Lughnasadh Blessings: Welcoming the Harvest

Wishing you all a beautiful Lughnasadh tomorrow, however you may celebrate it.

I find this Sabbat incredibly bittersweet. We are well beyond the Summer Solstice now and we are heading towards the darker part of the year. I’m not looking forward to the damp and cold, which start in September in our old stone house. It means there are only two seasons here; winter and summer, and summer has (nearly) gone all too quickly. I’m actually quite nervous of what’s to come as last winter was so difficult.

What are you doing to celebrate this turn of the Wheel?

What is the harvest you gather this year?

I am proud of my ability to keep going, even though this year has been very challenging and the challenges are not over yet. 

However you celebrate I hope it’s a good one. Love and blessings,

Wren. X

NEXT - Journaling: Harvest Reflections for Lughnasadh

NEXT - Pagan Holidays: Lughnasadh

Fabulous Folklore: The Major Oak

The Major Oak in Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire, is one of our oldest trees.

It stands near the village of Edwinstowe and has been present during the age of the Vikings, the Battle of Hastings and over 50 monarchs, which is just incredible.

It is propped up by girders and planks, which sparked an interesting conversation between me and my friend: should this incredible tree be supported in this way, or should we let nature take its course?

What do you think?

Have you been to see the Major Oak? Maybe you have made friends with another very old tree? I’d love to hear your tree stories!

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Wing Maze
NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Yew
NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Rats Castle
NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: The Broadbean

Fabulous Folklore: Foxgloves

I absolutely ADORE foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea), especially when I see them in the wild. They are one of those really fascinating plants with lots of interesting folklore.

One of the best things about foxgloves is the HUGE amount of local and regional names given to them. In this way they remind me of another magickal thing: wood lice ~ aka cheesy bugs / chiggy wig / granther giggles / grammer zow!

Foxgloves are also known as goblin gloves, witches’ gloves, dead men’s bells, fox fingers, flopdock, cowflop, bunny rabbits, fairy petticoats and fairyweed. 

Have you heard of these names? In what country and region are you in? What do YOU call them?

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: The Tulip Piskies
NEXT - A History: Midsummer Day (24th June)
NEXT - Natural Remedies: 6 Ways With Lavender Essential Oil
NEXT - Simple Magick: Power Flow for August

Fabulous Folklore: The Broadbean

Cultivated in the Middle East for over 8000 years and grown in gardens since about 1200, the broad bean or fava bean (now we’re all thinking of THAT film) are grown abundantly in my part of the Midlands.

They are a species of vetch and have the most beautiful, delicate, sweet scent that carries on the wind. There is nothing like it, although the scent of the lilac comes close. It’s no surprise that their scent is considered an aphrodisiac, it is simply beautiful.

Whilst not particularly tasty (not to me, anyway!) they are high in L-dopa, which the body converts to dopamine.

They have a lot of folklore and superstition surrounding them. They often appeared in old wortcunning recipes and spells to cure warts. Usually this involved rubbing the inside of the broadbean pod on skin, and throwing it over a shoulder or burying it. Preferably by moonlight. The belief was that by the time the pod was rotted the wart would be gone.

It is believed that the beans in Jack & The Beanstalk were fava beans. Jack, a poor Cornish country boy, trades the family cow for some magic beans which, when planted, grow into an enormous beanstalk ladder that reaches into the sky. Jack climbs the ladder to find himself in front of a giant. I sometimes wonder if the feel-good dopamine is reflected in this story by the magical appearance of the beans and the beautiful ladder reaching up into the heavens.

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Wolfsbane
NEXT - Winter Aconite Magick: Herbal Lore
NEXT - Sticky Willy Magick: An Abundance of Folk Names

Simple Magick: Birthday Cake Candles

Birthday cake candles! One of the best magickal tools around (imho).

They are:

Small

Perfect for spells, they’re quick to burn down. This means you’re not waiting around for ages to see your spell through to completion. Great for magick in a hurry/emergency.

Cheap

Much cheaper than dedicated spell candles. Some say they haven’t been made with magick in mind, but I disagree - what else is a birthday wish?! Can you truly say those mass-produced spell candles are?

Accessible

Find them at the supermarket. Easy and convenient. Say no more!

Colourful

You can find every colour online. Black, metallics, and even brown if you look hard enough.

Under the Radar

Kept in the kitchen drawer, the witch still firmly in the broom cupboard will remain there.

Versatile

The perfect tool for numerology spells (use as many as you need), to create a sigil, and in spells associated with to happiness and innocence, to name but a few.

Do you use birthday cake candles? I’d love to hear!

NEXT - Simple Magick: Candle Replacements
NEXT - Simple Magick: Birthday Rituals
NEXT - Simple Magick: Kitchen Candle Magick

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

Personal Magick: Home Is Where The Heart Is?

A recent trip to the area I grew up in got me thinking about home, and the meaning of home.

I didn’t think I was especially missing the area that I haven’t lived in for the last 8 years. My friends and family, yes, but not necessarily the land. Until I went back and remembered how beautiful it is.

Home can mean so many different things. Some people call home wherever they happen to be. I guess I’m one of those people, but there’s no mistaking that wherever you grow up always retains a piece of your heart.

What does “home” mean to you, and in particular what does it mean to your Witchcraft practice?

NEXT - Simple Magick: Spirits Of The Home
NEXT - Cemetery Stuff: There's No Place Like Home
NEXT - Simple Magick: Cleansing The Air Using The Element Of Air

Strawberry Magick: 20 Fruity Correspondences

Apart from their antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties, strawberries are commonly used in magick for their association with abundance, fertility, love and luck.

They have been used as a love food and in love spells for centuries. The leaves have been carried in sachets and charms for luck, and pregnant women can carry them to prevent and ease pains. 

Strawberry infused water can be used to create potions or for rituals baths. Infuse strawberries under the moon to create strawberry moon water! 

Strawberry Magickal Associations: 

Abundance

Attraction 

Beauty 

Commitment 

Dedication
Desire

Faithfulness 

Fertility 

Fruitfulness 

Glamour spells

Healing
Health

The Heart 

Joy 

Kindness 

Love 

Loyalty 

Luck 

Success 

Sweetening

Remember that magickal associations are forged through the connections we make with our magickal tools/relationships- your correspondences may look quite different to mine.

Have you ever used strawberries in magick? If so, what do you use them for? 

NEXT - Wild Garlic Magick: 7 Bear-Related Correspondences
NEXT - Summer Solstice Blessings
NEXT - Review: Witchy Birthday Cake by Shannon Holdsworth
NEXT - Simple Magick: Power Flow For August

A History: Midsummer Day (24th June)

Midsummer Day (June 24th) is a celebration of summer, enjoyed throughout Europe. It is close to the Summer Solstice and has pre-Christian, Pagan roots. It celebrates the midpoint of the growing season; it is half-way between planting and harvesting.

It is also the feast of St. John the Baptist within the Christian Church, and celebrations begin the night before on the 23rd June, which is known as St. John’s Eve (and Midsummer Eve). Saint John was born six months before Jesus in the calendar year, and predicted the birth of Christ, later baptising him in the Jordan River. Saint John is seen by many Christians as someone who prepared the way for Jesus.

It is believed that the custom of lighting of fires in honour of St. John first happened in England in the 13th Century. One particular monk in Gloucestershire details how the bonfires drove away dragons. The bonfires did more than this - they united communities; bringing people together in celebration to eat, drink and be merry.

Alongside the bonfire celebrations doors were decorated with greenery and flower garlands, interspersed with pretty glass lamps. Bathing in water (to represent Jesus’ baptism) and watching the sunrise were all traditional activities.

Midsummer and St. John’s Day celebrations happen all around the world and are particularly important in Scandinavia and some parts of the U.K. although the date has been changed in some countries, and falls somewhere between the 19th and 26th of June.

Sending love and blessings to you,

Wren. X 

NEXT - Lughnasadh Blessings: Welcoming the Harvest
NEXT - Summer Solstice Blessings
NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Fairy Rings
NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Nine Ladies Stone Circle

Fabulous Folklore: Bees

Bees appear a lot in folklore. Traditionally bee charms were hung in the house to attract health and happiness, and bees flying into the house indicated strangers soon calling. Bees resting on the roof were seen as a good omen.

For some cultures bees may have been seen as psychopomps or messengers of the dead; Mycenaean tombs were decorated with bees and some were shaped like beehives. It is possible that they believed that the soul transmuted into human form after death.

“Telling the bees” is an old British custom, one that still goes on in my local area. Bees were kept abreast of all important family matters, including births, marriages, journeys, absences. Deaths especially were reported to the bees, often before other family members.

Usually the “goodwife” of a household would be tasked with “telling the bees”. She would knock gently on the give to get their intention, and solemnly tell them the news. In neighbouring Nottinghamshire, the wife of the dead was heard singing quietly in front of the hive:

“The master's dead, but don't you go; Your mistress will be a good mistress to you.”

It was feared that failure to update the bees of such news would bring catastrophe. Failure to put the bees in mourning could end in all sorts of trouble; the bees might fail to produce enough honey, leave the hive, or even die.

In my county, whenever there was a death the top of the hive was wrapped with a piece of black fabric or crepe by the beekeeper, otherwise it was feared that the bees would not thrive. Whenever there was a wedding the hives were decorated, and pieces of cake were left out so that the bees could share in the festivities.

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Kissing Gates

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: The Lincoln Imp

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Leicestershire & Rutland Leechcraft
NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: The Broadbean

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

Witchy Quotes: Rae Beth - Hedgewitch

“The Craft will live through you, and through what you bring to it. And it is these traditions, these eternal themes, which I want to convey. You will find them referred to by other writers on the Craft, and sometimes you will see them in mythology and folklore. So read widely and learn everything you can on the subject of witchcraft and Paganism. Learn, as well, the related disciplines of divination, trancework, natural philosophy, herb magic, the properties of plants and trees and all countryside lore. You will then develop you own feelings about, for example, the spring equinox and how it should be celebrated. In time you will develop your own style. This is the strength of witchcraft. Its roots are in the oldest religion and yet it is created anew, by each individual witch, every time it is practised.”

~ Rae Beth, Hedgewitch: A Guide to Solitary Witchcraft 

NEXT - Witchy Quotes: Anthon St. Maarten
NEXT - Simple Magick: Find Your Magick
NEXT - Word Magick: Deserving Versus Entitled

YouTube Viewing: The Witching Week (24th February)

 Hi Witches! 

Every Friday afternoon at 1600hrs the latest episode of The Witching Week drops on YouTube. Come sit with me and let's have a cuppa while we delve into the topics of the week and talk about all things related to the Wheel of the Year, the changing seasons and other witchy topics. It'd be lovely to see you! 

Sending all my love and blessings,
Wren. X

NEXT - YouTube Viewing: My Witchcraft Journey
NEXT - Introductions: The Cemetery Witch
NEXT - Stone Circle: Clothing for Goddesses 

YouTube Viewing: My Witchcraft Journey

How did you find the path of Witchcraft? In this very personal video I tell you how I discovered Witchcraft and the journey that led me there, and pivotal moments along the way. 

Towards the end of the video I talk about YOUR voyage of discovery and my advice for building the perfect Witchcraft practice. 

I'd love it if you Subscribed and hit the Bell notification icon. It means you'll never miss another video, and it tells YouTube that my channel is worth watching and recommending to other witches and Pagans. 

My next Witchcraft video is "Advice for New Witches" coming on Tuesday the 21st February but before then we have The Witching Week, our weekly cuppa and catch up, this Friday 17th February. 

Have a lovely week! 

NEXT - YouTube Viewing: Explore The Cemetery Witch
NEXT - Introductions: From One Witch to Another
NEXT - Personal Magick: My Beltane Handfasting

Lupercalia: A Look at Valentine’s Day

The feast of St. Valentine became intertwined with Lupercalia, another Roman festival, to become what we know as Valentine’s Day.

We do celebrate it here. We have hectic lives, children with ex-partners and each of us does a lot for the other due to big challenges that we each face, so we don’t mind the reminder to stop and check in and take some time to appreciate each other.

We had to laugh this morning when we swapped cards. Of all the cards we could have bought, from all the places in town, we managed to buy the same card, just with either “husband” or “wife” written on it.

To make things a little weirder, we used the words “inspire” or “inspiration.” It has been quite a magickal week with a lot of synchronicities, and it seems our luck is changing for the better.

From our house to yours, Happy Day of  Love!

Sending love and blessings, Wren. X

NEXT - Pagan Holidays: The Winter Solstice
NEXT - Pagan Holidays: Imbolc
NEXT - Simple Magick: Birthday Cake Candles

YouTube Viewing: Explore The Cemetery Witch

Some time ago I started a YouTube channel but it was left dormant for a while. I have started uploading regularly to it. 

Every Friday we have The Witching Week; a laid back discussion on the Wheel of the Year, seasonal goings on and anything witchy. 

On Tuesday I sometimes post general Witchcraft videos, for example this one - Connecting with the Land.

It would be lovely if you could join me! Please subscribe so that you don't miss another video. Sending love and blessings to you, Wren. X

... and every Friday you are invited to join me for a cup of tea and a natter while I host The Witching Week - a round up of the latest news and events. 

At the end of The Witching Week I do a quick energy outlook for the week ahead using my faithful Rider Waite tarot deck, which I've had since I was fifteen.

The Witchcraft videos I publish on a Tuesday are on a host of topics including spells and rituals, advice for new witches, herbs and plants, history, folklore and anything else connected to Witchcraft and Pagan practice.

I'd love it if you would join me on this journey! Our community is growing and it is a real honour to spend this time with you all. By subscribing and watching the channel you help me to reach those that are seeking information on Witchcraft; helping us to keep our traditions and beliefs alive. 

I' m aware that I need to update this site with all the posts from January and February - unfortunately winter germs have put me back a little bit and I am still catching up!

Wishing you a beautiful week - and I look forward to seeing you over on YouTube. 

Love and blessings, Wren. 

NEXT - YouTube Viewing: The Witching Week (24th February)
NEXT - Introductions: Hail & Welcome!
NEXT - Word Magick: Defining The Words Witch & Witchcraft

Introductions: From One Witch to Another

Hello! It’s a while since we’ve had an introduction, and there’s lots more of you (welcome!) so let’s have some fun!

I don’t just want you to learn about me, this page is a community that YOU are a part of - so let’s learn about each other.

Leave a comment telling us all about yourself, and then (if you can) say hello to someone else in the comments. Many people don’t have witchy friends in real life, but Instagram is a fabulous place to meet and connect with likeminded individuals all around the world, giving us a chance to discuss witchy topics when otherwise we might not get the chance. So let’s dive in and learn a little more about each other.

I’ll start!

My name is Wren and I’m a Cancerian witch from the South of England.  A little known fact is that I’m a military wife - my husband was a paratrooper for 24 years. I have a daughter called Tabitha and two bonus daughters. I’m a neat freak who loves stoner rock, cheese, cats, and documentaries about the ocean. I’m a qualified Clinical Aromatherapist, so I love sniffing things! I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS) which is causing me a lot of problems. A film I haven’t seen but really want to is Trolls World Tour. I have a YouTube Channel and I absolutely believe that pineapple belongs on pizza.

Now it’s your turn! 

NEXT - Introductions: The Cemetery Witch
NEXT: Word Magick: The Season of the Witch
NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Stonehenge

Winter Magick: Using the Winter Season to Create Change

We might have just had Imbolc, but winter is still going strong here! That’s ok, we’ll just have to continue with the winter magick.

• Stamp/scrape out a word, phrase concept or idea in grass on hard frost and watch it disappear as the day warms up. Great for banishing magick.

• Burn discarded Yule/Christmas cards in the fire, bestowing love and best wishes upon the sender for the year ahead.

• Build a snowman. Use him as a large magickal poppet. Good for healing spells or banishing, or as a magickal guardian for your home ~ BUT ~ bear in mind he WILL melt!

• Stay inside and create a warming incense blend. As you crush and mix the ingredients concentrate on your intentions for the incense.

• Create snow moon water.

• Get organised and use the time indoors to write rituals for any forthcoming sabbats.

• Add a cup of clean snow to a ritual bath for purification.

• Create a warming tea - add warming herbs and spices, many of them (such as star anise and cinnamon) are associated with psychic ability, so why not do some divination while you’re at it.

• Use snow in spells. Consider the energy of the snow as it fell. Did it fall heavily, which you could associate with high energy, or do you correspond snow with tranquility, calm and peace? Maybe you could use snow in spells to slow things down?

• Freeze snow for later.

• Update your Grimoire.

• Write something good you’d like on a piece of paper, roll into a snowball, and then keep rolling until your intention gets bigger and bigger.

What magickal activities do you look forward to each winter? 

NEXT - Pagan Holidays: Yule - Midwinter 

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Winter Solstice Celebrations 

NEXT - Imbolc Magick: 40 Correspondences

Fabulous Folklore: The Knockers of Cornwall

Beneath the sacred lands of Cornwall and Devon are said to be small, gnome-like creatures called Knockers. They are said to wear mining outfits, stand at roughly 2ft tall, and commit all kinds of mischief - namely stealing miners’ food.

It is said that miners’ wives would mark their husbands’ pasties with their initials, not just for identification, but for the Knockers to be able to credit the miner for giving them food. For those who don’t know what a pasty is, it’s a savoury, shortcrust, semi-circular pie traditionally filled with beef, potato and vegetables and associated mainly with the West Country. They are available all over the U.K. and come with a variety of fillings.

The Knockers got their name from the rapping and knocking noises heard by the miners. The Knockers were not viewed as negative - it was believed that they led the miners towards areas that were rich with minerals. It was also believed that the presence of Knockers meant safety; so staying on the good side of the Knockers was imperative. The miners would do this in a number of ways, including making the offering of their last bit of pasty to the Knockers by casting it into the mine.

I suspect the Doozers in the TV series Fraggle Rock were inspired by the legend of Knockers as St Anthony Lighthouse in Cornwall was the setting. My late Father-in-Law also called the house he built in Cornwall “Fraggle Rock” so as a family we have a particular love for this show and all things related.

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Cornish Piskies

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Elves

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: The Hurlers on Bodmin Moor

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: The Tomte

Hello, Morris Dog!

Look at this little chap in his Morris coat! We met him on Saturday at the Ketton Wassail, though he hardly stayed still long enough for me to get a photo of him. I did get a lovely cuddle, though!

We had such a lovely time - I recorded most of it, so I have the following Instagram Reels coming:

• Morris Dancing
• The History of Morris in Rutland & Leicestershire
• Wassailing
• The Ketton Wassail

If you don’t know already I have a YouTube account and will cover these topics in greater depth there. Tomorrow I have a video called The Stoke Dry Witch coming out at 1000hrs.

I hope you’re all keeping warm, it is currently very cold where I am.

Witchology Magazine: Winter 2022/2023

It’s so cold in our house; winter has been a challenge. Thankfully I have a copy of the latest Witchology Magazine to keep me company under all the blankets! @witchologymag 

The Winter Issue, The Reflection Issue, is packed full of winter wonders. I especially like the recipes ~ Hearthside Hot Toddy, Snowy Rocky Road, Hearth Fire Pears For Kinship & Prosperity ~ which give a little kitchen inspiration to get up and get warm. There are a plethora of interesting seasonal articles to keep away the gloom; Dark Goddesses to Assist With Winter Magick immediately springs to mind.

There are spells and rituals, herbal healing ointments and suggestions for celebration. The article on Wassailing has me geared up for coming events, and the article on Saturnalia has me looking forward to December next year, which I usually dread, to be honest.

Head over to @witchologymag to be kept abreast of all the latest happenings and get a free issue when you sign up for their newsletter.

Fabulous Folklore: Friday 13th

Happy Friday 13th!

Occurring at least once a year, up to a maximum of three times, Friday the 13th is considered a harbinger of bad luck by many people in the west. The irrational fear of the number 13 has its own name: triskaidekaphobia.

The unlucky nature of the number 13 is due - in part - to a Norse myth. Some gods were having a lovely dinner party in Valhalla and then Loki showed up, uninvited, making 13. He then had Balder shot, who died, and the world became dark, making 13 an unlucky number.

Middle Ages superstition combined with stories the of Last Supper may not have helped. There were 13 disciples at the table when Judas (who betrayed Jesus) was added, which was on the 13th of Nisan, Maundy Thursday, the night before his death on Good Friday.

But 13 is also the number of moon cycles and menstrual cycles in a year, connecting the number 13 to the sacred feminine.

Let’s replace fear with feminine celebration. This is a sacred day - for Friday is Freyja’s Day - and it should be treated as such.

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Hecate On The Hell Staircase
NEXT - Moon Magick: The Wolf Moon
NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Yorkshire Witchcraft

Winter - A Time for Rest & Regeneration

I hope you’re all finding moments of peace and relaxation during the holidays.

The winter is a time to rest, regenerate and recuperate; there’ll be plenty of time for rushing about when the hours of daylight are longer, and we have more energy.

In the meantime, put on your favourite film, grab a blanket and your favourite cuppa, put your feet up and enjoy the downtime.

What are you doing to rest and relax over the festive period?

Review: Spirit Nest Oven Mitts

I wanted to show you my wonderful oven mitts from Spiritnest.com (@spiritnest)

They’re premium oven baking mitts made from 100% polyester and have a wonderful double-sided Kitchen Witch print featuring cauldrons, chopping boards, herbs, toadstools pentacles, cats and all sorts of witchy images.

If you visit @spiritnest you’ll see that there is a choice of black and purple mitts or these gorgeous monochrome mitts. They have a hook on each glove so that you can hang them somewhere useful, and they have a soft inner lining making them super comfortable to wear.

They’d make a perfect gift for a witchy loved one, they certainly look fabulous in my kitchen!

I wanted to get a shot of my lovely husband using them but had a bit of an interesting week around the time I received them. Our heating and hot water failed (broken boiler) so there was no baking for usy whilst we got the house back in order. Thankfully we’re all sorted now and they were used well over the Yule period! 

Thank you so much for sending me these, Spirit Nest, they're absolutely wonderful and will be well used.

NEXT - Review: Sunflower Journal (Autumn 2022) 

Merry Christmas Everyone!

After Solstice there is a period of standstill where the days remain the same length. Sometime around the 25th and 26th December the days start lengthening. Quite literally, the “Son” (sun) is “born.”

This year it was the 23rd December, where we gained an extra 7 seconds of daylight. The days will lengthen to an average of two minutes a day until we see a full extra hour of sunlight by January 18, 2023.

Interestingly, the days actually begin to feel a bit longer two weeks before the Winter Solstice. The earliest sunset of the year happens on Wednesday, December 7 2022.

This is because of the Earth’s elliptical orbit around the Sun. The planet moves faster in its orbit during January when we’re closest to the Sun, and slower in July, when we’re further away. The Sun’s path through the sky, when charted on a day to day basis, appears as an “analemma” - a figure-8 pattern.
Because of this pattern, the meridian is rarely at exactly noon, and can be 15 minutes out. This is discrepancy is known as the “Equation of Time” and sundial owners will know it well.

This looping path explains why the earliest and latest sunrises fail to coincide with the solstices. 

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy your day and your Turkey/Nut Roast dinners later! Sending lots of love from the cemetery.

Happy Winter Solstice!

Happy Winter Solstice everyone! I’m wishing you a warm, cheery and abundant Yuletide and a blessed Summer Solstice if you are in the Southern Hemisphere.

Astrological Winter solstice occurs at 21:48hrs tonight, UK time. Tomorrow, at dawn, we celebrate the return of the Sun after the longest night of the year. On the 23rd December the day will get longer by 7 seconds, until we have a full hour of extra daylight on the 18th January 2023.

This is always such a joyful time for me. Whilst peak celebrations of the Sun happen at Summer Solstice, there is always that tinge of sadness as the light diminishes. At Winter Solstice things are on the up!

Yes, there is still the coldest part of the winter to endure, but it feels like we have broken the back of the journey towards the lighter part of the year; to be confirmed at Imbolc, of course!

Whenever I think of the Winter Solstice Sun I think of my dear friend Terry, officiating at the Avebury Free & Open Gorsedd. He’d talk about our ancestors’ experience of welcoming the Sun and always say “and if the Sun doesn’t come up, it’s all over!” with a chuckle. It still makes me smile.

What are your plans for today and tomorrow? Are you going to observe sunrise tomorrow?

If you ever need local sunrise and sunset times most weather apps include them for each day.

Wishing you all a very beautiful Solstice. Be well. 

NEXT - Greeting the Sun After the Longest Night 
NEXT - Pagan Holidays: Yule - Midwinter
NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Mince Pies
NEXT - Lupercalia: A Look at Valentine's Day

Simple Magick: 30 Low Energy Magickal Activities

Small, simple low-energy magickal activities are important to my practice. They join the dots between bigger celebrations, rituals and work. 

They’re perfect for when you are feeling unwell, low on time or energy, or disconnected from your Craft. They’re perfect for the winter when we only feel like hibernating!

Sometimes we need to rely upon low-energy activities to see us through a period of spiritual drought; until we can step things up a gear or commit to our Craft more fully.

Gratitude, mindfulness and seeing the magick and the joy in everything, are also helpful tools in any practice.

Burn incense intentionally ~ watch the smoke carry your ideas and intentions

Light a candle ~ concentrate on a thought, intention or affirmation

Read a witchy book

Write witchy poetry
Draw some witchy sketches 

Read up on a festival/sabbat if you’re not able to celebrate/observe it

Make magickal plans 

Journal 

Listen to some witchy/pagan/inspiring music 

Create some incense 

Update your Grimoire 

Clean your altar

Watch a witchy film or documentary

Write a letter to a witchy friend 

Discuss the nearest sabbat/festival/season

Bake something seasonal

Meditate 

Design spellwork for later 

Go for a small walk and observe what nature is doing 

Create a sigil

Reflect on the nearest sabbat/festival/moon phase and the last turn of the Wheel

Create a seasonal simmer pot using appropriate herbs and ingredients 

Make a hot drink and stir appropriately to banish or attract

Daydream out the window 

Do some cloud watching ~ look for messages 

Draw sigils/symbols/runes on plates before plating food

Do some witchy art/crafts 

Go outside ~ even if briefly ~ to look at the Moon 

Do some simple divination ~ eg. Tarot reading or scrying

Take a witchy bath ~ let the things you no longer need drain down the plughole

The list is endless, and I imagine many of us will do most of these. What would you add to this list?

Zodiac dish, sun spoon and moon phase candle all by @goddessprovisions

NEXT - Simple Magick: Offerings - What Are They? 
NEXT - Moon Magick: New Moon Baths 

Fabulous Folklore: Rats Castle

It was a wet and wild October night. Tom Tinker was struggling to make his way across the muddy fields to his Leicester home when he realised he needed to take shelter. There were no farms around. The only place nearby was Rats Castle - a sinister building with a spooky reputation. Tom didn’t know what it was haunted by, but with torrential rain lashing down, he didn’t have time to worry.

He found Rats Castle and made his way in. His first task was to make a fire, well away from the chimneys and windows leaking rain. He unpacked his day sack, and set about making a cup of tea. Quite absorbed in the process, he didn’t notice the creature until it spoke.

“Eh up” it said, in true Midlands fashion.

It was the ugliest creature he had ever seen. Tall, covered in thick dark hair with horns and a tail, a huge nose and sharp, yellow teeth; Tom immediately recognised it as a bogeyman.

“Aren’t you frightened?” asked the beast.

“Not really” said Tom, handing him a cup of tea. The bogeyman drank the piping hot tea too quickly, causing a searing pain in his throat. He crumpled the tin mug and threw it at Tom, who immediately deflected the mug with a pair of pincers. The mug ricocheted into the mouth of the bogeyman, knocking out several teeth. The creature howled in pain and ran out the door.

Just as Tom caught his breath another appeared. Twice the size and with two heads! 

“Aren’t you frightened?” asked the beast.

“Not really” said Tom, offering him a cup of tea from one of his other mugs. In true bogeyman fashion he guzzled down the drink, launched the tin at Tom who immediately batted the thing back; slamming it into one face before it ricocheted off into the other, knocking out several pointy teeth from each head. The double-headed beast howled and ran off.

Before Tom could wonder what would happen next, a large hairy hand appeared down the chimney breast, feeling its way around the hearth. Without hesitation, he struck the hand with his hammer, causing a loud howl. The hand disappeared.

Gathering his things up, Tom understood that he needed to get out of there as quickly as possible.

Two large hands suddenly lifted the roof off the tower, and three ugly heads on one set of shoulders peered down.

“Eh up!” said the bogeyman. “Aren’t you frightened?”

“Not really” said Tom “But I’ve run out of tea, so I’m just popping home to get some more, and then we can all have a nice cuppa together!”

Tom scurried out of the door, tripping over a large tail which he quickly nailed to the floor so that the bogeyman couldn’t follow. He ran all the way home and vowed never again to return to Rats Castle.

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Fabulous Folklore: Doniert Stone -The King’s Cross

This stone, located in St. Cleer, Cornwall, is the decorated granite base for a Celtic cross that dates to the late 9th Century AD. It is thought to have been built to commemorate Doniert, the last (known) recorded king of Cornwall. 

The back of the stone is intricately decorated with four carved knots, each made up of two interlacing oval rings. Intertwining decoration is found on either side of the stone. On the side is a Latin inscription “Doniert rogavit pro anima” which means “Doniert has begged prayers for his soul.”

It is believed that King Doniert is actually King Dungarth, the King of Dumnonia. Dumnonia was the kingdom named after the Dumnonii, a British Celtic tribe living in the south west at the time of the Roman invasion.

It sits next to The Other Half Stone. When complete, the Doniert Stone and the Other Half Stone would have been impressive stone crosses. They are located at a crossroads for a number of important trackways that divide the downland. 

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Fabulous Folklore: Place Names

What’s in a name?

Generally old place names were formed from Old English words that were descriptive of the landscape that a settlement sat in, or designed so that people would know what they could find there - for example Blacksmith’s Lane, Bakery Road.

They can reflect old myths and superstitions; for example Nicker Hill, in Keyworth, “nicker” being an old name for a mythical river monster.

Some road names carry a darker reference to the past. For example Gallows Hill in Lancaster. This name refers to the place where the so-called Pendle Witches were executed, a group of people who were tried in 1612 for the murders of 10 people supposedly by witchcraft.

Locally, seven women were burnt on Woman’s Lane in nearby Leicester for supposedly bewitching a thirteen year old boy; but a quick search has revealed that this name has since been changed.

There are some interesting road names in the U.K: Ghost House Lane (Nottinghamshire), Blood Hill (Suffolk), Black Cat Drive (Northamptonshire), Witches Walk (Somerset), Bats Lane (Dorset), Broomstick Lane (Buckinghamshire), Ducking Stool Court (Essex).

I was always curious about a road named in the next village, Panter’s Lane. After doing some research I found out that Panter is an old Scottish and English (mainly Northamptonshire) word for a servant in charge of the supply of bread and other provisions in a monastery or large household. This makes sense as this village dates back to the Middle Ages, and there were two main families of note, presumably with large dwellings, that would have employed the service of others in the village.

Do you live on an interestingly named road? What’s the best road name you’ve ever seen?

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