Any Witches Here? Part 21

[speakout]

Just settling into the new place, plumping the cushions and opening the windows. Welcome to n everyone, newcomers, old friends, the curious.
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..

I've just discovered this thread! How lovely to find some fellow witchy people!
Hello everyone! 🌞🌻❤️🌟

A warm welcome Cinnamonspider - love your username! Glad you have joined us.

Grab a comfy spot, help yourself to tea.

Don't mind if I do! ☕️
I hope everyone is managing in the heat x

Evening all. Welcome CinammonSpider

Welcome @Cinnamonspider!

Hello again - is there a chair for me? I used to post here (about 2 years ago) and life has shamefully got in the way.
I'm picking up my craft again now :)

Ceridwen83 so good to see you again- old friends are always welcome.

Life can be pretty full on, and has a way of occupying too much of our time and energies.
I am glad you are re-igniting your craft. It will always be there, humming in the background, no judgement!

As often happens what I thought was a quiet day is suddenly full of tasks to do for others.
DS has a nasty eye infection, we are waiting for the duty GP to call back.
DM needs a grocery haul, I have it here sitting in my front porch.

On the other hand I had a lovely day in the city with my DD yesterday. I took the train- an added bonus- fun and relaxing!
We had a lovely lunch, bought a hot chocolate in a fancy chocolate place, walked around playing the tourist, popping into shops, including my favourite little witchy shop in the Old Town- Black Moon Botanice.

These fun days out are life savers!!

I hope everyone is enjoying a calm and enjoyable weekend.
After a hiccup with DS's health this week he has improved- GP wanted him to go to hospital but he refused.
In any case antibiotics have worked well and he is much better.
So a few days of much needed calm and rest.
So much stormy weather in my life recently, and I was hoping for a period of calm for restoration, but that may never happen!!
So instead I am taking the opportunity when I find it- even if that is only a few hours.
I met a dear friend for lunch on Friday, it was wonderful to spend a few hours communicating at such a soul level,

I have been looking at events locally that interest me, so I plan to sit down with my diary later today and book a few things, woman's circle, sound bath, yoga retreat, coffee with friends.
I plan to keep today quite clear, I have yoga later this morning, and I want to nip to the supermarket for some food later on- not a big shop though, tacos for dinner, I have most things in, just need some fresh veg,

I am continuing with stone painting- I ordered some gold paint which I arrived yesterday, and I have dug out some brushes and acrylic paint, I have lots of ideas for new designs, mostly abstract or symbolic, more mandalas and sigils, it has been fun browsing the internet to find inspiration.
Here are a few of the stones so far- I have done a lot more, maybe 30 so far, and there have been lots of test pieces that haven't gone so well.
I am excited at the thought of using them for my magical practice too.

I love Black Moon Botanics. Great shop. Tiring weekend. Drove down to Lancashire to tend to mother's grave,one year since we interred her ashes there.
On the way back, received bad and worrying news about my brother who lives overseas. He did answer his phone but the conversation didn't go well. His wife is now trying to find him. I have no emotional fucks left to give right now.

Your stones are lovely, Speakout. I have recently bought some acrylic markers and they would be brilliant for this.

Sorry to hear about your brother Hedjwitch, I'm afraid most of my family are alien to me. I haven''t had any communication with my sister and her family for many years and that's the way I like it.
I do however keep in regular touch with one of her daughters- my niece, who is just lovely.
She sent me this link this morning- so cute, it describes "small magic" so well.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DLg8bglRX0p/?img_index=10&igsh=YXE3NHNqb3gweWUz

Thanks FizzingAda .
My gold paint is lovely but very difficult to apply precisely. even with the finest of brush- will still be good for blocks of colour.
I have ordered some gold pens. hopefully give me more accuracy.

Sorry,shouldn't have dumped that on here. Just a bad day. Today I have tried to be aware of the natural world and to be mindful. I had lunch outside and gave a juicy cherry to a buzzing " beastie" who was trying to share my lunch. The crows I have been trying to make friends with finally cracked and took some pistachios from the balcony by my office window, and tonight I rescued a bee from the water butt and gave it a sugar drink as it dried out. Thanks to a contractual dispute our grounds at work have become very overgrown to the despair of the boss. I love it. I picked yarrow and self heal and spotted several butterflies. And just now I have picked chamomile and 3 different types of mint in my own garden. Trying to focus on the good stuff.

No need to apologise Hedjwitch , we are wise and compassionate women here, We know how it feels when life is hard. Lean in - we are a tower of strength collectively, this thread has given me so much support during difficult times.
Life throws us curved balls, can be relentless, throwing us challenges from all areas.
It's good to hear of the little things that help you Hedjwitch ·- the small magic- that remind us of beauty and allow us to put things in perspective.
I have been picking raspberries in my garden this morning, I thought there were only one or two, but there turned out to be hundreds, many close to the ground, hanging in great bunches, I picked a huge bowlful, and there are many unripe fruits too, waiting to pink up.
The raspberry canes are intruders, but welcome ones, I didn't plant them, perhaps they have crept in from my neighbours garden. They will need to be kept in check, I know they can be very invasive.
The rasperries were a consolation for having my cherries stolen- I have a lot, but as soon as they turn pink they disappear-birds have a keen eye for such things, I doubt I will harvest even one cherry.
I await to find out the fate of my other fruits!

Tonight I am staying with friends in their fabulous home by the river. I am.sitting on the grass,watching the sunlight sparkle on the water,listening to the birds and hoping to see an otter. There will be a glorious sunset later and bats swooping in the orchard. I am.blessed that they share this with me.

Hello, l am a semi-witch I think! Charged up some water in the full moon in the week, did my usual sage ritual at the beginning of the month. Work is a bit crazy this month so taking as much time to spend in nature as I can to negate the stress. Off to the wetlands tomorrow to enjoy the birds…

A Welsh witch by your user name?

A warm welcome Arlanymor
You paint a lovely picture of your life.

Wetlands must be an amazing place to watch birds- I am thinking the Merlin phone app would be really useful !

Birds vary by habitat don't they.
I have a different lot of birds in my garden (v near woodland) to the ones down by the river- just 300 yards from my home.

Had some bad news yesterday, my MIL sadly passed away. She was stepmother to my OH, his biological mother died when he was a baby..

They are planning a humanist funeral, and asking family to sumbit a few words about MILs life to be read out in the eulogy.

She was a great example- she lived her life with courage and authenticity, and encouraged others to do the same. She was very supportive of me- and proudly told her friends about her DIL- the witch.
She wasn't everyone's cup of tea, but she lived her life truthfully.
Goodbye wise woman.

I have woken up very early to dense mist, and welcome cool air. It feels so calm and serene outside, such a gentle start to the day.
Apart from the cacophony of welcome birdsong- my Merlin app has recorded 37 species, including a few rare birds, and others I haven't heard before.
Incredible to have this on my doorstep! This is such a magical world.

I have a yoga class this morning, a small coastal village, in the beautiful gardens of a grand house built in the 1600s by the Seton family, the epicentre and ignition point of the Scottish witch trials.
It feels poingnant to visit this place, very bittersweet, but in some way a vindication of the brutality- to have 20 women claiming their power and freedom through yoga, speaking to the power that claimed many thousands of lives in this area.

The house overlooks the sea and a pretty harbour, I intend to leave a little early, as I am on the hunt for rocks to paint, I know a few small rocky coves, hopefully I will find what I am looking for.
I will know a few women at the workshop, and a couple that are coming from another of my classes. My daughter is also coming, which will be lovely, we may have time to stop off for brunch on the way home, as we pass through a few villages with little cafes.

I am looking forward to my day!!

That sounds lovely @speakout . We are going to visit DD1 for coffee this morning and then the rest of the day relaxing. Have a niggly back pain after yoga on Friday so will be taking it easy.

@Hedjwitch I hope your back feels better soon. Niggly backs are horrible.

We have had a lot of meetings for dd2, although she no longer lives with us we still have parental responsibility. We have however had good news today, the tribunal for her Sensory Therapy is being adjourned because the Local Authority have offered an assessment in the autumn and we can name a sixth form placement at the tribunal too. It's a massive relief, as it felt as though everything was coming at once and it's one less thing to do.

We had a Street Festival last weekend - lots of Medieval streets with independent shops and I discovered a witchy shop at the end of one of the roads. I'm going to go back in when it's less busy.

That's wonderful news quirkychick, I am glad things are turning out well. A testament to you and all the amazing support you give your daughter.
Take time to breathe and restore yourself.

That's great @quirkychick you must feel very relieved. I had my first Tarot reading today. Not quite sure what to make of it. I feel the images can be interpreted to mean whatever you want...but on the other hand what he was saying made sense.
Been pondering it all day so went for a swim in the sea this evening to calm my.mind a bit.

Thank you @speakout and @Hedjwitch it is a relief. Also, dd1 is happy to have some direct contact with me finally (after some kind if breakdown after all the difficulty with dd2 last year). So, 2 steps in the right direction.

The Tarot reading sounds interesting, I'm often sceptical - however, my mother and grandmother were into Spiritualism, Ouija boards and faith healing when I was a child, so I was brought up around unconventional beliefs.

I've been watching Human on iplayer - the things that made us different/adaptable as a species are rituals, art, abstract thought, curiosity, stories. Very early evidence of offerings in Africa - so interesting!

Good evening, sisters! It’s pouring with much needed rain here after a few days of rather ominous thundery weather. I’ve been at a five-day training event which ends tomorrow and, with it, quite a big phase of my life. Today was about gentle creativity and that brought me back into the lost child part of myself who did what she pleased with words just because she could and it was fun.

I’ve been catching up with all the posts here - the losses, the connections with nature and the wisdom.