Embracing the New Year

Though many people consider Samhain to be the beginning of the witch’s year; the start of the calendar year is also a good time for reflection, setting intentions and starting new projects.

It is a great time to start afresh; and actually, to do some shadow work.

We all deserve to find peace and joy in our lives.

Sometimes that starts with the decision to be happy.

Let’s consider the opportunities a new calendar year brings, and start the year off with some magick - make a positive statement below and know that it will be affirmed when other people like, share, tag, read the post and comment - keeping your positive statement spinning.

I’ll go first. “This year I will be healthy.”

What do you want to usher in? What changes are you going to make this year? Do you allow yourself to be happy?

Gratitude

I have been thinking about the things I am grateful for. Though (through no fault of my own) I’m not in the best of health right now, there are so many reasons to be cheerful.

I can study.

I have beautiful surroundings.

I have a home.

I have friends, and make friends, wherever I go.

I have my path.

I have someone to share life with.

I have family.

I have Witchcraft.

I’d love to hear what makes you happy and what you are grateful for. Do you have any big plans for 2024?

NEXT - Gratitude Jar

NEXT - Review: Wild Once by Vivianne Crowley

Intention: I Call Back My Power

In this moment, I call back my energy and power from all people, places, realms, entities, dimensions and situations that have been draining me; intentionally or otherwise. I call back my energy and power; and stand firm. Safe, sovereign, balanced, calm and protected. And so it is.

NEXT - Winter - A Time For Rest & Regeneration
NEXT - Review: Witch Charms by Quirky Cinnamon 
NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Hecate On The Hell Staircase 

Simple Magick: The Shadow

The Shadow is the psychological term for everything we can’t (or perhaps won’t) see in ourselves. You can no more get rid of this inner shadow than you can avoid casting an outer shadow into the sunlight, but you can work on it.

It is hard to see one’s own Shadow; because it is comes naturally to want to deny anything unflattering or difficult.

Whilst avoiding this side of our being we actually stunt our opportunity for growth and development; and in expending energy avoiding our true selves, we often miss the positive attributes of our personality.

Exploring The Shadow can lead to greater authenticity, which in turn leads to greater happiness, fulfilment, and creativity.

I have been doing a lot of work on my Shadow over the years. I am learning to love every part of myself, as I stumble through each situation and experience. I know my flaws, and I know they make me innately human. Whilst I don’t always get it right I AM trying my best; which means I am free to live my life and be happy.

Do you do any shadow work?

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Friday 13th
NEXT - Intention: I Call Back My Power
NEXT - Simple Magick: Make a Protective Rowan Necklace

Simple Magick: 10 Easy Witchy Self-Care Activities

It’s been a busy few weeks with the kids, I’ve been working towards getting a shop and Patreon launched, I’m enrolled on a magick course, and I’ve had a virus. Unsurprisingly, my M.E. and other chronic illnesses are now flaring, and I’ve hit a wall. I feel seriously unwell, which means I feel decidedly unmagickal.

It got me thinking about the small, low-energy things we can do when we feel this way. Small, simple things to bring that witchy feeling back, without burning ourselves out further. Whilst they may seem obvious when listed, they often get forgotten. Employing them can help us feel better.

Easy Witchy Self-Care Activities:

Burning Incense 

This always perks me up! My favourite scent burning ~ Patchouli Forest ~ makes me feel magickal again.

Lighting Candles 

A soft, warm glow rather than bright lights soothes frazzled nerves, and creates a magickal atmosphere; conducive to rest and recuperation.

Books

Whether it be folklore tales, a magical fictional story, or even just a quick flick through a favourite witchy book to look at the pictures; a book is sure to lift the spirits.

Bathing 

A ritual bath, or even just a bath or shower with some special smellies, is bound to make you feel much better.

Witchy Clothes 

Even if it’s just to sit on the sofa, wearing something that makes you feel empowered or special in some way can give you a low-energy boost for the rest of the day.

Witchy Films 

My go-to is The Wicker Man ~ the original version of course ~ and is the perfect low-energy activity.

Making a Cup of Tea

I’m not a tea (or a coffee!) drinker, but I imagine a nice witchy brew is a good low-energy activity.

Meditation

I often fall asleep during meditation due to chronic fatigue, but it means I’ve had a rest nonetheless. If you can stay awake during meditation all the better, but if not don’t worry.

Witchy Shopping

Whether you purchase or not, some witchy browsing is a fun, low-energy activity that gets the witchy juices flowing again.

Journaling or adding to a Grimoire 

Adding to your Grimoire is a great use of your time and requires very little energy.

What have I missed from this list? What’s your go-to?

NEXT - Simple Magick: How To Use A Crystal Ball
NEXT - Natural Remedies: Lavender Salve
NEXT - Witchcraft Books: Herbal Sunday Witchstack 

Building Community: Some Thoughts On Social Media

A beautiful picture of my beautiful husband on our hand-fasting. Right?

Yesterday a fantastic post about aesthetic and Witchcraft by @marget.inglis_witchcraft got me thinking, and my brain strayed down the path of Social Media and the current situation.

Like a lot of places in the world, things aren’t brilliant in the U.K. Due to coronavirus, we have in excess of 70,000 deaths and have just gone back down into lockdown for possibly another three months. This is impacting people in many, vary serious ways; but especially on peoples’ mental health.

I want to remind you that Social Media is a place where people put their best foot forward, are sharing the things that are helping to elevate their own mood, or their businesses. It is not always indicative of real life.

Whilst my account truthfully reflects the person that I am and the things that interest me, giving me an opportunity to play with my love of colour, I want to remind you that behind the account there’s a human being, just like you.

Like many others, my account doesn’t show you the boring day to day shit. It doesn’t show you the gripes and moans about walking through the house with wet shoes on after I’ve just cleaned the floor. It doesn’t show you my unhealthy obsession with My Singing Monsters, a game designed for 8 year old boys. It doesn’t show you the laughter where I open my big mouth really widely, making me look like Zippy from Rainbow, showing all my wonky teeth.

It doesn’t show you the currently very regular ugly-crying, where I’m getting snot all over my husband’s shirt. Sure, I have a fantastic life, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have challenges. The long list of chronic health conditions that I’m finding hard right now, the life-saving and life-enhancing medication that I’m struggling to get because of Brexit, the daughter I’m missing because she lives with her dad many hours away, my lack of financial stability because of my health. The arguments I have with my husband because of certain external forces, the challenges we face as a couple, his extremely stressful job. This is real life: the list goes on!

Remember this as you navigate the internet, and remember it’s ok to not be ok right now. 

If all you’re achieving right now is managing to get up and eat, that’s a WIN. If you’ve managed to cross something off your to-do list today, that’s a WIN. If all the kids are alive at the end of the day, that’s a WIN. If you’ve managed not to murder your husband today, that’s a WIN.

I’ll also mention here that I’m not in the camp who believes you should master something new in lockdown - a new language, a new hobby, a fitness regime, weight loss, writing a book, reading ten new books, new skills in the kitchen - BOLLOCKS.

If you do manage any of these things, that’s amazing! But if the next few months are focused only on survival that’s OK. 

Please be kind to yourselves. We’re still midwinter and there are more tough days ahead. 

NEXT - Building Community: Kindness & Compassion
NEXT - Simple Magick: Protecting The Integrity Of Your Spells On Social Media
NEXT - Campaign To Pardon The Pendle Witches

Simple Magick: 9 Pink Correspondences for Relationship Magick

A little bit of relationship magic to bolster us as we head into the darker months.

Pink is the colour of love, it carries a gentler energy than the passion of red, and it is perfect for relationship nurturing, healing, and trust.

Magickal Correspondences for Pink:

Self-love

Friendships

Forgiveness

Relaxation

Compassion 

Sensitivity

Honour

Devotion

Tenderness

Pink candles are associated with the emotional and spiritual aspects of Venus, the goddess of love. They can be used for all family matters and the healing of wounded emotions.

NEXT - Simple Magick: Using Snow in Magick

Natural Remedies: Meadowsweet Foot Soak

Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria), also known as Meadwort, hars been used for its medicinal purposes since the Bronze Age.

Today, its job was to soothe my tired, aching feet, and lend some comfort to my frazzled nerves ahead of a busy week.

I’m going to share a bit more about Meadowsweet over the coming days, including a photograph of this wonder herb, but today I want to share with you my recipe for a foot bath.

Fresh Meadowsweet Foot Soak:

Take ten heads of Meadowsweet and place in a large pan. 

Cover with 1.5L of water.

Bring to a boil, then leave to steep for 15 minutes.

Strain into a basin. Add some cool water if needed.

Soak your feet, and relax!

Whilst this recipe is simple, it is super-refreshing, and my feet always feel like new afterwards. They are soothed, softened, and moisturised. The fragrance and time out has made me ready, mentally, for the week ahead.

Do exercise some caution as the Meadowsweet stains some materials yellow. 

NEXT - Natural Remedies: Stinging Nettle & Rosemary Hair Rinse
NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Meadowsweet
NEXT - Simple Magick: The Wisdom of Land Wights

Natural Remedies: Stinging Nettle & Rosemary Hair Rinse

Nettle is rich in many nutrients and antioxidants, making it a great plant ally. It is rich in silica and sulphur making hair shinier, thicker, and healthier. Nettle boosts the circulation, which means that more oxygen - and therefore nutrients - will reach the hair follicles. Nettle contains super antioxidants that help get rid of damaging compounds, and inhibit the formation of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), an androgen (type of hormone), that causes baldness in both men and women.

Rosemary is believed to prevent DHT from bonding to hormone receptors that enable the hair follicles to be attacked, and it contains ursolic acid which increases (scalp) circulation. It’s unsurprising, therefore, that hair re-growth has been observed in trials using Rosemary oil. It’s antibacterial properties gently cleanse the hair and increase shine. Working together, Nettle and Rosemary do amazing things for the hair.

This recipe has been in my Book of Shadows for over 20 years now. It seems a bit odd rinsing your hair after washing it with what is basically tea(!), but it will add body and shine to your hair.

Step 1 - Add a handful or two of Nettles, and a handful of Rosemary sprigs, to a heat-proof bowl. Add 1L of boiling water and leave over night to steep.

Step 2 - Strain. At this stage you could add 50ml raw apple cider vinegar if you wanted, but I don’t bother.

Step 3 - After shampooing rinse your hair with this mixture, no need to wash out. Use all in one go, this mix isn’t for storing.

CAUTION: this beautiful reddish-brown mixture will stain ceramic bathroom ware, so please be careful. Rosemary can darken blond hair over time; so if you’re blonde - and enjoy being so! - you might want to avoid frequent use. 

NEXT - Natural Remedies: Lavender Oil
NEXT - Rosemary Magick: 17 Uses & Correspondences
NEXT - Personal Magick: My Kitchen Apothecary

Review: Traditional Jams & Preserves by Eve Parker

At this time of year ~ when I am waking up and coming out of hibernation! ~ I start to think about the gifts of Mother Nature throughout the year, which ones I will use, and what I will do with them.

Elderflowers, Elderberries, Blackberries, Ramsons, Rosehips, Nettles, Apples, Chestnuts, Cherries - so many lovely things!

I love this simple book; it is full of tasty recipes for Jams, Conserves, Chutneys and Butters.

Apple & Elderflower Jam

Ingredients:
1kg Cooking Apples
500g Elderflower heads
400ml water
500g preserving sugar

Method:
Rinse the Elderflowers, shake dry. Pull the flowers from the stalks and tie in a square of muslin.
Placed the peeled, cored, diced apples into the pan with the Elderflower bag.
Add water, bring to a simmer. Cool for 20 minutes, or until the Apple is pulped.
Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Bring to the boil and cook for 20 minutes, making sure the jam is bubbling on the surface, stirring occasionally to stop it sticking to the pan.

Test for set. When ready pour into sterilised jars, add wax disc, and screw lids on tightly. Leave to cool.

NEXT - Review: The House Witchy by Arin Murphy-Hiscock

Natural Remedies: Lavender Salve

To create Lavender Salve you must first create some Lavender Oil:

Fill a jar halfway with dried Lavender. Cover with carrier oil, cap, leave in cool, dark place (shaking occasionally) for 4-6 weeks. Strain.

To make the salve you will need:

LAVENDER SALVE

Ingredients: 
100g/3.5oz Lavender Oil.
15g/0.5oz Beeswax - or half as much Candelilla Wax for a Vegan alternative.
A heatproof tin or jar.
Small tins or jars.
Lavender Essential Oil (optional).

Method:
Put the wax into the jar/can.
Put the jar/can into a saucepan containing an inch or two of water.
Place on a medium heat until wax has melted.
Mix in the Lavender Oil.
Add in a few drops of Lavender Essential Oil (optional).
Pour into small tins or jars and leave for a few hours to harden.

The salve will last approximately 9 months to a year. Use to soothe bug bites/stings, on temples for headache relief, on wrists and neck for perfume, and to reduce sunburn healing time. 

NEXT - Natural Remedies: 10 Ways To Use Dried Lavender
NEXT - Natural Remedies: Lavender Oil
NEXT - Lupin Magick: 12 Correspondences for Growth

Personal Magick: Happy New Year 2020

Happy New Year everyone!
I hope you welcomed in the new year in the way that you’d like. For me that was an early night so that I was fresh enough to enjoy the first day of 2020.

I have spent some time reflecting on the past year, and looking ahead to the coming months; making intentions, and dreaming and wishing.

Last March I gave up alcohol. I wasn’t a big drinker (the reason for stopping was supporting someone else), but it has been quite an eye opener. I feel more open, creative, and connected to the world. There hasn’t been a single negative to quitting.

According to health writer Jason Christoff:

“In alchemy, alcohol is used to extract the soul essence of an entity. Hence its’ use in extracting essences for essential oils, and the sterilization of medical instruments. By consuming alcohol into the body, it in effect extracts the very essence of the soul, allowing the body to be more susceptible to neighboring entities most of which are of low frequencies. Why do you think we call certain alcoholic beverages ‘Spirits’? That is why people who consume excessive amounts of alcohol often black out, not remembering what happened. This happens when the good soul (we were sent here with) leaves because the living conditions are too polluted and too traumatic to tolerate. The good soul jettisons the body, staying connected on a tether, and a dark entity takes the body for a joy ride around the block, often in a hedonistic and self serving illogical rampage. Our bodies are cars for spirits. If one spirit leaves, another can take the car for a ride.
Essentially when someone goes dark after drinking alcohol or polluting themselves in many other ways, their body often becomes possessed by another entity.”

And so I’m going to continue with the sobriety. I have definitely felt more creative, and I have a few ideas up my sleeve... but you will all have to watch this space for those.

How has your New Year been so far? Do you have any exciting plans for the year ahead? What achievements from last year are you proud of?

NEXT - Personal Magick: My Story On Finding Witchcraft
NEXT - Simple Magick: More Ways To Connect With The Land
NEXT - The Lord's Prayer: A Pagan Prayer?