Ostara

March 21st/22nd

A point of perfect balance on the journey through the wheel of the year.
The natural world is coming alive, thanks to the growing days, and warming sun.
Ostara's energy is expansive and exuberant, the first real day of Spring.

Ostaras name comes from the Germanic Goddess, Eostre or Ostara - a goddess traditionally honoured in April with festivals to celebrate the cycle of rebirth and fertility. (Fun Fact it's where the name for the female hormone oestrogen comes from.)

Ostaras symbols are all revolving around the idea of fertility; both the hare and the egg.
Flowers are used a lot on Ostara altars, and are wonderful to have throughout the house to mark this sabbat - daffodils, pussy willow, crocuses, primroses, violets to name a few.

Ostaras colours are; bright green, yellow, and purple.

This is the festival of new life.

It is also the Spring Equinox - a time of harmony, a time of balance between light and dark, day and night.
As we move into this time of new life, and beginnings, a wonderful way to bring things into being involved planting in your garden.

Find a type of flower or plant that really calls to you.
Buy a packet of seeds for this type of plant.

Getting a new pot, which you can paint sigils or runes on to aid your magic, fill it with soil.

On a piece of paper write down a wish.
A dream for yourself.
Something you want to manifest into your life with spring.

Using your bare hands, hold the paper after folding it, and dig deep into the soil you've just potted. Place your paper about a third of the way up from the base of the pot.
Cover it back up, before planting your seeds above it, as instructed by the packet.

Take some time in nature with your pot, and meditate on the thing you want to bring forth.
You could say something like; 

"Lord and Lady, with the turning of the wheel new beginnings come.
Sewn with the seed, I ask my wish be done.
As it grows, green and true;
May my dream grow too."

Water, love and tend to your growing seeds.
As your plant grows, it will manifest your desire into being. 

Carnelian

Carnelians name heralds from the Latin word "carnis", translating to "flesh". It most likely received this name due to it's colour. Carnelian also used to be known as Cornelian, deriving from the Latin word "cornum", translating to "cherry".

In Ancient Egypt, Carnelians were used in protection magic for both the living and the dead. They used to be carved into the symbol of Isis, and placed on the neck of a mummy for protection and safe passage. The living would carry Carnelian in the shape of 'The Eye Of Horus', which would protect them from the evil eye.

During the Roman times, Carnelian was typically found engraved with the head of a lion. It was worn or carried into battle, to give it's bearer courage.

Courage is one of Carnelians strongest magical attributes. Whilst it enhances physical energy, and increases courage, it does so by making you tap into your personal power.
Carnelian has strong links with your second Chakra, 'The Sacral Chakra' - which relates to your sense of self. It works in harmony with your five senses, aswell as increasing sexual desire. I keep 2 small pieces of Carnelian under my bed, to keep passion ignited. It is wonderful to work with in any sex rite, or self-gratification magic.

Carnelians element is Earth and Fire (probably why it's so powerful in sex magic) Circling your candle with Carnelian will increase any fire magic you are performing.

Carnelian stirs up action inside it's wearer, which makes it one of my favourite crystals.

Do you have any experiences with Carnelian?

Feel free to share them here.

Merry Meet and Merry Part

xoxo

Yule

Second to Samhain, Yule is my favourite Sabbat.
The Winter Solstice is nearly upon us, falling on the 21st of December, this Sabbat is here as a time of celebration to remind us that there is life returning after the darkness of winter.
Yule marks the shortest day of the year, and the longest night; the opposite side of the wheel to the Summer Solstice.

The word Yule, and the general festivities, relate back to Germanic paganism, with the first recorded use of the name Yuletide being found in 1475. In it's earliest form the term yule, or yuletide, was significant to a 12 day festival in the month of December, or sometimes just a referral term for the month itself.

As with most of Witch tradition, the true origins and rites are rather jumbled - but the general belief is that the days of Yule, are a celebratory festival during the Winter festival, rejoicing in the rebirth of the SUN, and/or the Great Horned God.

In simple terms, you are thanking the gods/goddess that you have survived a long hard winter, and are joyful that the sun is being reborn. The longest night is behind you, and their is hope.

The Oak King rules from midwinter to midsummer - the period of increasing light.
At this time of year, the Oak King defeats his brother, the Holly King, and regains control of the seasons.

For December Witches and pagans take evergreen trees indoors, to encourage woodland spirits to reside within, and stay warm and safe.

The evergreen tree was sacred to the Celts, because it did not die! Its boughs became a symbol of the eternal divine. Your gods and nature have not abandoned you, when all the greenery around you cannot penetrate the hard earth. Bringing full trees into your house is a more recent tradition, but it held the same basic priniciple. This tree would live the winter, and so would you, and when the sun returned to the earth, you would replant the tree back to nature. 

This is one example of many where Christianity twisted and distorted the pagan holidays to suit themselves - thus was born the Christmas tree. When Christianity was coming into power, they tried to place their own holidays at the time of pagan rites, that people already knew and recognised. This made the transition easier for people at this time of change.

Mistletoe is another ancient tradition. - Druids revered the oak tree, and the mistletoe that grew from it. During the winter when all other signs of nature had vanished, the green twigs of mistletoe and their white berries, were seen as a sign of eternal fertility.
They travelled far, and climbed high for this mistletoe to clear couples of infertility.
Often hung over their doorways, over the years we have developed the tradition of kissing beneath it.
So...don't kiss too passionately, now you know the supposed effects ;)

 Yule Logs - Originally not a scrummy, chocolate cake at all!
Can you believe?!
The Yule log was just that, a log. Harvested with your own hands, and placed in the fireplace. The log would be decorated, for the season, and then put in the fire as the main kindling, at winters end. The fire here, representing the newborn sun.
Nowadays, what with fireplaces being hard to come by. Many witches, use their yule log as a base for three candles. The candles still represent the coming sun, it's a lot safer. and you can reuse the same log year and year again.

Holly And Ivy -  A sprig of holly near the door is said to invite nature sprites. It is a deterant for evil beings, and a welcome to positive entities.
It is also a symbol of remembrance for the historic battle of the Holly and the Ivy; the one mentioned above, where the Oak King regains power over the seasons.

So...Christmas is probably more witchy than you thought.

Here are some correspondences for magical workings over the sabbat;

Colours

Gold

Green

Red
White

Animals

Stag
Reindeer

Bears

Deers

Owls

Snow Geese

Food

Gingerbread
Cinnamon

Mulled Wine
Spiced Meats

Herbs & Plants

Holly
Ivy

Poinsettias
Pine
Mistlestoe

Magic Working

Yule Log

World Peace Spells

Healing Work

Love Spells

Wreath Making

Kitchen Magic

Merry Yuletide!
Blessed Be!

Britain's Young Witches

Over the Halloween period, here in the UK, BBC1 aired a one off show entitled 'Britain's Young Witches' - a huge breakthrough to have this on our TVs, trying to break the stigma around Witchcraft!
This video can be found on BBC Iplayer, I will post the link below, so if you're in the UK, you can give it a watch.
I enjoyed it, and I'm glad it was broadcast to so many people.

I will just tell you my niggly bits about the show; firstly, everyone bar the book keeper were young, yes, but they were also young to the craft. At most they had been practicing for 3-4 years...now I am in know way saying that that makes them any less of a witch, or that their voices count for less... but it did not help the stigma that witchcraft is a passing phase, a current trend. Having some more experienced Witches would have been beneficial, even if they didn't have as many insta-likes.
Secondly, the comments on appearance, and witch asthetic. This was just stupid. People who share similar beliefs, usually enjoy similar types of tv shows, or similar hobbies...why is it so unbelievable that they share similar fashion trends, that are unrelated to Witchcraft. Aswell as the fact if you simply look at Harmony Nice, compared to the two gentlemen witches in the show, their styles are so very different, the suggestion was laughable.

Anyway that aside, it's definitely worth a watch.

Britains Young Witches

Blessed Be

xoxo

Happy Samhain

Merry meet, and a happy Samhain to all readers.

What a sabbat it was!

What did you guys get up to? Share in the comments, I'd love to read what you guys have been doing.

Matt and I waited in for trick or treaters, which is always fun.

Then I spent an evening with my witch sister, Suzie. She made me magical mulled cider, and I broke her 'Nightmare Before Christmas' Virginity. Then we made midnight margaritas, and watched 'Practical Magic'.

 When I came home, it was time for my favourite part of Samhain - ritual work, and my 12 card spread for the new year.

This is a shot of my altar, looking all mystical in the candle light.

Let me turn the lights on, so you can see what's going on!

Along with my Directional correspondence, my altar had Crow feathers, to call in and honour the Morrigan, My Pentagram, white flower petals, and parts of a roe deer skull, so I could harness the energy from ancestors and nature.

Directional Correspondance;

North - Earth

East - Air

South - Fire

West - Water

As I do every Samhain, I pulled 12 cards to tell my what the new year has in store for me.

It is always a perfect and magical way to end Samhain.

Never forget to give an offering to the Gods you've worked with; I cast a little of my blood in the fire in thanks to the Morrigan - she is a Goddess of war after all.

This work left me utterly drained for the day following Samhain.
Large ritual work definitely takes it's toll, so be wary that you don't plan much for the following day. My body was hurting, my emotions were all over the shop, and my physical and mental state were utterly drained. Especially around Samhain and Beltane, the veil between the worlds is so thin, it is easy to tap into a lot of magical energy.
After any ritual work, be sure to drink plenty of water, and have a comfortable place to sit down, for atleast a few minutes.

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Blessed Be
xoxox

Mabon

Otherwise known as the Autumn Equinox; the sabbat Mabon looms closer. Falling on the 22nd of September, this sabbat is all about giving thanks for the harvest that has come, and thanks for the harvest yet to come. With the fields nearly empty, it is a time of abundance and a time for gratitude.
The word 'equinox' comes from latin, and translates to 'equal night' - on the equinox the earth receives the same hours of light, as it does dark; which is why they are times of balance.

There are certain types of magic, that are most prosperous at Mabon.

• Home and Hearth Magic - a perfect time to protect your home with a witches bottle; or give the house a thorough cleaning, now is the time to rid everything from your home that no longer serves you.
  A ritual such as this ~~ https://www.thoughtco.com/mabon-ritual-for-home-protection-2562297 ~~ is lovely around this time.

• Whip up some kitchen magic - Use foods of the season, and the harvest, like apples and bread, to get hot in the kitchen. As you bake or make, pour your intentions for a happy, healthy family into the ingredients. Feasting at the times of harvest is an age old tradition, so anything you bake, can be shared between to spread the magic you've put into it.

Foods of Mabon

• Bread
• Apples
• Squash
• Pumpkin
• Grains
• Root Veg
• Corn
• Cider

• Prosperity Magic - Use this time of balance to draw in money and abundance. You can refer back to my blog post on 'Money Magic' here ~~ http://jadeaddismagicmusings.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=money+magic ~~ on simple tips to bring prosperity in.

Blessed Be,

 Jade xoxo

Serpent

With the Full Moon rising in Scorpio, this moon calls for soul searching. Every once in a while there comes a time of deep reflection, when we have to realign our self identity with our core values. This moon pushes us to cut through the nonsense and pretences.

Today I wore my snake vertebra necklace, (which was created from the remains of a snake that died of natural causes) to help me keep myself in check.
 We may have all been feeling a little out of sorts recently, our emotions a bit high strung, and too many thoughts flying through our head.
I for one have been having the vivid-est of dreams - it is natural to happen around the Full Moon.

Why a snake?
In ancient religion, and the path of witchcraft and paganism, snakes represent the primordial life force. A snake is duality and balance, a sign of rebirth. If a snake bites it's own tail, it creates a sacred circle.
Norse mythology believes that it is a serpent god,  Jǫrmungandr  , who holds the sea in place, by doing just that. Holding onto his own tail, in order to keep the sea contained. Knowing that the element of Water is most strongly linked to our emotions, could we see this as the containment of emotion?

To tie in with the meanings behind this Full Moon, think about the way a snake sheds its skin, this physical transformation, that enables it to grow and develop. That is what you need to do. Shed that which is old and does not serve you, and you fill find more space and happiness for that which you hope to gain.

When we think about transformation, lets also think upon the Snakes representation of cycles; birth, death and rebirth. Snakes hide away during the winter months, and come 'alive' again in the Spring. The heat dragging them back above ground. This time is the perfect time to use the snake in meditation, or to honour in ceremony.

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

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.

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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.

Let's talk about tarot...

...discussing my tarot decks, how I store my decks, and some pointers on choosing your own.

There are a lot of differing opinions when it comes to most things magic related, so go with what feels right for you.

   These are just my experiences and my opinions.

Any questions feel free to drop me a message.
xx

A beginners beginning to tea leaves

Today, I'm going to show you the very basics to doing a reading for yourself with tea-leaves.

If you have any questions, or want to know more feel free to ask me in the comments,

                                                           -----------------------------------

The first thing to talk about is the cup itself.
Obviously this type of divination has to be done in a teacup, preferably one with a wider rim.

The top or rim of the cup, represents the present. Any shapes here show your current situations and events.
The middle of the cup, is the near future - things that will soon come to pass.
And the base, is your distant future. And yes we can literally be talking years here.

Symbols seen closer to the handle tend to represent you (or the person being read for)
And when symbols fall close together in your teacup they will probably be correlated events.

 The Method.

Brew yourself a pot of loose-leaf tea. Earl-grey is a great one to use. My local occult stockist recommends loose green tea. But find what works for you, something that doesn't hugely unfurl into giant leaves.
 Once brewed, without using a strainer pour yourself a cup.
You may have to repeat this process, and drink through a few cups, to get a generous amount of tea-leafs in your teacup.
As you drink meditate on a question - or just try and clear your mind.

When only a small amount of liquid remains, take the cup in your dominant hand.
Swirl what remains clockwise, three times.
(Remember 3 is a magic number!)
And now upend your cup into your saucer.

Now....here, some diviners will rotate the cup whilst face down to the saucer, three full turns - again clockwise. It is not done by everyone, and again it's about what feels right to you.
Personally I find it very noisy, and not necessarily the best way to treat your china. If you have done these steps correctly, and measured your liquid and tea-leaf amount effectively - this does come with practice, so stay patient my pretties - you should be left with leaves stuck to your cup, when you turn it up the right way again.

This is what you read from.
If you become more experienced, you can branch into reading the remains of your saucer aswell.

It is up to you to find the shapes and symbols in your cup.
There are plenty of books and online resources to help you find the shape meanings. But, I wouldn't look at these, until you have found the shapes.

Otherwise you might end up seeing what you want to see.
Someone craving a relationship might see a heart in the cup that is not really there.

Sometimes there might be a lot of symbols in one reading, sometimes it might be a solitary shape...and sometimes it might be nothing at all.
 Don't force yourselves to find things. Wash your cup out and try again tomorrow.
It might not be the right time for a reading.

Like with tarot it is worth keeping a journal of tea-leaf reading to see how your reading pan out in reality.
                                                      ---------------------------------

This is one of my readings.

(I use the Edwardian Divination cup. The markings on the cup are for an old party game used in the early 1900s. You don't have to use these, and your everyday teacup will work for divination just fine.

I enjoy the markings though - and it makes the divination seem even more magical.)

There was only one shape I could find here.

A Dog.

Do you see it?

 The dog means 'Loyal friends and associates will support you in everything you do, so don't be afraid to ask for help.'

The dog is at the very base of my cup, pertaining to my needing this 'help' a long time in the future. However the dog is also very, very close to the handle. This would suggest that whatever happens, is going to affect me directly and personally.

The trick with tea reading is that it relies a lot on your own intuition. This can make it a bit daunting - the rules are not as clear cut as with tarot of palmistry. You will see what needs to be seen.

Let me know if you give this a try,
I'd love to see how you get on.

My All Hallows Eve In Pictures

My little altar set-up.

Featuring images, and representations of the dead who've passed. Mulled Cider to toast the Gods, dedicated Samhain Candles, loose incense, and an apple to share.

In the woods, lit only by candlelight - I segmented my apple in thanks for the harvest we've received. I ate some slices, and buried the rest, as a gift back to the earth.

"As above, so below!"

Every Samhain I end the night with a 12 card Celtic New Year Spread - I pull a card for every upcoming month, October to October. Making sure I write down what I've pulled in my tarot journal.

I hope everyone had a wonderful and magical Samhain, however you celebrated.

Blessed Be!

Glastonbury Wild Hunt

Yesterday I was lucky enough to travel to Glastonbury for their first Wild Hunt, in honour of Samhain.

There were Morris Dancers, Performers, Dragons, Ritual Speeches, and a Bonfire.

The atmosphere was electric with pagan goodness. The turn out for this event was incredible.

You can get a good idea of it's size from this video (sorry about the quality) The dragons were definitely a highlight of the event. We had to follow them up through the wonderful town of Glastonbury, to the bonfire ground near the Tor.

There was drumming and stamping, howling and cheering.

We took over the whole town. Antlers and cloaks were everywhere you looked. People sporting our Samhain lanterns, and others with their canvas drums, giving us a marching beat. The traffic was stopped for us and the dragons. People were leaning from their windows to see us.

Witches and Proud!

Half way to the Tor their is a spring, said to be healing. There is almost like a temple, where there is silence save for the running water. Candles are lit at different altars which are dotted around what can only be described as a cave. People bathing in the healing waters, whilst others are meditating in the darkest corners. Offerings of jewellery, and feathers left in a china bowl.
It was humbling to be in such a place.
I did however ignore the sign that told me no photography or mobile phones were allowed, and snapped some sneaky shots. Only to be rewarded with my phone crashing the second we exited the cave, and not returning to life until we arrived at the bonfire site.
*message received*

They had a lady collecting prayers and the names of loved ones who'd passed on, onto bits of paper, so they could be added to the bonfire, as part of the ceremony.

Another highlight for me was this incredible speech made by 'The Green Man' - I only caught a segment of it, but his words were so powerful. I got lost in them, and the emotion of what this event signified.

This was the first time there's been a Samhain celebration this big in Glastonbury, or of this nature in the UK. It was incredible, and I'm already booking holiday to go next year aswell. The wonderful people who made this happen, did a beautiful celebration for Beltane this year, with a maypole, and a big fire. I hope to attend that next year also.

This truly was a magical experience for the solitary witch. With so many magical and spiritual people in one place, the very air around us seemed on fire. There was no shame, no judgement, just joy and remembrance. An honouring to the gods, the wild hunt, and to our ancestors.

Welcome

Welcome to my new internet space.
A little safe haven for all magical musings, and witchy wonderings.
I'm a solitary hedgewitch trying to keep up with nature in this technical world.

Vegan, with a love for animals, thunderstorms, candles and good books.

Feel free to join me on this blog, and follow my adventures with tarot and witchcraft.
Learn tips and tricks, rituals to help you celebrate the sabbats and to get through everyday life.

Now is a perfect time to kick off this new blog, with Samhain, just around the corner. Keep checking back for ritual ideas, and New Year Tarot Spreads in the upcoming week.

Here are some other places you can find me.

http://mistressjade.tumblr.com/

https://www.instagram.com/razorlustjade/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/144769040@N04/

https://uk.pinterest.com/jadeaddis/