Lucky

I am lucky - pure and simple - and I have been reminded of that again today.

I had found myself in a funk, the world is a scary place right now and it frightened me and had made me a tad low in mood.

Then a gift today woke me up and shook me up - I feel as if I have been zapped awake again and can once again see positivity and hope in the future.

Having my birthday during lockdown meant my presents (that I had asked not to be given this year - tsk - but did they listen?), were belated, as everything is taking much longer to be delivered due to the unprecedented high demand us online shoppers are creating.

However cross I was at my family for ignoring me and buying me gifts I have to say the thought and love behind them is awesome and I love them all and have been thrilled by their thoughtfulness and generosity, knowing how limited their finances are right now.

On my actual birthday in May they all gave me flowers, chocolates and wine. Which I loved, and I had a wonderful day.

Then presents continued to arrive as you will see below, each one pertinent to my likes and way of life and so hugely loved - with opening each gift I cried, quite hard in fact which I am attributing to unstable menopausal hormones and deep appreciation of the consideration given to each gift.

First to arrive was a trio of books from my husband, who knows I am very much into studying and working towards growing and making my own medicinal stockpile of home remedies.

My gorgeous husband on a boat last September when we were away in Greece

Brilliant Books!

I am working towards taking an online herbology class at my Pagan school and so these books mean the world to me.

Next came a socially distanced garden visit from my second born daughter and her partner, with their gorgeous and enormous 9 month old German Shepherd/Bull Mastiff cross puppy. The visit alone was wonderful but then they left me with two little boxes wrapped up to open when they left - which once unwrapped exposed a gorgeous deep glossy black cauldron mug and candle melt/incense burner. I love the mug so much I have put it on my altar because I am terrified of chipping it and have decreed to only drink from it each year on my birthday! The burner will be used during spell and ritual work - both of which I adore and feel enormously grateful for.

Second born offspring

Partner  of second born and their massive 9 month old puppy 

Mug

Burner

Then finally, today the final gift arrived - one that again reduced me as always into a blubbering wreck of overwhelming emotions.

A little background as to why this gift is so special is that I have multiple allergies - which makes jewellery particularly difficult as I can only wear titanium. My family know that I love divination and particularly using runes - I have three sets of runes, all of which I love. Plus, I am hugely drawn to trees, they bring me much peace and happiness when around them. Family is also very important to me and I become very attached to the sentiment behind gifts and hold onto them and cherish them.

I used to always wear a watch, a metal mans watch that my husband gave me before we were married - a simple inexpensive watch that meant the world to me, but due to allergies I can no longer wear - although I still have it. My daughter enquired a few months ago whether I missed wearing a watch and I told her I did but had given up on one because I didn't know if titanium watches were even a thing, let alone affordable.

SO, my first and third born offspring clubbed together and purchased the gifts (seen below) hand crafted from someone with a small business in Israel.

First born offspring

Third born offspring

The beautiful box the gift arrived in with special tool and additional links should they be required.

A gorgeous box to keep forever

My beautiful wooden watch, carved with runes around it and the tree of life in the centre,
even more amazing is that I discovered that the hands of the watch are glow in the dark too!!

Message engraved into the back of the watch

Gorgeous wooden bead on elastic mala bracelet

Cheesy picture of a very happy me wearing both my new gifts!!

The watch is a retro wind up one and not battery run - which I LOVE, plus all the little personal finishing touches to its design. Something that is very special to me and will be forever treasured.

I feel exceptionally fortunate and super lucky to have such a wonderful family around me - they keep me grounded and remind me when feeling in even the lowest of moods that a spark of happiness can be reignited even when you thought it had been extinguished within you.

I just wanted to share this with you because today reminded me to look up and see those people who care and love me and that we matter, all of us - and we are loved, even when we don't always see it.

Love and Blessings

x~X~x

Feeding the Mind & Soul

Sometimes you have to immerse yourself in what makes you happy, feeds the mind and soul and makes you feel whole.

I recently embraced the lurking inner witch inside of me and decide to really learn about the craft to further understand what draws me to it and how to utilise it in my daily life.

This discovery has given me a sense of deep inner peace ~ I feel I now fully know who I am and which direction to go in from this moment onward.

I have searched avidly for information about the craft and for guidance to help me decide in which direction I want to go but found that there is so much information that I got a little bamboozled.

THEN I stumbled upon a game changer for me ~ a FREE online school which will help me delve deeper into the subjects that call to me and help me find direction, information, guidance and instruction. I am currently working through orientation classes before I can then choose to study specific topics but my intention is to diligently work through every class that I find I am interested in and learn how to utilise the craft in my daily life for optimum harmony.

I have since also discovered through this first school another which will be opening its doors on Samhain, which I will most definitely enrol in as I have researched both schools and feel both can offer me what I need to continue on my path.

If you are wanting to discover and learn more about the craft then I would urge you to look into both of these schools and see if they offer you what you are looking for.

The first school is The Magical Circle School ~ TMCS, it offers "The Magickal Circle School of Paganism, Witchcraft, and Wicca is a free online school with courses that teach about Paganism, Witchcraft, Wicca, Mythology, Divination, Healing, and much more!" The school has recently reopened after some major changes  and is now better than ever, the link should you be interested in enrolling is:

https://magickalcircleschool.com/

The second school is Serenity Academy of Magick, which is an online pagan school that as yet is not up and running but will be opening up Samhain 2019, so no link is available yet for me to share with you to link to the school site. However, I am sure you will be able to google search the schools name on Samhain and navigate to it from that.

All I can say is that I am exceptionally grateful and appreciative of the people who are running these schools for giving of their time and expertise for free in order to help other like minded individuals who are wanting to expand their knowledge base and interact with others on the same or similar path.

I am eager to finish my orientation classes and delve deeper and immerse myself in learning more and can see that the information and education gained will be addictive and incredibly satisfying to complete.

So, at the grand age of 50 I am once again a student ~ and loving it!

~ Blessings ~ 

x~X~x

Cats And Wands

Cats the Musical holds many fond memories for me.

It was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber as a musical adaptation of  T.S Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats from 1939. The stage musical was directed by Trevor Nunn and choreographed by Gillian Lynne opening in the West End in 1981.

I was exceptionally lucky to go and see it with the original cast of Wayne Sleep, Bonnie Langford, Elaine Page, Sarah Brightman, Brian Blessed and Paul Nicholas among just a few. I was star struck and awestruck by the cats moving among the audience, the rotating stage and the enormous props to make the cast look cat sized! The music and dancing was spectacular, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up! All in all it was one heck of a A~W~E~S~O~M~E experience!

I loved it so much so that many years later, I returned dragging my husband with me to the theatre in London and thoroughly enjoyed seeing it again.

Many years after that second visit, when our three  daughters were old enough we took them to see the touring version in Nottingham. This third time for me, second for my husband and first for the girls was equally brilliant. It's just a shame it wasn't the original theatre with the revolving stage. However my girls were just as mesmerised as I was, to such a degree that we purchased and they wore out two VHS Cats Videos and on DVD plus an additional audio CD!

This is the trailer of the original show, which I love so very much;

Imagine my excitement when I heard that Universal had made an adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webbers musical and it was being released towards the end of this year with an all star cast! However, after viewing the trailer I'm a little perplexed by the howlingly awful rendition of Memory by Jennifer Hudson and the ever changing scale of props in relation to the actors as "cats".

However, this hasn't curbed my curiosity and excitement at the prospect of watching this film when it comes out. It looks as if, at the very least, it will be enormously entertaining to view, I'll just have to put in ear plugs when "memory" starts up ~ either that or it won't sound so bad in context when immersed in the film!

The cast for the new film is as follows (should you be a Cats nerd like me);

Idris Elba ... Macavity
Rebel Wilson ... Jennyanydots
Judi Dench ... Old Deuteronomy
Ian McKellen ... Gus The Theatre Cat
James Corden ... Bustopher Jones
Taylor Swift ... Bombalurina
Ray Winstone ... Growltiger
Jennifer Hudson ... Grizabella
Laurent Bourgeois ... Socrates
Laurie Davidson ... Mr. Mistoffelees
Jason Derulo ... Rum Tum Tugger
Naoimh Morgan ... Rumpleteazer
Steven McRae ... Skimbleshanks
Danny Collins ... Mungojerrie

For those of you who haven't seen the trailer, here it is for your pleasure;

Aside from getting my knickers in a twist with excitement and befuddlement about the new Cats adaptation due out I have been busy making myself a wand.

Yep, you heard right ~ rather than buying a beautiful wand made by someone else I decided I would make my own from scratch. However, in my excitement to make it I forgot to take photographs along the way showing the process and my progress with it. 

Firstly I took a trip out to the local meadows to find a suitable tree for the large "twig". Once the tree had been selected and permission granted from the tree to harvest said piece of wood I carefully removed the small branch ~ or branchlett (is that a word?) from the tree. Taking great care I then thanked the tree and gave it a small sacrifice of water. 

Once home I left the wood on my alter to slowly dry out. 

Once dried I removed the bark and sanded it down. Next I checked the length and yup ~ it ran from wrist to elbow in length ~ perfect. 

Once sanded I then stained and oiled the wood but left the top by the handle the original colour.

Then I went to my crystal collection and waited until the right crystal spoke to me, once selected I  used it for the tip of my wand.

Finally ~ decoration! I chose some small beads that I use for meditation mandalas to string and wind around my wand plus some purple ribbon to wind around the handle.

A large amount of gorilla glue was used in the process of creating this wand and most of it ended up on my fingers, at one point I thought I would be permanently joined to the dining room table but thankfully managed to part finger tip from table!

I love creating and artistic endeavours but I'm not all that great at it, so ~ yes ~ this is a very "home made" and "rustic" looking wand but it's mine, made and created by me, for me, which makes it, in my eyes, perfect.

I am thrilled with the result and so have some photos below to share with you.

~ Blessings ~

x~X~x

A Break Away

I do love a break~away both the chocolate biscuit and a mini~trip variety.

Last weekend my husband took me away to Whitby for a 3 night break away because we both love the Yorkshire coast, it holds many happy memories for us.

I can’t believe how fortunate we were with the weather too ~ being on the coast meant we could enjoy the high temperatures with the relief of the sea breeze. So it wasn’t unbearable and perfect for being out and about.

Our hotel was perfect, I grew fond of it and the old traditional vibe it had. It was immaculately clean and very traditionally decorated. The room key was a real key and not a key card, plus we had a real key for the car park barrier too. 

The dining room reminded me of the one in Fawlty Towers ~ the double swing doors into the kitchen from the dining room were the same. I kept expecting Basil to enter via these doors cuffing a cowering Manuel as he scuttled ahead of him. The staff wore uniforms of black dresses with white lace trimmed waist pinafores which was quite a throwback. The tables covered with very highly polished silverware (you could use it as a mirror), silver cutlery, silver salt and pepper pots and silver dish ware and teapots, coffee pots, milk jugs etc. 

Breakfast was novel, no self service! Everything was on the menu and had to be ordered individually ~ then it was brought to you at the table. So orange juice arrived in a decent sized glass on a plate with a paper doily between plate and glass. Toast came in a silver toast rack placed in a bowl (to catch crumbs). Cereals, yoghurts, fruits, toast, croissants etc plus full cooked breakfasts came to order. So my orders were long asking for porridge, fruits, juice, toast etc which felt weird as usually these are items you help yourself to and I felt a bit extra.

We visited Whitby Abbey via car not the 199 steps, thankfully the blue badge afforded me access with minimal walking. The Abbey on the East Cliff was gorgeous and we were lucky it was pretty quiet which meant we could sit and just enjoy the surroundings. The graveyard just by the Abbey afforded views to the harbour and the two small lighthouses, we mooched through the graveyard looking at the ancient graves and enjoying the calm peaceful atmosphere.

Each day I got up slowly either up into flip flops and tee for breakfast with bed head in the restaurant or lie in bed whilst Dave went for breakfast returning with a bacon sarnie from the hotel kitchen for me. Each day was divided into two parts, with a return to the hotel midway for me to have a nanna nap to save energy, pacing myself. The hotel bed and pillows just embraced you and were so comfortable, which helped.

Over the long weekend we also took ourselves off to the beach, the quayside and to Bram Stokers bench. We finished with a boat trip harbour tour and the open top bus tour. 

Having this time away has made me realise it may be time to consider purchasing a small mobility buggy as I couldn’t visit parts of the old town because I can’t walk too far and it was steep and involved much walking. My faithful crutches took good care of me but perhaps I could do far more and open my world up more by investing in a buggy.

Also ~ with a buggy I could “walk” the dogs again everyday, which I would really love to be able to do.

Me being me, managed to sprain my neck on the Sunday afternoon during my nap ~ I think I somehow twisted my neck in my sleep as I woke up with pain along the left ligament of my neck and pain on movement with referred pain along the jaw. Thank goodness for thermacare 16 hour heat pads ~ they are awesome and gave a huge amount of relief.

Going away always comes with payback and post exertional malaise, so I have been lying low and resting to return to my “normal”.

Now almost a week after the injury my neck is starting to heal and some movement is coming back. I had to miss my Tai Chi this week and so I am hoping my neck will be sufficiently healed by Thursday coming so I can go to my next Tai Chi lesson, I hate to miss them. I have the second Tai Chi for Arthritis DVD to learn the additional movements to complete the sequence for my physiotherapy and it really is a wonderful way to both exercise and meditate with calming suitable music. 

If you are interested in seeing the full Tai Chi routine for Arthritis I am learning then you can watch it below in the video from YouTube.

I have started my orientation course on The Magickal Circle School and also learning my therapeutic touch alongside it, so all in all I feel life is now moving forward in a very positive trajectory ~ which is fabulous and long may it continue. In order to do this though I have had to severely limited my time on social media because I find I am too easily drawn in and distracted by it, which leaves me no time for “doing” and “being”. 

If you feel I am being “off” on social media I promise you I’m not, I’m just practising self~care and focusing on living the best life I can by improving my health and overall well~being within the limitations of my energy and concentration levels.

I wish you all a great weekend and hope that you are spending time doing what you love.

~ Blessed Be ~

x~X~x

What's A Witch?

What do you think of when you hear that word ~ witch?

Do you automatically go to the witches of our childhood and the fairy stories they exist in?

Do you think of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels and think ah ~ Nanny Ogg and Granny Weatherwax, to name but just two.

Does your mind wander back in history to the witches trials ~ or do you think of the modern witch, someone who could be sitting next to you and you would have no idea?

First stop ~ dictionary definition..

Witch

noun

noun: witch; plural noun: witches

1.

a woman thought to have magic powers, especially evil ones, popularly depicted as wearing a black cloak and pointed hat and flying on a broomstick.

synonyms: sorceress, enchantress, occultist, necromancer, Wiccan; More a follower or practitioner of Wicca or of modern witchcraft.

2.

INFORMAL

an ugly or unpleasant woman.

“he can marry the old witch for all I care”

synonyms: hag, crone, harpy, harridan, termagant, she-devil; More

3.

a girl or woman who is bewitchingly attractive.

4.

an edible North Atlantic flatfish.

verb

verb: witch; 3rd person present: witches; past tense: witched; past participle: witched; gerund or present participle: witching

1.

cast an evil spell on.

“Mrs Mucharski had somehow witched the house”

(of a girl or woman) enchant (a man).

“she witched Jake”

Phrases

as cold as a witch’s tit — very cold.

Origin

Old English wicca (masculine), wicce (feminine), wiccian (verb); current senses of the verb are probably a shortening of bewitch.

Hmm, but that’s not my interpretation of a witch. 

Interestingly when you google search what is the purpose of witchcraft this comes up.. “Witchcraft or witchery is the practice of magical skills and abilities exercised by solitary practitioners and groups. Belief in witchcraft is often present within societies and groups whose cultural framework includes a magical world view. It often occupies a religious divinatory or medicinal role.”

Now that’s more like it ~ for me witchcraft is about understanding nature, our environment, the planet, the stars and all living life forms. It’s about harnessing energies and using them for positive purposes ~ to grow and use herbs, weeds, flowers, plants to create medicinal therapies and/or using the in spells to benefit the receiver. I’m a solitary witch, practising quietly by myself and always learning, discovering and practising the craft to become better and wiser in how to utilise my skills. To find harmony and balance with my surroundings and taking the parts of “witchery” that resonate with me, I don’t worship gods or goddesses but honour the maiden, mother and crone because I see aspects of the in nature, the seasons, in life, everywhere in fact. As a modern day witch I don’t consider myself following a religion but a belief, I don’t adhere to the old and definitive practices but more a open ever evolving freedom to choose my path and decide which aspects to incorporate and which to ignore.

Delving back into the history of witches I find that on the whole they were women trying to help others and were totally misunderstood. “Early witches were people who practised witchcraft ~ they used magic spells and called upon spirits for help or to bring about change. Most witches were thought to be pagans doing the Devil’s work. Many, however, were simply natural healers or so-called “wise women” whose choice of profession was misunderstood.“

Ooh I like the description of “wise woman” no one’s ever called me that! Also the healer description resonates with my inner nurse ~ I like that description because the healing touch ~ or energy healing, is something I am currently learning.

If you are interested in healing touch it is described by The Healing Touch Program as ..

“Healing Touch is an energy therapy in which practitioners consciously use their hands in a heart-centered and intentional way to support and facilitate physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health. 

It is a biofield (magnetic field around the body) therapy that is an energy-based approach to health and healing. It uses the gift of touch to influence the human energy system, specifically the energy field that surrounds the body, and the energy centers that control the flow from the energy field to the physical body. 

These non-invasive techniques employ the hands to clear, energize, and balance the human and environmental energy fields, thus affecting physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. It is based on a heart-centered, caring relationship in which the practitioner and client come together energetically to facilitate the client’s health and healing. The goal of Healing Touch is to restore balance and harmonies in the energy system, placing the client in a position to self heal.“

Further explanation from this site goes on to explain how it works..

“Many theoretical frameworks on how energy medicine works exist in the literature of quantum physics and holistic healing. However, while the exact physics mechanisms can not be definitively described at this time, the cumulative results of numerous related studies on energy medicine and consciousness indicate strong support that “something is happening” and that recipients respond positively to energy therapies such as Healing Touch.

Over the years, researchers have developed ways to measure the energy field. Theoretically, by correcting any defects in the energy field, energy therapy practices may facilitate healing of the body, mind and spirit.

Energy therapies focus on removing energy congestion that form in our energy fields (aura) and energy centers (chakras). Once these imbalances and disturbances are cleared, the energy channels resume their task of integrating the body, mind and soul to restore health and promote healing. It may also help to prevent future issues by restoring balance to energy field disturbances, which could later result in illness if left unbalanced.

To gain a deeper understanding of the science supporting energy healing, please refer to the many books, journal articles and research findings written on this subject. Scientific evidence does exist that supports the premise that energy healing is effective. However, an experience is worth a thousand words, so the receiving of a Healing Touch treatment can do more to understand this phenomena than all the writings in the world.“

If you are interested in more information or courses then have a look at this link.. https://ttouch.org.uk/

I am working small spells at the moment, learning very slowly how to harness energies and focus intentions. Not spells that you see in films with bangs, whizzes and puffs of green smoke, more focusing the mind, setting intentions and sending them out. I am also fascinated by Tarot cards and their uses along with runes. I love my spirit animal tarot oracle card pack which I use regularly for guidance. My full Rider Waite deck has just arrived which I need to sage and familiarise myself with before learning how to use them properly.

In addition to the above I am also attending Tai Chi for arthritis classes with a rheumatology physiotherapist which I am loving and we are learning the forms and working towards being able to do the full routine daily as physical therapy and meditation with movement relaxation therapy.

So in answer to the question ~ what’s a witch? 

A witch can be many different things ~ depending on the path they have chosen and the practices they like to follow. 

Some like the occult aspect, some nature, some the religious side and others ~ like me ~ create their own path. Some join covens, working with others, whist some work alone. 

The subject is vast and the paths to take are numerous from the strict historical old practices to the new age modern interpretation. From the occult to the divine, following the moon and astrology to nature and the planets workings. Some do spells, some love crystal usage, meditation and divination and tarot readings and runes. 

There is so much more than this but they are just examples. The beauty of being a witch is that you are the person you choose to be and dabble in the aspects of witchcraft that call to you. Each of us are different and there is no right or wrong ways to practice.

For some it is a religion and Gods and Goddesses are worshipped. I don’t do that personally but I do definitely feel a higher energy exists in some form but I can’t see it as a divine being, more part of the universe itself. 

For me it’s a lifestyle ~ trying not to give out any negative energies when possible ~ that said I’m no saint and have grumpy grouchy days. Mostly I try to work on the basis of give out what I would like to receive back and try to be mindful of my thought processes, mostly to protect myself and stay away from toxicity.

~ Blessed Be ~

x~X~x

Spirit Guides//Oracle Cards

I have chosen to share my journey and discoveries along my new path as a witch via this blog. Whether that is a wise decision or not only time will tell. I am well aware that it is something which may bring derision from some corners but I am prepared to take that on the chin should it occur. 

I am not judgemental of others, I feel we all have the right to choose the path that calls us and we should be able to talk about it and share our thoughts with others. I don’t believe in ramming my opinions and thoughts down your throats, you have the choice whether or not to read this blog. I am also not saying that the way of the witch is the right choice for everyone ~ instead it is an option to further explore should it appeal to you. 

In return all I ask is for you to be open to understanding my beliefs if they are other than your own, I am happy to discuss differences with you but personally find that with belief systems and religions there is often more common ground than initially thought. Discussion about our various beliefs can be healthy so long as all parties are respectful of each other, if we can accept our differences then we can live harmoniously alongside each other with love and respect.

So, part of my journey is becoming familiar with tarot cards and understanding how to connect with them to use them to guide me along my path.

My first deck of tarot cards were gifted to me and are the “Messages From Your Animal Spirit Guides” oracle card deck. The pack contains 44 cards and a small information booklet. They are more than perfect for me because I have a huge love for animals and find myself drawn to watching them and when possible helping them.

Prior to delving into the adventurous journey of discovering my inner witch I had no idea about how these things worked ~ allegedly it is best if your first tarot deck is gifted to you. This happens to be something that happened to me purely by fluke. A while ago I bought my middle daughter this tarot deck, she never really got round to using them and so re~gifted them back to me. So technically I didn’t buy them for myself.

Then, allegedly all subsequent decks can be self~purchased but you need to allow them to call to you and not just buy any old deck. I have just purchased a deck, yet to be delivered, of The Original Rider Waite Cards and guide book. I wanted a traditional full deck of tarot cards to work with alongside my oracle deck.

I have been practising and learning how to use my spirit guide deck and found them to be exceptionally accurate in helping me with my questions and very specific with the guidance too. I have been holding the cards and getting to know them, to connect with them and the spirit animals. 

Since focusing on channelling my energies and setting my intentions I have found signs are coming to me from all around me. I am following intuitive feelings, sensing answers from signs shown in nature, my surroundings and phrases or words said at a significant moment.

I feel as if I am connecting to a higher energy and although I don’t specifically worship any Gods or Goddesses I do believe in a higher energy force which has the power to guide us when we ask it to. I have recently experienced a number of “events” where I have been compelled to do something in a way I wouldn’t normally do only to find that my decision to do it in that way has benefited me in some small way. It really feels as if I am being guided and supported by a unseen force and by parts of myself I am newly tapping into.

Today for the first time I read the cards for other people, two of my daughters and my husband to be precise. What struck me so profoundly was how specific the response from the cards was in relation to the question. Each reading was completely different and gave me chills in how the cards worked through me to provide advice and guidance. 

I am learning to work with my intuition and read the signs around me. I am still a novice and have a long way to go but this is a way of life that feels “right” for me and one that is drawing me along with a power and energy all of its own.

~ Blessed Be ~

x~X~x