Witchy Quotes: Hermann Hesse - Wandering

“Trees are sanctuaries. Whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth. They do not preach learning and precepts, they preach, undeterred by particulars, the ancient law of life.

A tree says: A kernel is hidden in me, a spark, a thought, I am life from eternal life. The attempt and the risk that the eternal mother took with me is unique, unique the form and veins of my skin, unique the smallest play of leaves in my branches and the smallest scar on my bark. I was made to form and reveal the eternal in my smallest special detail.“

~ Hermann Hesse 

NEXT - Witchy Quotes: Rae Beth - Hedgewitch
NEXT - The Woodland Trust's 2022 Tree of the Year
NEXT - Personal Magick: Talking to the Trees

Happy Summer Solstice!

Happy Summer Solstice for yesterday, everyone! Wishing you the most beautiful week ahead!

Also, Winter Solstice blessings to our friends in the Southern Hemisphere. Sending all my love and blessings, Wren. X

NEXT - Summer Solstice Blessings
NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Fairy Rings
NEXT - Poppy Magick: Correspondences

Fabulous Folklore: Witches’ Flight

And ‘tis an art well known to Wizards old 

And wily Hags, who oft for fear and shame 

Of the coarse halter, do themselves with old

From bodily assisting their night game. 

Wherefore their carcasses do home retain,

But with their souls at these bad feasts they are,

And see their friends and call them by their name,

And dance about the Goat, and sing har, har,

And kiss the Devil’s breech, and taste his deadly cheer.

~ Henry More (1614-1687)

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Fair is Foul, and Foul is Fair

The Lord’s Prayer: A Pagan Prayer?

Just recently I discovered The Lord’s Prayer translated directly from Aramaic to English, rather than from Aramaic to Greek to Latin to English. It’s quite an eye opener…

“O cosmic birther of all radiance and vibration, soften the ground of our being and carve out a space within us where your presence can abide. Fill us with your creativity so that we may be empowered to bear the fruit of your mission. Let each of our actions bear fruit in accordance with our desire. Endow us with the wisdom to produce and share what each being needs to grow and flourish. Untie the tangled threads of destiny that bind us, as we release others from the entanglement of past mistakes. Do not let us be seduced by that which would divert us from our true purpose, but illuminate the opportunities of the present moment. For you are the ground and the fruitful vision, the birth, power, and fulfilment, as all is gathered and made whole once again. And so it is.”

There is much discussion as to whether this is a genuine translation and whether it is as old as sources online say it is, but it is enjoyable nonetheless. 

Fabulous Folklore: The Crooked House

This is The Crooked House in Lavenham, Suffolk. It dates back to 1395, and it is believed that it is the inspiration behind the old folk poem:

“There was a crooked man, and he walked a crooked mile,

He found a crooked sixpence against a crooked stile;

He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse,

And they all liv’d together in a little crooked house.”

The Crooked House has been used as a gallery and by an arts, history and antiques outfit. It is also used for filming and events.

I don’t live in Suffolk any more, but I really miss visiting Lavenham. It is considered to be Britain’s best preserved medieval village, and was East Anglia’s most famous wool town. As such, tiny Lavenham was once Britain’s 14th richest town, and among the twenty most wealthy settlements in the medieval period. Lavenham has a rich cultural heritage, and is known worldwide as a film location for Harry Potter.

There are other beautiful buildings to see here - the Guildhall, Molet House (which has a five pointed star in the doorway), and the Old Grammar School. De Vere House, another incredible building, was the home of Elizabeth Scrope, Countess of Oxford. She was the second wife of John de Vere, 13th earl of Oxford, and was tried and then held under house arrest for Witchcraft in 1473.

Would you live in this house? What’s your favourite place to visit?

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Place Names 

Snowdrop Magick: 8 Correspondences for Strength & Hope

The Snowdrops are out!

Galanthus, or snowdrop, have two linear leaves and a delicate, drooping bell flower. They are affectionately known as “Candlemas Bells” and “the Fair Maid of February” due to their appearance around Imbolc.

“The snowdrop, in purest white arraie,

First rears her hedde on Candlemas daie.

Whilst the crocus hastens to the shrine,

Of primrose lone on St. Valentine.”

~ excerpt from a 19th Century floral calendar.

Most species of snowdrop flower in the winter, usually before the spring equinox. They symbolise hope and life - they are a welcome sight after the darkness of winter. They are the first flower I look forward to seeing each year, and one of our first flowers to bloom - surely a sign that spring is on its way!

There’s mixed folklore surrounding snowdrops.

On Imbolc morning you can carry a bunch of snowdrops from room to room to cleanse it, a popular cleansing ritual; but Victorian superstition states that you should not bring the house for fear of ill-fortune, perhaps even a death in the family within the year. Either way, I think it’s nicer for all to leave them where they belong.

Magickal Correspondences for Snowdrops:

Triumph over adversity
Strength
Tenacity
Hope
Consolation
Eternal Life
Purity
Cleansing 

NEXT - Rose Magick: Correspondences
NEXT - Imbolc Magick: 40 Correspondences
NEXT - Bear Medicine: 5 Bear-Related Correspondences

Word Magick: Invocation to Pan

Invocation to Pan ~ by Helen Bantock

Pan, god of the unfettered wild!

Come from thy secret dwelling,

Where mighty mountains sleep, and, undefiled,

The waters sweet are welling,

O, fearless, swift! O fierce and free!

God of the forests! God of liberty!

Pan, sing we a paean! Pan, we call on thee!

Pan, god of the unfettered mind,

Of faith and will unshaken,

Come, piping loud and wild upon the wind

Till sluggard worlds awaken.

Healer divine! Heart of the free!

Spirit of music! Soul of ecstasy!

Priest of delight! Thou laughter gay- all hail!

Twy-horned, goat-footed, lord of revelry!

The sweet singer, the light dancer, the wild piper - clear and shrill!

The keen hunter, the swift pursuer, the lord of fear - and deathless will!

Pan, to thee we raise our voices, Pan, great Pan, all hail!

Image taken at The Museum of Witchcraft & Magic, Boscastle, Cornwall.

NEXT - Word Magick: The Season of The Witch 

Farewell: Rest In Peace, Wonderful Smurf

Another great man gone. For the second time in as many months, I’ve had my heart broken, and been shown that life will never be the same again.

You were an absolute hulk of a man, and a joy to be around. A big smile, a big booming voice; you gave huge and heartfelt hugs.

Loved by so many, you did so much for our Pagan and LARP communities; and you made a brilliant Father Christmas for the kids each year.

I’ll always think of you dragging around that bloody mandolin (what I wouldn’t give to hear a few notes of that now…), and wearing your sandals, ready to greet everyone with your joyful enthusiasm.

Our wonderful moot brother, our friend, our family.

Our moot leader has dedicated this beautiful lament by Doreen Valiente to Smurf:

 Elegy for a Dead Witch

(Written by Doreen Valiente for Robert Cochrane)

To think that you are gone, over the crest of the hills,

As the Moon passed from her fullness, riding the sky,

And the White Mare took you with her.

To think that we will wait another life,

To drink the wine from the horns and leap the fire.

Farewell from this world, but not from the Circle.

That place that is between the worlds

Shall hold return in due time. Nothing is lost.

The half of a fruit from the tree of Avalon

Shall be our reminder, among the fallen leaves

This life treads underfoot. Let the rain weep.

Waken in sunlight from the Realms of Sleep.

Rest in peace, dear Smurf.

NEXT: Farewell: Rest In Peace Terry Dobney, Archdruid of Avebury
NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Stonehenge

Review: Craig Addison Photography

On Monday I had the pleasure of working with Craig Addison Photography from www.craigaddisonphotography.com. 

Craig is an old school friend and a portrait and wedding photographer from Warwickshire. He is full of enthusiasm and simply loves taking pictures of people. 

Craig turned up on time, happily ate the dinner I provided, and made the evening such a pleasant one with his chatter and energy. He was very patient as I hobbled around with my stick. Between us, we came up with several ideas, with full credit going to Craig for the amazing images he produced (more to come).

You can find both Craig over on Instagram: @craigaddisonphotography

The evening gave me inspiration to write this poem (below). 

O sweet Samhain, 

I welcome thee.

Wrap around me,

your tight embrace.

Hold me close, 

as I hold them.

They walk near.

Straying from their path,

to walk by mine.

My mother’s mother,

calling my name.

Tell me more…

Feast with us one last night. 

Sit in this place, 

sacred;

and set aside for you.

A chance, once more, 

to share.

NEXT - Review: Stone Circle - Clothing For Goddesses

Word Magick: Prayer to Mother Earth

Mother Earth,

Enlighten what’s dark in me,

Strengthen what’s weak in me,

Mend what’s broken in me,

Bind what’s bruised in me,

Heal what’s sick in me,

And lastly, revive whatever peace and love has died in me.

~ Unknown

NEXT - Word Magick: Courage - What Does It Mean? 

Moon Magick: Full Super Moon in Scorpio

“Everybody has a little bit of the Sun and Moon in them. Everybody has a little bit of man, woman, and animal in them. Darks and lights in them. Everyone is part of a connected cosmic system. Part earth and sea, wind and fire, with some salt and dust swimming in them. We have a universe within ourselves that mimics the universe outside. None of us are just black or white, or never wrong and always right. No one. No one exists without polarities. Everybody has good and bad forces working with them, against them, and within them.”

~ Part Sun and Moon by Suzy Kassem.

Enjoy the energies of the last Supermoon of the year everyone! This powerful Full ‘Flower’ Moon is in Scorpio, at 1135hrs today for those of us in the U.K.

Arguably this is the most intense Full Moon of the year; Scorpio is the sign that deals with all the deep stuff - intimate connections, deep emotions, and mysticism. Of course it’s also a time for letting go of things that don’t serve you; and for making intentions. Be patient with yourself, and honour whatever emotions you are feeling right now.

Full Moon blessings everyone.

NEXT - Moon Magick: The Snow Moon

Witchy Quotes: Mary Oliver - Wild Geese

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the Sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting –
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

~ Mary Oliver 

NEXT - Witchy Quotes: John O'Donahue - Beannacht/Blessing
NEXT - Simple Magick: 9 Pink Correspondences for Relationship Magick
NEXT - Simple Magick: Magickal Beliefs & Attitudes

Witchy Quotes: John O'Donahue - Beannacht/Blessing

On the day when
the weight deadens
on your shoulders
and you stumble,
may the clay dance
to balance you.

And when your eyes
freeze behind
the grey window
and the ghost of loss
gets into you,
may a flock of colours,
indigo, red, green,
and azure blue
come to awaken in you
a meadow of delight.

When the canvas frays
in the currach of thought
ad a stain of ocean
blackens beneath you,
may there come across the waters,
a path of yellow moonlight
to bring you safely home.

May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
may the clarity of light be yours,
may the fluency of the ocean be yours,
may the protection of the ancestors be yours.

And so may a slow
wind work these words
of love around you,
an invisible cloak,
to mind your life.

~ Beannacht, John O'Donahue 

NEXT - Witchy Quotes: Gudrun of Mimirsbrunnur - Prayer for Receiving Stewardship of Land
NEXT - Personal Magick: Circle
NEXT - Simple Magick: Experiencing the Land Wights

Witchy Quotes: Gudrun of Mimirsbrunnur - Prayer for Receiving Stewardship of Land

O Great Landvættir beneath my feet,
I call you, I awaken you, I offer you friendship!
In the name of Jord, Green Mother,
I swear I will not exploit this land out of greed.
In the name of Frey, Lord of the Grain,
I swear I will plant each seed with thought and reverence.
In the name of Freya, Lady of Spring,
I swear I will see the beauty of my land as a source of soul’s comfort.
In the name of Nerthus, Mother of the Vanir,
I swear that I will keep the secrets of this land as jewels.
In the name of Skadi, Winter Queen,
I swear I will leave wild places for your children.
In the name of Ullr, Hunter of the Wild,
I swear I will not take too many of your children, even to feed my own.
In the name of Iduna, Orchard-Grower,
I swear I will be grateful for every mouthful this land gives me,
And that I will give back what is given with all due respect and joy.

~ Gudrun of Mimirsbrunnr 

NEXT - Witchy Quotes: Hermann Hesse - Wandering
NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Norse Magick
NEXT - Sacred Symbols: Runes

Samhain: Samhain Night Blessings

This is the night when the gateway between our world and the spirit world is thinnest.
Tonight is a night to call out those who came before.
Tonight I honour my ancestors.
Spirits of my fathers and mothers, I call to you, and welcome you to join me for this night.
You watch over me always, protecting and guiding me, and tonight I thank you.
Your blood runs in my veins, your spirit is in my heart, your memories are in my soul.
With the gift of remembrance, I remember all of you.
You are dead but never forgotten, and you live on within me, and within those who are yet to come.

~ Patti Wigington

As crops die and winter takes over, we look within to find our own balance of dark and light. Light is always born out of darkness, they are inseparable, interdependent, and necessary. Do not be afraid of the darkness - darkness is fertile with potential.

The down-time of winter gives us the opportunity to rest and reflect on the past, and to dream of new beginnings. I hope the seeds you plant for next year bring you peace, joy, happiness, and abundance.

Have a blessed Samhain all those who celebrate. With love and blessings, Wren

NEXT - Pagan Holidays: 65 Samhain Magickal Correspondences 

NEXT - Customs & Traditions: Samhain 

NEXT - Lughnasadh Blessings: Welcoming the Harvest