Coming out of the Cauldron: My witchy backstory

So today I publicly posted on Social media- that my family can see, that I am a practitioner of Witchcraft. And I am terrified for the responses. So, I thought I would tell you a bit about my journey.

Throughout my childhood I have always felt a connection to all things magic, legends and nature related. My room is full of both fiction and non-fiction books on the subject that I have collected for many years.  I was especially obsessed with the Fae from a young age although to my knowledge I have never seen one. Though I swear by that one has been making me lose things for years. Ironically today I left an offering for one.

My first Crystal

My obsession with this world ironically started from a film and TV shows. Tinkerbell was my favourite character (Did you know she was once classed as a Disney princess but stripped of her title?)  Then at the age range of roughly five or six Me and my sister started watching Buffy the vampire slayer and a show called Charmed- Which to this day brings me great joy and instantly I felt connected. I also used to watch Asterix the Gaul which contained druidism in the form of the character Panoramix and Getafix ( yes I know these names are a bit daft and hinted he may of had more than herbs in his magic potion) But my point is i felt something deep within me that just told me that's what i believed in. Every year for Hallows eve i would dress as a Witch or a Black cat- with little differentiation- I loved it.

Me and my sister soon started to collect crystals. My first Was a piece of Rose quartz, which i still own today. Me and my sister at the time used to bathe with them, clean them with smelly
oils (strawberry and apple essential oils) and believed they would protect us as we slept.
Then we moved to where i live now and for a while my only exposure to anything along this line was a show called Merlin- which i lapped up every Monday and to this day "oh my soul" I love it and the fact that Merlin could quite still be around as an old man. Do you think he has a Facebook? I'm half joking here don't worry.  It felt a bit odd during this time because at school i was judged for playing with my amethysts and rose quartz in school instead of toys and when I suggested playing fairies and Witches with a group of friends, they would often convince me i shouldn't.

But i didn't know. I'd always grown up being told that whatever i believed would be ok. We were always told We could be whatever we wanted as we grew up by my parents and they have always been supportive- though there have been a few debates with my dad. Both my parents were raised in Christian households and Although my father is Agnostic ( he'll believe it when he sees is)  he likes to point out that any sort of spiritual belief system is manipulation of the dumb by the smart ( a bit harsh dad x) and my mother a believer in 'something out there' that may or may not be 'God'.
My sister is also an atheist now.... but still has some Witchy books and Angels cards out of interest. I may one day convince her to let me borrow her crystals ... maybe.

During my secondary (high) school years i went through my dark period. I was bullied to the point i didn't really want to be here at all. I hated my life and a lot of people and it wasn't until i had a bad scare later on that i began fighting back against the nasty girls and boys who enjoyed putting me and my sister down. It got so bad at one-point i was physically attacked twice. I began studying up ways to prevent bullies from hurting me and my friends, both magical and non-magical- My intent was clear but my confidence and clear mind was not. I began getting interested in darker areas of magic - which is why i always discourage others, especially novices. I got into Spirit Boards at the age of 13, and was looking up cliche Voodoo torture methods like what you see in pop culture (oblivious to the to nature of that spirituality) and was even foolish enough to try and contact a spirit once who i believed was  a friend's Grandfather ... leading me to be very frightenin  experience ..very quickly and to this day i feel like something had entered my house that day. Towards the end of my years at my school i returned to the lighter side of the craft- by then I was quite broken and was holding out on the tiniest bit of hope things would get better. It did slowly as I began to practice Candle and colour magic, enchanting jewellery for protection and putting into my craft what i wanted in life to be better. And then exams hit and the world of adulthood started to follow.

During my exams i memorised two spells, a Luck and knowledge spell, which i later adapted and used for friends with and without their knowledge . I'd developed a death phobia and even more anxiety during GCSE's so I did these spells  for protection of my friend to keep them safe from harm and from feeling the way I did... 

Me at a steampunk festival aged 16
With my makeshift quartz pendant and Batman

In college I went a bit crystal crazy chakra lady and also joined an online witch school. My college life was quite lonely but the bullying had stopped- so i gradually became more and more confident and started to heal.  I attempted meditation and healing through Chakras and spent most of my Fridays at my local history gift shop buying my crystals. I even went as far as buying half a geode of quartz worth £40 which i now use to help charge and purify my rune stones.

I'm now in University studying my masters. Learning more about the Wiccan and Pagan culture and rituals as opposed to spells. I am openly an Eclectic Pagan witch and I'm always learning  every day. How did I come out of the cauldron? Well I just simply stated it at home whilst watching a quiz show when a question on religion came up.. some may not be in such a position to do so as boldly as I did. To you I say start small.  Start saying you're beliefs are in tune with nature and to difficult people avoid using witchy terminology right way. Desensitization seems to be the most effective. I have friends for years just thought I liked pretty rocks , herbology and cats... who when they found out I was a witch had the pieces click but didn't react surprised. I've had some not so great reveals and I'm yet to tell my father's parents who think dyed hair is a sin... luckily that might not be a needed topic. But that's a subject for another day.

This is my short origin story as a witch so far. I may not be traditional but this is part of me. We all have our own story and our own beliefs. I hope you can find yours and be open to others.

Thank you Blessed be x

What makes a witch? Mason Jars and Open mindedness of course!

This is my dear friend Jazz who loves wearing crystals and
is a fantastic advice giver and genuine lovely person!!

The other day whilst visiting a witch store with a friend Jazz ( You can see our corny Graduation picture in this post) ; she told me of a girl. This girl had exclaimed that you can not class yourself as a witch if you don't meditate. I laughed  because that has to be the most foolish thing I've ever heard. Because of this girl, i took to a beginners Wicca and Witchcraft page.. within an hour there were over 45 responses from both baby and seasoned Witches stating that meditation is not required in Witchcraft. Some choose to practice and others simply do a quiet activity such as reading, colouring, a walk in nature or reflecting on the things around them.  This is part of self care! Which ensures your in a healthy mindset. In witchcraft your mindset effects your intentions and the emotional power you put into your practice. But this is again personal and you should choose a way to relax yourself and ready yourself for any crafting you intend to do- your way

Witchyness approved, says I ~ Yoda

At the end of the day , your practice is your own! Witchcraft of all kinds is a very personal practice. You decide your own path, you find what works for you and you learn about multiple methods as you read up and practice. You will be scrutinised for what you do by people who are Witches and those who are not. As such if you ever find yourself in a situation where someone is telling you something along the lines " Your not a Witch if... you must do this... you can't do that" or the less original non Witchy lines of " your going to Hell, your a sinner" then respectfully remind them that there is no right or wrong way to practice  any religion and  their narrow mindedness is their greatest enemy ;) Also  with those you see regularly ...perhaps consider limiting your exposure to this individual as chances are you may have some negative feelings after being spoken to like this- Which will effect your practice.

So was this girl right?
Not according to this collective of Witches, some probably less experienced than this girl. Many said that Narrow mindedness such as this has no place in Witchcraft. So my advice?  Practice your way, help others who ask- but do not dictate to them what they can or can't do. In our way of life words hold power and there is a difference in a suggestion to help another and being what my mother says  " Is A  right so & so"

Post Imbolc

Today i wanted to share with you what you can do with your Imbolc decorations now that the Imbolc celebrations are over. Specifically what you can do with the fresh flowers if they're in a good enough condition. As any decorations that can be stored away should be.


How to Dry- Preperation

What you need:

Your flowers
Paper towel
Scissors
A strainer ( for not so pretty petals)
Food dye ( for not so pretty petals)

So if your flowers are still in a good condition but are looking a tiny bit droopy. Now's the perfect time to dry them.  Remove them from your water  and cut the stems to 4-6 inches depending how long you like your flowers. For flowers that have drooped and the stem bent, i recommend cutting one inch  from the flower .

If you have a flower that has prestine inner petals and not so great outer ones.  Pull off any not so great ones ( by this i mean a little bruised and not rotting! rotting flowers go in the compost or buried in your garden) and place them in a small bowl of cold water and a drop of food colouring over night ( in the morning strain them and allow them to semi dry ( no water dripping form them :D)  and place them on a paper towel. Your now dyed petals can be dried in an airing cupboard ( or warm, dry and well aired room for a week on a paper towel.
Why do we dye them?  Whilst natural coloured flowers are for spell work- you could use these to create spring Equinox cards ( Easter cards) once dry in order to recycle them and make your cards extra special.

Your remaining petals on your flower that are healthy, can either be dried on the flower or plucked off like the not so pristine petals and dried.

Don't forget to use your vase water on your garden :) reuse and recycle.

My flower power operation :D

How to Dry-  The actual Drying process
What you need:

Your flowers
String/ dental floss
A Warm dry space where you can hang you flowers without them being tampered with.
( I use our airing cupboard ,which has our boiler in and a wire hanging shelf)
Scissors

With stemmed flowers , tie 1/4 of an inch from the end of the stem; using a thin but strong string approximately 10-15 inches long ( you can also use Dental floss or embroidery silk/floss) . Tie the stems tightly

Choose richly coloured flowers
for the prettier results!

You will then need to suspend your flowers in your dry aired space. You want your flowers facing the ground and your stems facing upwards so that the moisture runs down towards the head of the flower- preserving the colour of the petals- your flowers will close slightly as they dry so on the second day of drying, return to your airing cupboard and gently open up your flower by hand- always open slightly wider then you'd like as the gravity will close the flower again.  Make sure to suspend your flowers so they have enough space for air to circulate between them. With small/ thin stemmed flowers i group and tie these in bunches of three before suspending , For larger/ thicker stemmed flower allow more space for air and avoid grouping together

With petals or flower heads without a stem, place on a paper towel in a dry and air circulated ( but not breeze-y) room- do not put your petals in a box with a lid  on as the petals will sweat and the moisture will destroy them. You can ensure your petals won't escape your paper towel by creating a little envelope out of the tower ( fold diagonally and then fold in or staple your outer corners. make sure not to seal your envelope as the air will need to circulate. You could also use a small cooling rack if you have room and put the paper towel sheet on top and simply leave your petals on top.

I usually leave my flowers for 1-2 weeks in their drying space - Monitoring after week 1 so they don't disintegrate when i touch them. Depending on the size of the flower they will take longer or short to dry.

You can dry your own herbs using this method too! for smaller herbs use the same method as the healthy petals.

Silica Gel pellets

You can actually dry flowers in silica gel pellets and if you like preserving the colour as much as possible then this is the method for you. For this you will need an airtight large plastic container, 1/4 filled with pellets, your flowers ( keep petals in your make shift paper towel pouch or in a smaller container with pellets in) and some extra pellets. Place your flowers/petals on the bed of pellets, then cover in more silica pellets. Check your flowers after two days and monitor how dry they go. You could only use this method on items you do not wish to consume.

Imbolc DIY ! Decorations for beginners !

Imbolc decorations are traditionally made from Wheat, long Grasses or straw.
But if you can't find those materials why not try these!  They're adaptable to straw and other natural or man made materials too.



Silk Bridget cross.

Here is a quick photo step by step of how i made a Bridget cross using embroidery silk (floss). It took a few tries to get things correct myself but hopefully these instructions  for you make sense.

1. Create multiple groupings of embroidery silk strands. you will need four groups with 4 strands of embroidery silk. You don't need to split these strands like you would for embroidery.

2. Grab one group and fold it to create a loop.  The curve of the loop i will be calling the the hook and the ends will be called the tail. You will want to do this step for all groups.

3. Grab one loop and thread it's tail ends into the hook of another group's loop, then repeat until all four loops look like they are chasing each other in a square shape.

4. Grab the left two group's tail ends in your left hand and the two right group's tail ends in your right hand- Gently pull. You'll find the hook's of all the loops travel to the centre and join up into this cross effect.

5. once your cross is complete and moderately tight. You will have to tie your group tail ends off. I used a contrasting bit of embroidery silk for mine ; but you can just simply knot it if you wish.

 

6. Trim your tail ends after the tied part so that your cross looks neat and tidy.

Wool Bridget Doll


Making a Bridget doll is fairly easy, But you may find the instructions a little difficult to understand. That's why i have my trustee pictures to help demonstrate. I used quite thin yarn but it's better for you to use a thicker yarn. I've done the measurement estimations for this doll in inches for ease of use.

This is just a simple doll and like the Silk Bridget cross can be adapted to Straw, lase, fabric strips and even ... strawberry laces ( a confectionery delight i might add) just in case you wanted to make some edible ornaments.

Now to begin.

1. Start by cutting strands of the same length of your wool until you have a bundle with a girth of about 1"  in diameter ( you can do thicker if you want but that's a lot of wool!). It's length should be at least 7-15" long  as when you fold this in half later your doll will become shorter.

2. Tie with another piece of wool in the centre of your bundle.

3. Next fold along where you tied the bundle so that the tail ends of your wool run down towards the ground but the tied part remains flat. It should look a bit like the top of a head of hair.

4. Take your hand and bundle the wool to that you create a ball shape then tie beneath. You may have to smooth out the wool and re position it a few times before tying it. Make sure you tie the not tightly and twice for extra security before trimming the edges of the  tying string off

5. About 1-2 " below where you tied, tie again to create the body part of the doll.


6. Cut 3-9 more pieces of string depending how Small your doll is- the  minimum length for this should be 10" but you can choose the length if you wish . It's better to go a bit longer as you can cut to make the arms smaller. It's also best to pick an amount of strands that can be divided by three as you will be doing a three way plait of the wool ( so you'll want to split your wool into three equal groups to plait). Tie one end of your yarn ends to make it easier to plait.

7. Plait the wool until you have one long braid and then tie the ends off 1/4 " away from the ends.

How to plait step 1

How to plait step 2

How to plait step 3

Completed braid with ends tied

8. Push one end of your braid through the body part of the doll that you made when tying in instruction five. Once completed you now have your basic doll which you can decorate with different coloured yarn or Wicca charms. 

I decided to give my Bridget doll a coronet made of purple embroidery silk and braided red thin yarn to create a criss-cross shaped body decoration but you can decorate yours any way you like and can even add hair or give it features. You can even choose a different colour or thickness yarn if you wish.

5 Crystals Every Witch Should Have!

Crystals! Gemstones! Pretty Rocks!

Whatever you call them , you should  ( and probably do already) have a few. If you don't currently have any. Here are five Crystal stones you should consider as a starter kit.







Rose Quartz
Rose quartz is mostly known as the stone of love. But believe it or not it's not just for romance. It's also for relationships in general, such as friendships, family; or divine love. It helps to ease pain and heals heartbreaks allowing for your self esteem to grow. and allow any bitterness to fade. This stone is all about faith and trust growth as well as connection to  life and a great meditation tool.






Clear Quartz
Clear Quartz is commonly known for it's ability to protect and dispel negativity. It is also programmable to intent as it acts as an amplifier crystal.  It's a versatile tool for metaphysical work and should be considered the prime candidate to anyone starting any form of crystal work.







Amethyst
A cleanser of the soul, a spiritual crystal and a natural healing ability. Amethyst is a great basic crystal for increased spiritual intuition and psychic abilities. Amethyst is also a warder against negative influences and can be used to help with decreasing bad habits.

Agate or Hematite

Hematite

Fairburn Agate

Yes technically this is technically two examples but sometimes having a few options to pick from is a good way for you to find a connection with specific stones. These two are grounding stones but have different metaphysical properties. Both help reconnect you to earth through your root Chakra but may offer a stronger or gentle approach to achieving your goals. Hematite specifically is one of the most powerful grounding stone, clearing confusion and allowing you to be clear headed. It also has a few sexual energy      tendencies for those interested in a little cheeky magic.  Agate is more of a support and balance grounding crystal, that allows you to feel stable and happier gradually, This gentle nourishing stone is one for the keeps. Agate with banding ( stripes,rings etc like in the photo) is also great for concentration. There are many types of Agate so be sure to look up what additional properties your agate has.

Malachite

Malachite is a great, loyal and hardworking protection stone known for increasing it's user's willpower and inner strength as well as warding off negative forces and enforcing a protective nudge when it comes to potential dangers- to help avoid difficult or unfortunate circumstances. That being said you shouldn't rely on this stone solely as a lucky charm- your will and your actions determine your fate ... so try not to sky dive without a parachute as your poor Malachite will not be able to handle this.


These five (ish) stones are great starting crystals- However when choosing your stones you should go by your instinct. If you can, place your hand over stones you find and see what your drawn to. Often you inner psyche will find the stones you need.