FREE YOUR MIND!

I have written this for those of my friends and family and anyone else who does not know exactly what a Pagan is, or who may have grown up with some misconceptions about who or what we are.

Pagans and the rest of the world aren't all that different.

We do not eat children!

We do not fly on broom sticks (although it would save us a fortune on fuel prices!)

We do not worship a devil nor do we believe or acknowledge a Satan (that is a Christian ideology).

Catholics light a candle and pray. So do Pagans. Catholics also have celebratory feasts on marked religious days. So do Pagans. We have 4 main Sabbats and we celebrate the full moon cycle, which we call Esbats. It is at these times that we celebrate the marked change of the seasons, the cycle of life and death (which we call The Wheel of the Year) and "Pray" for the things we wish to have enter our lives, we honour those who have passed on before us, and those with whom we know going through struggle.

Some Christians dance and sing at church during prayer. So do Pagans!

We enjoy a vast richness of artwork that denotes our history through the ages.

We make beautiful crafts. Create beautiful music, and we enjoy and learn from the diversity and practices of other cultures and pantheons.

Pagans honour the sun that breathes energy into all living things, and the rain that nourishes them. We acknowledge the gentle summer breeze, and use the natural resources around us to heal feed ourselves and our families. Many of today's religions and their rituals came from Paganism.

The five-star encircled Pentacle means as much to us as your crucifix does to Christian believers.  It has always been counted as very protective.

In medieval times a Pentacle was used as a protection against demons, and it is worn, visualized or placed around the house by modern-day Wiccans to protect. It is a portrayal of the 4 magickal elements under Spirit:

EARTH: (lower left hand corner) represents stability and physical endurance.

FIRE: (lower right hand corner) represents courage and daring.

WATER: (upper left hand corner) represents emotions and intuition.

AIR: (upper right hand corner) represents intelligence and the arts.

SPIRIT: (at the topmost point) represents the ONE and the Divine.

This, while encircled, is a magickal "diagram" of the Universe; the circle symbolizes completeness, or the All, and the 5 points are the components of this. All are equal and in balance. "As above, so below"- as with the universe so with people. The whole person, made up (ideally) of all components in balance. You can see it makes the shape of a person, reinforcing the idea of both this balance inside ourselves AND the Law "as above so below";

Magick to us is what miracles are to others. Christians pray to a God, who was once a living man on earth. Pagans pray to a Goddess, who many of you also call "Mother Nature"

Christians offer fellowship. So do Pagans, and not only to those who have the same religious practices and beliefs as we have. We believe that "God" has no religion and that we are ALL children of the Universe.  We also believe that we should treat others with the utmost love, kindness and compassion.

So please, before making any negative connotations about Witches, and before passing judgement, know what a witch is first, and know the person second before you judge.

We are not always pot-smoking hippies who light candles and dance naked under the light of the full moon (although some of us may be!). We are Nurses, we are midwives, we are lawyers, teachers, doctors, musicians, archeologists, law enforcement officers, military personnel, bankers, estate and insurance agents, we are someone's brother or sister, someone's child or parent. Someone's best friend!

Most of my friends know what I am and that I have always been, and just quietly sweep my posts or comments under the rug.

Thank you for your acceptance.

Thank you for not trying to stuff your beliefs down my throat.

Thank you for not following the flock that says "You're going to Hell".... after all it is MY salvation, and I have found it in my own spiritual path, just as you have with yours.

Thank you for taking the time to read this in order to understand what Pagans really are. And thank you for loving me even though I do not attend your Mass, pray your Prayers or Obey your God. Spirituality is universal, and the Universe knows what each of us hold in our hearts

(Based on an original article first published by Krystal Garcia – with thanks.)

If this post has raised any questions please drop me an email to cauldronfm@mail.com

So now as we come to the end of this post it is time for me to take my leave of you but not before I say that if you have liked this and the other posts on this blog, please click the link to “follow us” 

We have both a page and a group on Facebook and they are

CauldronFM

CauldronFM – the sound of magick

We have been adding the Cauldron FM radio broadcasts onto our podcast site.  To listen please follow the link

https://anchor.fm/cauldron-fm---the-sound-of-magick

So now I will wish you the best things that life can give and say

Love, Light and Blessed Be!

Merlin.

Image reproduced courtesy of
Delphine Bowden

Blessed Be!

Turning Your Workspace Wytchy

Turning Your Workspace Wytchy

©2018 wytchwynd photography

Merrie Meet

This post is primarily aimed at the new wytch, but it can apply equally well to experienced practitioners of The Craft.

Here we will be looking at a few steps you can take to allow your practice to flow into other areas of your life so that you don’t have to leave your Magick behind you if you move into a different area of your home or need to go to a different location for work.

The reality is that your Magick should be with you wherever you go because your magickal practice is an extension of who you are.  It is a living thing, you create it with your dreams, hopes and intentions as you interact with the Universe and the spaces you occupy.

If you can create spells at your altar for financial abundance or a new partner, then why should that magick be left on the altar when it could be as effective in the space where you are working?

There are many ways that you can allow your magick to be wherever you are working or what your job happens to be!

All that it takes is intention and a few small changes and you can bring magick to your work, irrespective of whatever you do for a living.

I use magick in my workspace because it helps me be happy especially when things get stressful because I can use my magick to help me become more grounded and centred plus it helps me keep smiling.  As I grow, my magick often helps me perform at a higher level than usual which has to be a good thing.

So now let us consider some ways that a workspace can be turned into something of a wytch’s retreat.

a)     try to pick a spot where there is as much natural light as possible

b)     try to include as many of the magickal elements as you can – earth air water fire and spirit

c)      decide on the intention that you want to bring to the space – because your intention should determine which items you use.

Think about what you want to improve in your work environment such as:-

Increased responsibility

More positive relationships

Career improvements

From your list select one or two items and check in with yourself once or twice a month to see how things are improving.    You can always adjust and change these as you feel. 

Remember that you are always in a state of growth and flux so everything should grow and change around you.

Always be mindful of the fact that some of your colleagues might be a little unsettled by magickal items in the work place but there are things that you can comfortably used everyday without drawing attention to yourself

You can bring crystals into your work space without causing anyone concern, they can sit on your desk, they are good to look at and very easy to integrate into your workaday life.

If you don’t feel comfortable having crystals on your desk, you could wear such things as Crystal Pendants, bracelets earrings and even key chains

Pot Pourri can be useful if you want to bring herbs into your workspace, or you could change to drinking herbal teas in the office.  If you are not in an office setting you could carry herbs around in a small cloth bag or even a sachet – if your car is your workspace your magickal herbs can be great air fresheners

If you want to use essential oils then an inexpensive diffuser is a great tool but if a diffuser is not practical simply dab a few drops of your essential oil (diluted in a carrier oil) on your inner wrists.

Finally we all find that sometimes things at work can turn a bit negative, so using the following tools will help bring things back into balance

Pot plants – keep the air and the energy clean

Meditation cushion – this can be used at times during the day or for a gratitude practice

Herbal Pot Pourri – you can use sage for its extra cleansing powers

Thieves Oil – in your diffuser will help clear negativity quickly

An Amethyst crystal – to help combat negativity

A water fountain – improves air quality by adding negative ions to the air plus the sound of trickling water helps with stress and anxiety.

So in conclusion these ideas will give you a starting point to help you bring your Magick into the workspace, however it may be best to begin slowly and remember it is up to you to determine how you bring your Magick into the workplace so that it is aligned with your own personal needs.

If this post has raised any questions please drop me an email to cauldronfm@mail.com

So now as we come to the end of this post it is time for me to take my leave of you but not before I say that if you have liked this and the other posts on this blog, please click the link to “follow us” 

We have both a page and a group on Facebook and they are

CauldronFM

CauldronFM – the sound of magick

We have been adding the Cauldron FM radio broadcasts onto our podcast site.  To listen please follow the link

https://anchor.fm/cauldron-fm---the-sound-of-magick

So now I will wish you the best things that life can give and say

Love, Light and Blessed Be!

Merlin.

Image reproduced courtesy of
Delphine Bowden

A Very Blessed Samhain

Merrie Meet

Samhain is a festival that marks the end of the harvest season and the start of winter or the "darker half" of the year. Traditionally, it is celebrated from 31 October to 1 November, as the Celtic day began and ended at sunset. This is about halfway between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice.

In A Mother's Womb!

Photo by Suhyeon Choi on Unsplash

In a mother’s womb were two babies. One asked the other: “Do you believe in life after delivery?” The other replied, “Why, of course. There has to be something after delivery”.

More About Litha (The Summer Solstice)

Photo by Emma Burne on Unsplash

Merrie Meet & Solstice Blessings

The summer solstice marks the longest day of summer, it is the time at which the Sun (life-giver) is strongest over the powers of darkness.

Today’s Thought 15/06/19new video post

via IFTTT

Today’s Thought 15/06/19

via IFTTT

Litha (Summer Solstice) - (14/06/19)

Merrie Meet

As the wheel continues to turn and we approach the Litha celebrations on or about the 21^st of June, I thought that it might be useful to copy and paste the section from my Book Of Shadows that explains the festival in detail.

Something Of A Confession (31/05/19)

Merrie Meet

I have a confession to make........

Having been away for a few days and being tremendously busy in my day to day, working, life. I have not managed to prepare anything for this week, and so I will have to give you my humblest of apologies and head off back into the shadows to get something sorted for June 7th.

 Don't forget that you can listen to the CauldronFM podcasts by following this link

https://anchor.fm/cauldron-fm---the-sound-of-magick

Love, Light and the Brightest of Blessing

Blessed Be

Things That Every Aspiring Wytch Needs (24/05/19)

Photo by Cristian Newman on Unsplash

Whether you are just starting out on your path into The Craft or are an experienced practitioner, it can be useful to familiarise yourself with some of the basics.  This post contains information about some items for magick that can be found in local shops and people who are among your friends.....

A Simple Meditation Ritual (17/05/19)

Merry Meet - Here Is A Simple Meditation Ritual

A white witch is one of the most spiritual beings, and thrives on learning about spirituality.

Were You Born With Magickal Powers? (03/05/19)

Merrie Meet

I want to begin this week’s post by asking a question – are we born having magickal powers or do we learn them along the way?

About Being A Lazy Wytch (12/04/19)

© wytchwynd photography

Merrie Meet

Thank you for joining me on this week’s blog.  Today I want to explore how you can be a Lazy Wytch, so if it does not take too much effort please read on.

It is likely that you know you really want to devote more time to practicing your craft and to developing your spirituality, but you may have a full time job, long to do lists, and much more going on (including going to school if you are among my younger readers).

There are many of us who fit that description and feel guilty about it…..I know that I sometimes do. 

I often found myself thinking that wytchcraft was not real unless it consisted of many long rituals that were intricate, elaborate and pre-planned and exhausting.  I am pretty sure that this way of thinking affects us all at some point on our journey.

You may also find that like me you start to question how anyone succeeds at being a wytch if they have a family, a job and other significant drains on their time.  If those thoughts are familiar to you then let me ask you a question –

Do you often feel that because you don’t practice your craft you are not really a wytch at all and that you are simply deluding yourself?

OK so you probably answered “yes” to that question but I am here to blow a hole in that thinking…… you already do a lot of daily practices such as taking a walk or having a shower, drinking that morning tea or coffee and probably many more.  So it really is not that you are not able to carry out your wytch practices it is more a matter of how you do them.

So with that knowledge I am sure that you can consider ways you can turn these “mundane” tasks into expressions of your wytchcraft and when you do this then it is real Wytch Craft.

So let me provide you with a few ideas:-

Shower Magick removes anxiety

While you are taking your shower visualise that the energy of the water is washing away your anxiety.  Take some deep breaths (being careful not to inhale the water) and begin to feel your stress and anxiousness running away with the water down the drain and out of your life.

Bring Magick to your kitchen

Cooking or baking can involve craft working in many ways- select your foods based on their correspondences, create a magickal herb garden for cooking use, or you could even create sigils to adorn your baking.

Morning Coffee Productivity Spell

Start by blessing your coffee (or tea) and then stirring it 9 times in a clockwise all the while visualising your desired results (getting work done quickly, completing your to-do list etc) then drink your coffee (or tea), feel the charge of the productivity coursing through you and simply Get Started.

A Magickal Sleep

You can use the moments before you finally settle down to sleep for a relaxing meditation; enchant your pillow; create a quick dream sachet to put inside your pillowcase.  Record your dreams in a dream journal, then go through your dreams to divine any significant meanings.

So in conclusion – I hope that by reading this article you will realise (as I did) that you do not have to beat yourself up about being a Lazy Wytch because you can practice your Craft each and every day in ways that are personal to you and that is the key.

oooOOOooo

We have both a page and a group on Facebook and they are CauldronFM and CauldronFM – the sound of magick respectively.

Most of the radio shows from Cauldron FM are now located on our podcast host site.  So if you would like to give them a listen please follow this link

https://anchor.fm/cauldron-fm---the-sound-of-magick

So now I will wish you the best things that life can give and say

Love, Light and Blessed Be!

Merlin.

©2013 Wytchywnd Photography 

Some Things Moon (05/04/19)

Merrie Meet

Thank you for joining me today on the blog.  

I felt that this week it was important for me to talk and present posts that celebrate the moon in her glory and power.  So I visited my Book of Shadows and extracted the following lunar items to include in this writing.

Creating A Home Fit For A Wytch (29/03/19)

Merrie Meet

Welcome to this latest blog post about creating a home that is Fit For A Wytch

A special way of adding magick to your home is to set up an altar. Be as discreet or as elaborate as you like and your lifestyle allows.

Find a table top surface, a shelf or a bookcase, etc. where you can position your altar. Preferably, it should be out of reach of pets and small children (unless you actually want to make it a pets or childrens’ altar).

I would suggest that you create an altar that will represent the four elements: earth, air, fire, water.  However you could set up an altar to honour your gods and goddesses, or create a meditation space by adding stones, crystals, seashells, feathers, and herbs to the altar.

You could also place pictures of angels, deities, ancestors, etc. on you altar along with candles, incense burners, oil diffusers, and more. The choices are endless!

Growing native plants around your home invites mother nature to take up residence. The positive energies will translate to positive energy inside your home, as well.

But, don’t worry if you don’t have a garden. You could grow plants in pots on a balcony, a patio, or even in a sunny window! Herbs will do well in pots, and so do many flowers.

What magical home would be complete without a garden?

It is about putting in the time and effort, and eventually you will learn what grows well in your climate and what does not?

You can buy or grow plants that are native to your area then you will have plants that are accustomed to the land where you live and therefore easy to grow.  Such plants will also attract and supply food or shelter for essential wildlife such as bees, butterflies, rabbits, birds and the like.

Wytch like Decorating Ideas

This is the fun part!

Depending on the objects themselves and where you put them, the following elements will draw in abundance, health, love, peace, success, etc.

Add Fire & Air

The best decorating ideas centre around the four elements.

By hanging wind chimes in your doorways and around your house, you are adding gentle, whimsical sounds and thus you are invoking the air element.

One of my favourite suggestions for enchanting a home is to use candles. 

Generally we have candles burning in most rooms every day.  As you light them you can see your home’s ambiance change from the mundane to the truly magickal!

By doing this simple action you are calling on the element of fire.

Add Earth & Water

Houseplants draw in the earth energy.

African violets, succulents, and ivies are often favourites but i would invite you to experiment with different houseplants to find what you like best.

Be careful which plants you use though because some are toxic to pets and children. Place plants all around your home to bring in these earthy, healing energies.

Rose quartz, amethyst, and selenite are great for the home. Small water fountains and vessels of water honour the water element in your magickal home.

Cleansing Your Magickal Home

A spiritual home cleansing removes any negative energy that has either 

invaded or built up over time.

I think that the most powerful way to cleanse a home of negative energy is to perform a smudging ritual using some of the most powerful herbs such as: white sage, rosemary, and palo santo.

Research how to carry out a smudging ritual and then cleanse your home.  

Make sure that you open the windows or doors to allow the negative energy to escape. This is crucial!

To create a sacred space means to cleanse and prepare an area for divine connection, much like the “sanctuary” in a church.

You can make your entire home into sacred space. The first step in making your home a magical home is to envision it as one big magical circle.

There is plenty of information about that will help you to learn how to make a magical home with cleansing, protection, gardening, and other wytch styling and decorating ideas.

Magickal Protection

And finally a word about Magickal Protection. 

We all know that our homes protect us from the outside world and they also provide us with privacy. But when we make our homes magical that is not quite enough, we also need to think about spiritual protection.

If you have never energetically cleansed your home, this will be your first step to making your home magical. This is also something to repeat once a month (preferably on the new or waning moon) or whenever you feel the need.

After following you cleansing you need to establish a magickal barrier by

blessing the doorways, windows and entrances into your home.  Using olive oil, essential oils or any kind of oil, draw a protective symbol on each window and door, such as a pentacle, a cross, or runic symbols.  The same blessing can also be carried out with the use of moon water

You can then add other protective elements if you so wish, such as herb bags; salt in the windows and thresholds; dreamcatchers; iron horseshoes above doorways and lastly you could use a sprinkling of red brick dust over the thresholds.

So there we have a few ideas about how you can make your home fit for a wytch to inhabit.  I hope that you have fun and that you will live in peace, happiness and prosperity.

Love, Light and

Blessed Be!

Merlin 

Physical Signs of a Wytch (22/03/19)

This piece has been adapted from an article that I found on the web.

There are a number of physical signs that can point towards you being a wytch!

Having read the title of this post you are probably wondering whether you could be a witch (but by definition that you are reading this blog you already know that there is a good chance that you are already).

Many times people have said that there are no physical signs that someone is a wytch. But in the light of research into DNA it has been determined that physical DNA carries memories of past lives and this can have been passed down via the ancestral bloodline or via personal karmic memory.

Wytches come in many different shapes sizes and belong to different cultures.  They certainly are not (as the media would have us believe) all inhabiting beautiful female forms such as the sisters from “Charmed” or other popular television series.

You may have just one of the following traits and be linked to the magickal world (or the otherworldly) but if you have multiple traits that does not follow that you are more Magickal than another person.

So here is a list of some of the most common wytch marks found today.

Being Clumsy

The trait of being clumsy is not a clear indicator that someone is a wytch, but it does indicate the presence of magick.

Wytches typically spend most of their time in between this world and the next, sometimes half in the physical and half in the magical.  So because of this situation they are likely to have their heads in the clouds or be seen as “flighty” and this often leads to being clumsy.  Do you drop things regularly, do you trip over your own feet or are you described as “having your head in the clouds”?  These are powerful indicators that you are likely to be a wytch.

Your Hands Tell The Story

Did you know that your hands tell the story of your life? Just look at the lines on your palms and finger-pads because they tell a lot about your life.

Your palms may show may show signs of your being a wytch, take a careful look.

If there are three or more vertical lines under the little finger on the palm of your hand, you carry what is called the “Samaritan Sign” and this indicates that you are a healer.  Wytches often have the ability to heal and they often carry this sign on their palms.

If a wytch has the gift of clairvoyance it will be indicated by a cross in the middle of the index finger. This gift is one of being able to “see” clearly and many wytches have this ability.

Other palm signs of a natural wytch can be a circle on the “bottom palm” which is opposite your thumb is an indication of clairvoyance while a small circle under the middle and ring fingers is a sign of strong intuition.

All of these hand signs tell the story that you are most likely a natural wytch.

The Eyes Have It!

It is often claimed that the eyes are “the windows to the soul” and every wytch will have one of two types of eyes.  Some may even be blessed with both types.

There are the very deep “old soul” eyes and there are also large and penetrating eyes.  Because wytches return to the earth plane often they are “old souls” who probably date back many many centuries.

If you look a wytch in the eye it is highly likely that you will be “sucked in” and you can virtually see their wisdom as you are drawn deeper within. 

A lot of wytches have large and penetrating eyes, which is a trait of the indigo and crystal children – these being souls that have incarnated here from other dimensions.

So as I have indicated deep and / or large eyes are often the most popular indicators that someone is a wytch.  Every wytch will have one or other type of eyes, while some may even have them both

Tattoos

Tattoos have very ancient origins in the Celtic culture they were seen as a mark of royaly lineage and a map to the otherworld.  They have been found on the skin of at least 2 ancient Egyptian mummies.  These marks on the skin are believed to be significant indicators of the magickal knowledge and skills held by the female mummy.  It is believed that if you bear tattoos with deep meanings then you are emulating this past life tradition.  Tattoos are often considered as talismans to a wytch.

History tells us that in Colonial America and in Europe people who were accused of being wytches were examined for birth marks or extra nipples.  It was a widely held belief among Witch Hunters that such marks were where the wytches suckled their familiar spirits. 

Actually, wytch marks tell a story of the past life of that wytch.  If you carry such a mark it was probably given to you during an initiation.  However it may be a sign of either torture or execution (after being accused of being a wytch).

“Praying Knees”

If you are a sufferer of “Praying Knees” then you could be victim to a bone malformation or a problem with the skin over the knees. If your knees look bruised and / or damaged it is very likely you were a priest, priestess or a religious devotee in a former life.

Wytches often held very spiritual or religious positions in past lives and the souls cannot help but seek similar realms or divinity in later incarnations.

However, it is possible that knee issues can be from gardening or kneeling in ritual positions – in which case you probably already know that you are a wytch.

Could I Be A Wytch If I Show Any Of These Signs?

Absolutely!

However there are often both mental and spiritual signs to back up the physical ones.

Do you have an undying love for nature?

Do you seek out alternative healing methods?

Are you drawn to the metaphysical (crystals, herbs, angels, etc), astral project naturally?

Do you see or sense spirits?

Do you rebel against the “norms” of society?

Fortunately for those who display the physical signs of being a wytch, there are not as many wytch hunters around now as there used to be!

However, even if there were, they would not be looking at REAL wytch birthmarks, they would be looking for something else entirely!

ooooOOOOoooo

If this post has raised any questions please drop an email to cauldronfm@mail.com

We have both a page and a group on Facebook and they are CauldronFM and CauldronFM – the sound of magick respectively.

Most of the radio shows from Cauldron FM are now located on our podcast host site.  So if you would like to give them a listen please follow this link

https://anchor.fm/cauldron-fm---the-sound-of-magick

So now I will wish you the best things that life can give and say

Love, Light and Blessed Be!

Merlin.

©Delphine Bowden