What Does It Mean To Walk With The Goddess?

Merrie Meet

So what does it mean to walk with The Goddess?

Recently I realised that despite being a fully functioning member of the pagan faith I have never taken the time to sit and clearly identify (or put into words) exactly what that means to me!

That being said, I feel that today is an ideal time to spend some in quiet contemplation of this aspect of myself.

After spending many years as a committed agnostic I decided that there had to be a higher force guiding me through this life, and yes, although I teach people (through my work as a coach) that they are responsible for their own actions, I feel that there still has to be someone, some presence, looking after all the other things that I experience. These things range through the seasons, the rivers, the trees so why should that not be the Great Mother?

I have no wish to upset anyone who happens to have chosen Christianity as their way, but having had some bad experiences with “The Church” I know that is not the way for me.

So, as a preparation for this post I decided to do the following exercise and once you have read it, maybe you could do it for yourself!

First of all ask what makes me happy?

My answer is - many things! For example, being alive, being healthy, my wife, my friends, my children, the cats, walking along a cliff looking at the sea, Listening to music, working on my various radio shows, driving, eating in nice restaurants, coffee, children, teaching and playing guitar and keyboards, walking by a stream or through a wood, taking photographs and being creative.

What makes me content?

Being surrounded by family and friends, when I am helping other people, listening to the sea, being quiet, seeing my family enjoying themselves, having a good home, food on the table, being in the sunshine.

What is being content?

What does it mean, it means that at specific times because there is really no other time at all everything in my world is as it should be, it is all going well, I have everything I need right here, I am complete in this very moment.

What is contentment?

This is probably different for every person but since I am doing this for me in this very public manner I will concentrate on what contentment actually means to me.

Contentment is a state of being, it is a peaceful state, it is a state of calm, sometimes stillness, often involving clarity of thought.

It can be a time when I am truly at my creative best, it can be euphoric. Conversely I can be content having just completed a cycle ride or sitting with a pint of beer. So to truly define contentment is not a simple one or two word answer. It can come with the satisfaction of a job well done, thanks have a client.

What are my priorities right now?

High on my list of priorities are:-

seeing my radio channels becoming successful
seeing my video channels working correctly and broadcasting live and pre-recorded content.
generating sufficient revenue via Moonshadow Media to enable all the presenters to be paid a salary or a show fee.

What are my hopes?

That the end of the destruction of the rain forests will come
That the wars between civilised countries come to an end
That the Earth is given a chance to regenerate itself
That the human race decides it is time we began to seriously look at (and do something about) the damage we are causing to our planet
That an affordable solution to mass transport is found and put into effect as soon as possible
That my health continues to be good

What are my dreams?

Number one on my list has to be World Peace!
An end to poverty
An end to violence and war
That people begin to realise that life is precious and not something to be taken lightly
That a cure for cancer is found in my lifetime
That society accepts paganism as a trim and acceptable alternative to Christianity and recognises that the people who practice Wicca, Judaism, Hindi all have the same rights to religious freedoms and beliefs

What is my relationship with the Divine Feminine?

My first answer to this has to be a question because before I can begin to answer what my relationship is I have to be clear about what the Divine feminine actually is!

The Divine Feminine is many things, it is all things that are female, it is nurture, it is creativity, it is Love.

It is intuition and it is the intimate.

It is a known fact that all women are at their most powerful, their most intuitive during the time of their menstrual bleeding. Research and historical fact has shown that groups of women who are living / working in close proximity will find that their natural cycles will, over time, become aligned. This is no accident, women are designed to be this way!

It has been suggested that PMS is the result of women moving away from their natural, taking time out to celebrate this special gift. Linked with the lunar cycles many mature Indian people called the time of the female cycle “moon time“ and it was accepted practice for all women to celebrate this time together. 

It is also a time for women to pass on ancient wisdom is and lessons to other younger women.

Women are the givers of life and are seen in various faiths as the embodiment of God.

To return to the original question my involvement and relationship with the Feminine Divine is based in a belief that men and women are two halves of the whole.  However, I believe that it goes much further than that, in every man there is a part that is female and in every woman a part that is male.

Unfortunately, in the modern world we have pushed that part of us into the background and now there is no way that the majority of men would allow themselves to cry in public or, to smell flowers, just for the hell of it!

Women are less affected by this stereo-typing, although many would not be prepared to change a tyre by the roadside or to change the washer in a tap.

However, some of us have accepted that it is fine for men to regain contact with their feminine traits as much as it is equally acceptable for women to follow some traditionally male roles.  

So this puts me firmly in the “I am happy to display my feminine, softer side to anyone! I will cry, I will smell flowers, I will wash dishes et cetera et cetera et cetera.“ group.

I have the greatest of respect for women, I admire their caring, nurturing traits. I respect their strengths and weaknesses, I am completely at my ease in their company and I hope that they find a similar sense of peacefulness during our mutual interactions.

Blessed Be!

ooooOOOOoooo

If this post has raised any questions please drop them into an email addressed 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.

Image © Delphine Bowden
Reproduced with Kind Permission

150121 The January Meet (The Latest Show on Cauldron FM)

The January Meet is the newest show from Cauldron FM and features, great music plus a new section called The Crystal Of The Month with our brand new presenter Emms Lowe of Saltwater Gaia.

Follow this link to listen The January Meet

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

Natural Wytch Abilities

Merrie Meet and Well Come. 

Many people often say that there is no such thing as a natural wytch (or witch as they would say.  However I would not mind placing a bet on the fact that at least one of the following skills has been with each of them since they were children

Animal Connection

There are a vast number of wytches who enjoy a natural and deep connection with animals.  This connection is more than just living with them and loving them, it is about being able to communicate with them, to understand what they are thinking and in some cases even to manifest them. 

To explain they are likely to think of an animal they would like to meet and that very animal appears in their life.

Or maybe you have a desire to have a new pet in your life and suddenly a stray cat will make its way to your door.   You may also find that you really understand animals more than anyone else you know. 

Connection with animals and the ability to have them manifest are both natural wytch abilities.

Healing

The ability to heal is something that many wytches have naturally.  They are often born with the necessary ability to heal themselves, other humans and even animals.  This healing can present in the use of herbs and herbal remedies or it can come via energetic means (energy healing). 

Healers can often be drawn to holistic medicines, herbs, crystal healing and Reiki and in my own case I use all 4 methods and have done for many years (during my research for this article I have discovered that I have the “Healer’s Sign” very evident on the palm of each hand).

Human Connection

Maybe you could be empathic.  One of the major abilities and skills of an empath is the ability to feel the emotions and physical feelings of another person (or other people).  Empaths may also feel and adopt the energies of other people around them, this can be both emotional and overwhelming.

You might also find that you possess the ability to hear another person’s thoughts or you could transmit your thoughts to someone else’s mind. 

All of the above are natural abilities of a wytch that cannot be denied.

Weather

There are those of the Craft who possess the power of weather prediction.  This can be a learned technique however, there are some natural wytches that can take a look up into the sky and know that a storm is imminent, others can take a look skyward and know intuitively that snow is imminent.

It has been said that people who have these skills can feel the weather changes in their bones and they have an extremely deep connection to the sky and weather patterns.

There are also some wytches who even have the ability to call the sun, the rain or even the snow.

Green Fingers or Thumbs

Having an affinity with plants and encouraging and helping them to grow can be another natural ability of a wytch, however it can also be something that wytches can learn.

There are those wytches whose gardens are always green and full of life and it something that happens naturally.  Sometimes it might seem that the plants, blooms, bushes and trees actually adore the wytch in whose garden they grow.  This ability is one to be treasured if you are fortunate to have been born with it.

Do we learn these natural abilities or are we born with them?

I am of the opinion that every wytch has natural abilities.  These can be just one or many even if they choose to keep it quiet it is often evidenced naturally.

Furthermore it is possible that, over time, we can learn these abilities.  However there are those people with some or all of the above abilities who do not consider themselves to be a wytch of any kind.

Sometimes empaths are so weighed down with their ability that they will refuse to leave their houses.  They can sometimes be heard bemoaning their gifts and saying that they wish they had never had them.  Sadly for these people the gift is more of a curse than it is a blessing.

One fundamental aspect it that if you do have any of these abilities the your life is so much the richer because of them – but that richness comes with a word of caution!

You have to learn how to control these gifts or they will control you. 

On this blog we explore some of the elements of the path that we have chosen to follow. Should you feel that you would like to contribute something to these pages by way of articles, rituals or practical tips please feel contact via me by email at the address given below or make a comment in the box. 

ooooOOOOoooo

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

We have 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

The Witch Kitchen

Merrie Meet

I am back although I am still officially on a break for another few weeks.  Anyway I discovered something sitting in my hard drive that I had neglected to publish via my publishing platform

So in order to remedy that situation here is the link to my book The Witch Kitchen.

https://issuu.com/moonshadowmedia/docs/the_witch_kitchen

ooooOOOOoooo

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 are in the process of adding all the Cauldron FM radio broadcasts onto our new podcast site.  Follow the link below to listen

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

by kind permission

Making and Sending Energy Balls

Merrie Meet

Energy transcends time and space. Once you learn how to “send energy” you can do it for healing purposes, or even change the outcome of a future event or even send it to the past although the actual past event is unlikely to change, the impact it has will be much better for you.

Some Thirteen Goals of a Wiccan

(©2018 wytchwynd photography / Delphine Bowden)

Merrie Meet and well come to A Little Bit of Magick here we explore some of the elements of the path that we have chosen to follow.  I welcome any comments and should any of you feel that you would like to contribute something to these pages by way of articles, rituals or practical tips please feel contact via the email address given below or make a comment in the box. 

So now let us take a look at some thirteen goals of a Wiccan -

Know yourself – It is of vital importance that you get to know who you are and what you stand for as you travel along the Wiccan Path.

Know your Craft – to be a practical Wiccan one needs to have a working knowledge of the Craft and how to apply that knowledge.

Learn – always be prepared to learn, people can often provide tips and useful insights as we move and meet along our paths

Apply knowledge with wisdom – be considerate and careful about how you use the knowledge that you gain whilst walking this path.

Achieve balance - always strive for balance in all that you do

Keep your words in good order – do not speak ill of people in your conversations

Keep your thoughts in good order – be mindful of the thoughts you think, thoughts are things!

Celebrate life – life is sacred!

Attune with the cycles of the Earth – learn to recognise the fluctuations in your body and as the Earth moves through Her cycle feel the changes within you.

Breathe and eat correctly – this does not only apply to people who walk the Wiccan path.

Exercise the body – regular, gentle exercise is important to keep the machine in good form.

Meditate – often the stillness of the mind reveals many secrets.

Honour the Lord and Lady – their presence is Divine and should always be recognised as such.

I truly hope that you have found these points to be of interest and I look forward to bringing you another post very soon. 

Don’t forget that we are now re-running our successful pagan radio shows on our podcast (see the link below) and there will soon be some new shows being added to the already growing list.

ooooOOOOoooo

If this post has raised any questions please drop 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 a page and a group on Facebook and they are CauldronFM and CauldronFM – the sound of magick respectively.

We are  now in the process of adding all the radio shows from Cauldron FM onto our new podcast host site.  So if you would like to give them a listen please follow the link below

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

So now, as we come to the end of this post I will wish you the best things that life can give and say

Love, Light and Blessed Be!

Merlin.

The Most Common Mistakes New Witches Make

Believing that something is true just because it’s in a book

Books can be misleading or inaccurate, plus they can also be filled with outright lies.  This is especially true when they talking about religious or spiritual beliefs.  Authors have been know to do this because they have not been required to back up their claims in order to get big deals with publishers.

Whyte Wytch (Reposted with edits)

(creator of image - unknown)

Merrie Meet

Welcome to A Little Bit of Magick.  Let me ask you a question - 

Are you sensitive?

New show launched on Anchor.fm

Hi Merrie Meet

By way of a change this week I have decided to make the new podcast show the subject of the blog

Basically Cauldron FM began in 2011 as an experiment because I wanted to see if I could launch a dedicated radio station for the pagan community.and now 7 years later having been on this journey through various states - highly successful, virtual oblivion, monstrous technical problems the station still continues to broadcast.

This latest incarnation is a podcast   (I am still unable to broadcast my progrannes live) because of computer issues and lack of a stable internet connection.

Using this format does have its advantages, because all of the previous broadcasts will be available in the one place, so listeners can go back and listen to what we were doing over the life of the service.

We are still on the hunt for new presenters so if any of the people reading this fancy a go at producing their own programme (it really is very easy) then drop me AN EMAIL or leave a comment in the box below and I will get back to you,

So without any more from me please click the player below to listen to our Beltane 2018 programme.


I hope that you enjoy it

Blessed Be

Merlin

©Delphine Bowden
reproduced with kind permission of the artist

A post about Grounding and Beltane

(©Delphine Bowden - reproduced with kind permission)

Grounding

The term grounding means connected to the Earth, and it is one that spans numerous different cultures, traditions, and spiritual practices. While it is associated with feelings of balance, connection, centeredness, sinking, being anchored and in the flow, I would like to explore the greater implications of what is happening every time you go outside and relax into nature.