Old versus New...

I have been thinking lately (Dangerous pastime I know!) about how things were done in the past and how we are supposed to do them now, and what tools we use. Modern witches must haves include besom/broom, cauldron and athame/knife, because they are the traditional tools; I put my hand up to owning them myself: I probably have a dozen cauldrons of various sizes, shapes and metals, mainly because I am a bit of a magpie that way.

Does anyone stop to consider why? Going back a few hundred years everyone had a knife for eating with. All homes had a cauldron to cook the food in and similarly a broom was the only way to sweep the floor. If an old-time witch had a vacuum cleaner, would she have been happy to use that to clean her space? (Indoors of course!) and if she had saucepans and a modern stove I'm sure she would have happily used them to boil up her potions. I for one think so.

Moving on, I like to sew, and have read that if making something incorporating magic it should be sewn entirely by hand, reciting the spell as you go. Me, I do some hand stitching where the technique requires it, but everything else is done by machine, and I defy anyone to say you can't sew magic into something like that! It requires a lot of concentration to use a machine, my hands are on the fabric at all times, and any spare brain cells are focused on the recipient of my creation, and the love and intent I am stitching into it.

I am happy being a witch in the modern world, using modern technology alongside older techniques in my magic; how about you?

the tree

I was looking through my saplings memorabilia and found this little poem i think she was about 8 when she wrote it, her mother being a tree i thought it quite apt.... her spelling her words.

tall old leaning tree
streaching out towards me
your old and chiped
your wood is dipped
tall old leaning tree streaching out towards me
tall old leaning tree streaching out your branches high
with your bumpy bark
so very very dark
tall old leaning tree streaching out towards me
o tall old leaning tree streaching out towards me
the wind is so strong somethings bound to go rong
oh tall old leaning tree dont fall down ontop of me


It made me smile i hope it does you.. willow......xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The 'F' Word

When Willow and I met up with Sable recently, it was commented that we were fur, feather and fronds all twined together; this moved on to finding 'F' words for each of us, and thinking that there must be a song in there somewhere! No song has appeared yet, unless someone else has found it, but here's a little poem to start things off; Persephone darling, you have proved the hardest for me to fit in, but as the newest mother here, and closest to the Goddess for that, I have used Family for your F word. If you prefer something else, lat me know what it is and I will rewrite!

The 'F' Word

Wolf fur and willow frond,
Hold us in a sacred bond.

Owl feather, crow feather,
Wing to wing through any weather.

Faery-dust and dragon flame,
Honouring the Lady's name.

Motherlove for family,
Tie us to our ancestral tree!

Blossom of Ostara

We call to thee, Blessed Starchild,
Cast off the veil of childhood
Take the dress anew, The Flower Maiden.
Beautiful Lady of Flowers,
Your laughter bursts forth blossom
Frothing pastels of fragile exquisiteness
Bohemian Princess crowned with coronets of wild flowers
The blood rises within you, brings blush to thy cheeks of damask rose
Be with us, Come to us
May we celebrate thy transition on this Ostara
From sweet Starchild, to Maiden of the Flowers.

Willow's Poem

She started to squirm and
she started to squiggle
Something was making
the old with wiggle...
She scratched and she itched -
She'd been bewitched!
She called to the dryad
to aid in her plight -
but as usual the dryad
was out for the night...
She wiggled and squiggled
and started to hop
'Stop!' Cried the robin
'Your buds have all popped!'
And sure enough,
without a doubt,
Spring had come and
her buds were all out!

SableWolf In Bindweed...

Hi, my darling sisters!! * Hugs and cuddles all round, bindweed knickers falling to floor with a slight rustle* Just hurtled back to dear old Blighty from the joys of Bella Italia, and galloped over to the Grove to pounce on you all! *Hitches bindweed pants up, pokes more chocolate into cavernous mouth...*

It's lovely to 'see' you all looking so well, younger and svelte! My own wobbly, cellulite-ridden posterior is taking over the universe, so expect earthquakes when I move to Italy - the redistribution of weight along the Earth's crust may be a tad tricky.

It's been years since I touched an instrument (musical, that is), although I used to play piano, violin, flute, and recorder, or course! I still sing, but now it is usually for serenading my beloved, rather than warbling in the Albert Hall, or crooning Elizabethan madrigals. I am happy to offer my meagre talents, but perhaps it might be better if you left me to make the tea, and buy the chocolate for the after-show party?

Was feeling a little under the weather, so filled my little pot with charcoal and added mugwort, myrrh, styrax, and rose incense, and strode around the house, declaiming:

'Cleanse my hearth!

Cleanse my home!

Bring back my health,

And make me strong!'

The smoking contents of the pot and the little spell really worked - I started to feel more like myself again, and ate a cake. Once I had sewn the seam of one of my bindweed knickers ( bulging buttocks are NOT nice), I felt rather good, and positively witchy, in a wolfy sort of way. Just thought I'd pass it on, if ever any of you feels the urge to have a go... : ))

Until the next time, sweet sisters of the Willow... XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Willow's Grove Dance

Willow mentioned to me that we ought to have an official dance, and visualised the dancers holding a length of ribbon between them to mark out the shape of a pentagram. I have attempted to choreograph this....

TO START: A circle is marked out on the ground, with the five points of the pentagram marked at intervals around it and numbered 1 to 5 clockwise. Five acolytes stand slightly back from these points carrying large chalices filled with mead to refresh the dancers as they pass. The five dancers (A, B, C, D and E approach the cicle at point 1 accompanied by drummer and musicians. The dance commences:

A moves from 1 to 3, and takes a draught from the chalice (all dancers do this when they reach one of the points of the pentagram)
A to 5, B to 3
A to 2 passing behind and beneath C's ribbon. B to 5, C to 3
A to 4 behind C, B to 2 behind D, C to 5, D to 3
A returns to 1 behind C, D behind A to 5, B to 4 behind D, C to 2 behind E, E to 3 behind B.
A to 3, B to 1, C to 4, D to 2, E to 5, continue as above around the circle remembering to duck under the ribbon passing across in front.

The dance continues until the high priestess decides enough power has been raised, and releases it by steping forward with the large pair of ceremonial scissors and cutting the dancers free from their tightly tangled ball .........