Witch

A deep rumble in the womb,

Reverberations of memories ages old.

Blood coursing with the tide,
Women running side by side;

Coaxed onwards by the moon.
An ancient connection,
Feral and Wild.

Walpurgisnacht

Beltane Blessings
&
Happy May Day

"Witches Night"  is the last night of the dark half of the year, in which the moon rules the sky. The Moon embodies the mystery, the subconscious, and the unknown. Beltane Eve begins at Midnight on the 30th of April, and ends when the sun rises on the 1st, carrying us into May Day. All things in life and nature are in a delicate balance of dark and light. This duality brings a wholeness to the cycles of the year.

At Beltane we thank the Green Man for his protection throughout the Winter, and celebrate the joining of The Maiden and The Young God, as they come into power. Due to it being a pivotal point in the wheel of the year, Beltane is one of the more widely celebrated, and powerful sabbats - second only to Samhain.
Similar to Samhian this period of festivities, is known for having a thin veil between our world and others. Magical workings performed around Beltane, are likely to be more powerful.

For Beltane this year, I visited Glastonbury. The company Glastonbury Dragons have began holding rites for Samhain and Beltane for the last few years. I adore the precession through town, with the giant red and white dragons.

Accompanied by the 'Pentacle Drummers', whose drumming put fire in my belly and music in my heart.

I stopped again in the healing springs at the very very base of the Tor, and across from the Chalice Wells.
Gods the energy in this place is always electric and grounding all at once.
I left an offering on the shrine/altar for Pan/The Green Man, which you can see photographed below.

I hope everyone had a brilliant night, and are welcoming in the new season well on this blessed May Day.

xx

The Fortune Teller

"Go ahead and read my fortune,
Cast your dice, Devine my fate.
I just want to know I have one,
Tell me that it's not too late."

Second Hand Faith - Emilie Autumn

Communicating with the Fae

This beautiful deck from Brian Froud, is one of my favourite oracle decks.

Every card is a beautiful illustration by Froud himself, of the faeries he encounters.

This deck has a real air of mythology, and features images that are strongly laced with pagan totems, alongside Welsh, Scottish, and Irish versions of fae.

This little guy is called Indi. Isn't he adorable.
Froud has covered both the unseelie court and the seelie court in this deck. Cards full of colour and vibrant light, contrast beautifully against dark shadows, and troublesome eyes.

I use this deck when my mood is more playful. This is a beautiful deck for autumn pulls, and to take on spring adventures. The air is less serious, and more fun that the tarot. Their messages are still true, and just as often feature warnings, but working with the fae is always more light-hearted.

To Strengthen A Tarot Reading...

"Wisest Ashataroth, please send,
Your guidance and your wisdom lend.
Help me read with clarity,
And speak the truth,
-So mote it be."

(This is my oldest and very first tarot deck that I was ever to purchase, at the tender age of 14. The cards are stained, and bent, corners furling, over used, and much loved. The jewelry is a tiny little ethically sourced real bat skull, painted in a jade green.)

The tarot card was first invented during the 15th Century, originally as part of numerous card games. They did indeed begin life, as a simple pack of playing cards.
 First making an appearance in Europe, the cards were most commonly associated with France and Italy.

Later on in life, Romania took the art of Tarot as a form for trade.
It is hard for us to picture a gypsy clan, without a wonderful old woman, covered in shawls, at her caravan doorstop, beckoning you inside to have your cards or your palm read.

There is evidence in written form that some sort of divination was placed into these cards in 1540, But it wasn't until the 18th Century, they became a common symbol of the occult and began to be used in divination and magic routinely.

Some of the french free-masons make connections with the pictograms on the cards to the ancient egyptian gods. For example they believed the card we now commonly know as 'The High Priestess' was a representation of Isis.

They also believe that the very word 'Tarot' comes from the Egyptian words 'Tar' and 'Ro' - literally translating to the Royal Road of Life.

The Tarot deck has been used worldwide, and can be found in documentation dating back through many famous characters.
Casanova stated in 1765 that one of his Russian mistresses was constantly using her own deck for divining life's intentions.

A typical tarot deck is made up of 78 cards, and is split into two parts.
The Major and Minor Arcana.
There are hundreds of decks out in the world, and the best way to learn is to find a deck that suits you, read through the accompanying book, and then teach yourself the cards. Feel them out for yourself.

There is a lot of bad press for tarot, with cards such as 'The Devil', 'Death', and 'Judgement', unknowing people tend to see tarot and in fact divination as a whole, as communing with the dead. Which is not the case.

 Most divination is no more dangerous than reading your horoscope. Something most people (even the most judgmental of witchcraft) will do everyday, whilst reading the daily paper.

---
Happy fortune telling, my gypsy sisters!

Feel free to share your decks with me, I love to see other peoples tools.

Crystals

Full Moons are the perfect time to get out my crystal collection, and charge a few of them. I have a basket of them on my nightstand, I have them strung around my neck, I have them hidden throughout my house in charm bags, I have them under my pillow, and in my lovers pillow. They give us strength, and protection, they can help us in tasks, and aid us in our daily life. Nearly as well as the use of herbs and oils.

 My favourite stone is Lapis Lazuli - it is just insanely beautiful.
Did you know that the ancient Egyptians used to bury lapis lazuli with their dead?? They believed it offered protection.
In early cultures it was valued more highly than gold! That's what a girl really wants!
For personal use, this crystal is great for opening up your chakras, and generally making you more acceptant to powers around you, makes things clearer for you. It is also thought to be a great crystal for friendship, so it makes a wonderful gift to close friends.

Rose Quartz is another key crystal to me. There are three on my altar at all times. One huge rough chunk, and two smaller cut crystals. Last Samhain they were used in my ritual to say goodbye to the pets I had lost that year. My two rats Bonnie, and Wolfey; and my old girl, Sheba. The dog I had from the age of 7 till I reached 20. I loved them all, and I felt a need to honour their memories. They all left me for the Summerlands at different times, but now those crystals on my altar are a daily reminder of my love for them, and bring forth happy memories. 

Rose Quartz is a crystal of unconditional love. And whilst it is often used to entice sensuality, it is also a calming and reassuring crystal; making it perfect for saying goodbye to loved ones, as well as blossoming romance. 

Do you have any special crystals?
Tell me your favourites?

Good Old Lavender

Lavender is probably one of the most common herbs/plants that everyday people know about and use. They'll have a lavender bubble bath to help them sleep, a lavender mist spray for their pillows.

Lavender is definitely not one of my favourite scents, but I cant deny it's properties.
I bathe in the stuff, literally.
In summer I put lavender in my lemonade.
And when I'm stressed nothing is more soothing than cooking up a batch of Lavender biscuits. (Look below for the recipe.)

Part of this trust in Lavender has to come from my nan. Any ailment, and illness; "Put Lavender on it!"

Lavender is the most recognized smells in the world. And is known mostly for it's aids in sleep and reducing stress.

 It's even good on a biological level, as it attracts lots of bees, due to it's excess pollen. And the worlds bees are in serious crisis right now.

It has amazing skills in reducing migraines and headaches.
It soothes and calms the nerves.
It aids in all types of skin problems; burns, insect bites, sunburn, acne, abscesses...
It's an antisceptic.
It's great for depression, and anxiety.

The flowers are the part of the Lavender plant that we used, the dried buds and flowers. These flowers should be collected between early summer and early fall, just before they open. It's then very easy to dry them at room temperature, so they're ready for you to make into an oil, make a tea with, or pop into these delicious biscuits below.

Recipe for Vegan Lavender Biscuits

Ingredients;

2 tbsps homegrown Lavender buds

100g Plant Based Butter

50g Caster Sugar
100g Plain Flour

Directions;

Mix your butter and sugar together, like a normal cake batter.
Pour in your flour a little at a time, and getting your hands in there, mix it in.
Now add your lavender, and give it a thorough mix. 

Get 2 spoons and dollop the mixture onto grease proof paper.

This size recipe will make about 6 - 8 biscuits.

Chuck the biscuits into the oven, on a medium heat, on the center shelf.
Cook until slightly browning.
Roughly 15 minutes.

And it's that simple!
Aromatherapy in a biscuit. And a quick healing fix, for those tough days.