorry that I haven’t been on in a while, life has been pretty turbulent over the last few weeks and we’ve had some big news that we’re still trying to wrap our heads around. I have read through all your lovely posts though and am hoping to be back and posting more regularly as hearing from you all really lifts my spirits.

I have spent a lot of April reflecting on how much I change as the seasons do. In the autumn and winter I really slow down, maybe to an unhealthy extent. I only want to eat comfort food, I want to sleep more and my idea of a perfect day is to be reading under blankets by the fire. Then everything changes when springtime comes around, I have spent most of the last month or so in the garden, despite the weather not always being at its best. I’m happy to be up with DD as soon as the sun comes up and I don’t want to settle down until the sun goes down. I have so much more energy and I really feel as though I wake up as the Earth does. I just find it so interesting because so many people feel completely differently as the seasons change but we’re expected to be just as productive at work etc in the winter when most people just want to hunker down.

Welcome 🤗 @tattygrl

Happy belated birthday @speakout I’m happy to hear things seem to be improving for you .

I really feel for you @ISaySteadyOn. I was like your DC when I was younger and looking back I feel so sorry for my mum as everything she tried to do to help me I would shoot down. One day she did just tell my teacher about how I was feeling and although I was really upset with her at the time I got lots of support in the long run and it made school much easier. How old are your DC?.

They are 13, 11 and 10. One good thing, DS was really helpful today. Turns out he did want to go to school but had a bit of an upset stomach. It's settled but he was really helpful today.

DD1 doesn't want any support of any kind. She says it will just make her stand out and makes things worse. Maybe I can get her to accept some at some point but in the meantime, I might make a sachet from my garden for her to keep in her pocket. And I should go water those plants now.

Ah I’m glad to hear about your DS, I hope he’s feeling better.
I do sympathise with your DD, the fear of being singled out is so awful and because of the way kids are it can make things worse. The sachet sounds like a great idea❤️.

@speakout belated happy birthday, sounds like you've managed to have a lovely time despite the challenges.

@ISaySteadyOn I have DS in a similar age, and I think almost all children experience dislike from others at some point - even the extrovert popular ones - it's natural albeit difficult to watch. Pre-teen/early teen is the age is difficult (at least I feel my DS is maturing faster than I remember from our times). Unless it's bullying, coping mechanisms are the way, you can't prevent the behaviours of others. If they don't want "obvious" help, I have some Tisserand essential oil mixes from TK Maxx named like "confidence", "focus", etc. which I apply on DS's wrist depending on the difficulty he's facing. In this case, while with clear intention to help, I think it's a bit of placebo, but fairly effective...

What a lovely idea. Thank you! There is actually a tkmaxx near me so I will hie me there.

I think dealing with jerks is a life skill and also a way to remind you who your friends are.

Just checking in. Mums funeral on Friday and so much arguing and dissent over the planning I could weep. So much that has been agreed I hate...it doesnt reflect her joie de vivre and amazing spirit.
I am now absolutely resolute that I will refuse any sort of service,religious or otherwise.

Took myself down to the summerhouse last night to get drunk and watch the moon rise. Had a wee in the garden and nearly overbalanced and fell into the pond. Would have had tadpoles up my unmentionables! Mum would have found that funny.

Hedjwitch I hope today brings you some supportive gentle energy.
I am sorry that the funeral arrangements are not as you or your Mum would want, but it doesn't take anything away from who she was in life.
Although we can place importance on a funeral it is not a ceremony that measures how wonderful, how worthy, how beautiful someone was in life.
Sitting through a religious service would be uncomfortable for me too, and I am not sure I would even want to atttend.
Good or bad funeral and whether you attend or not diminishes your mother's memory not one bit.
You can have your own private ceremony if that feels right for you at a time soon or in the future. You could read aloud, sit by a river or the sea conduct a quiet moment by candlelight, work with the sun or moon to mark the passing of your Mum.
We are here for you. All your feelings right now are valid, no matter how they manifest. Grief can emerge in many ways, be gentle with yourself, and use a liberal amount of self compassion.

@Hedjwitch When my mum died, we were just in the first pandemic lockdown and an unexpected effect of that was a very low-key outdoor funeral service. I read the eulogy I’d written at the graveside (and snuck in a reference to the Book of the Dead). There was no funeral ‘tea’ which was apt as that was one ritual mum hated. A year later, I took a very long letter I’d written for her and went to a beach mum knew well from her youth. I stood and considered that, for once, I was seeing the world through her eyes. The letter went out into the sea. Maybe you can make a suitable ritual for you to honour your mum?

I have just watched this lecture by Ronald Hutton on the Western Magic tradition. I found it very interesting, I thought some of my witchy sisters would as well. Here is the link, I hope it works.

https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/western-magic

Hedjwitch I hope yesterday went as smoothly as possible.
That sounds beautiful Craftycorvid, so personal and powerful.
Thanks for the link Probablymagrat, I am halfway through- I love to have something to listen to while I work.

I had a one hour conversational with a community OT regarding a family member on Thursday and it has left me reeling a little. Her manner was very direct, just short of rude, and some things hard to hear. I think however she spoke some truths and has left me with a lot of stuff to process.
Her reframing of a situation has been a bit painful to hear, and although I don't totally share all her views she has left me with a lot of food for thought.
I spent a lot of time yesterday thinking about and processing ideas within our conversation, but acknowledging her ideas has lifted a great deal of my load. I tucked myself up yesterday evening with some herbal tea, sat down for an hour journalling my thoughts.
I - like many of us- am a fixer. I want to make sure everyone is happy, fed, warm, feeling good, feeling appreciated and supported.

I know that sometimes do too much to help, giving so much of myself is draining for me and not always in the best interests of others.
I know where my motivations stem from, issues from my own childhood, needing to feel safe, certain, lessen my fears.

So although the conversation was difficult it has left me a lot lighter, opened my eyes a little more, left me feeling more relaxed and not so responsible for others. I will still help my loved ones, but I need a more measured approach.

Just about to start my morning rituals, shower then head off to body balance. I want to pop into a large local craft shop on the way to do some birthday shopping. Then perhaps a treat to my favourite charity shop this afternoon.

Have a calm weekend.