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 .........

New spell for an easier life...

I need a spell for having an easier life!

It'll need some smooth herbs, maybe grasses with long, smooth, flat blades, rubber plant leaves for bouncing back, maybe some cotton seeds for fluffy softness in ones life and a cocoa bean because nothing is complete without chocolate. Light a green candle for money and soak the herbs in some almond oil for the feel of a Mediterranean hillside. Light some myrrh (symbolising gifts) and rub it all over the skin while chanting 'I beg delivery from strife! I've been good for all my life!' while whirling in a circle wearing a bindweed bikini symbolising that holiday feeling.

Offer chocolate and wine to the gods. Fall in a heap and finish the bottle.

I hope it works...

~Love and Light~

Finally, Verminda arrives, a bit berazzeled but non the less elated at finally being amoung her sisters~ She hugs each one sending her love to engulf them like a bright morning star~ She knows that before the wheel of the year has passed she will be amoung them, laugthing, crying and sharing their love and bond with each other, as well as those Bindweed knickers!~

Verminda claps her hands and the sound of the chant engulfs her very being sending light tingles throughout the universe, she reaches for her drum and sends a powerful beat throughout space and time~

willow visit

hi my darling silly witches...visiting my little sapling who studying hard so able to read e-mails.. lily its lovely my clever daughter...cant wait to hear more... love you all xxx

Witchiness

Seleena comes skidding into the room with her bindweed knickers falling around her ankles, her cellulite fat ass jiggling all over the place, carrying a half drunk bottle of wine and a piece of chocolate hanging out of her mouth. "Where the hell have all of you people been all my life?"

It's so wonderful to "see" all my bindweed wearing, grove stomping, crazy sisters again. Thank you for doing this Peresphone. I drink to the Goddess of Bindweed and chocolate. I raise my chalise errr bottle to the Lord and Lady of Cellulite. May they forget I am here so the crap on my ass will melt away into a nice slim 20 year old body - or the semblance of a not so saggy 44 year old body.

A gift for my kin

Get your own Flash MP3 Player

Lily's been busy!!


This is Celebrin's beautiful chant Willow's Grove, she came up with the words and chant, and the elf and I produced the track together with the help of our friend who is starting up his own production company.
This is the first go at the chant with an extra verse (with permission).
Its being cleaned up, but this is the first pressing to listen to as Timmy can take his time doing things.

Just a little present to bring another smile on this gloriously snowy day

Laughing praise

There is so much seriousness in this world, and where seriousness can be in its place an admirable atrribute, it can sometimes become almost poisonous to oneself and the thing we are serious about in the first place, because we are so consumed with the importance of things we fail to see the wood for the trees. When one is so impermeably solid in belief that there is no room for movement or change, things become rotten and festering under our noses.
This is not to say that it is bad or wrong to be serious about things, it is important to believe fully in what you are doing, as long as you give yourself room for movement, to breathe, to adapt and evolve, and have a laugh every so often.

A self-depreciating sense of humour about things lightens seriousness, because where everyone should be able to value themselves and what they do, they should also be able to have a good belly laugh at some of the things we do as humans tend to bugger up by design, and sometimes its funny.
Think of Harry Potter, when he came across the boggarts (a real life borrowing) in The Prisoner of Azkhaban, they were taught to face their greatest fear with humour, shouting 'Ridiculous' and laughing at the result, turn your fears to laughter. If that is not great thinking, I don't know what is, because most of our fears and uneasiness are ridiculous when we think about it, and by laughing at something, we take away something of its fear factor.

Laughter is a healing energy, it turns tears of sadness to tears of mirth, it releases endorphins into the body giving you a natural high, it makes us healthier and it burns calories dontcha know? Plus all this fizzing joyous energy raises your consciousness from the pits and beams this great positive package to those around you, raising their mood and enriching your environment and life.
Whats more, is that this great feeling you get from laughing and having fun makes any job pleasurable, and if its one that you are serious about, it makes you want to do it more, and do it better and you soon become dedicated
You can be seriously dedicated and serious in your belief, but a sense of fun makes it much more flexible, and comfortable in your life making it a lifestyle, rather than a habit.

So this is why we are the Silly Witches, the deities love laughter, and whilst we are silly, we are wholly dedicated to our chosen paths, because its a much more pleasurable and rewarding experience.

So be silly and reverent, and enjoy being at one with the Lord and Lady.

Blessed be.

Musical Mayhem

When witches get together they like to sing or play beautiful music in praise of their goddess: it is best to be as musical as possible, so if your singing is not so good then play and vice versa. My own voice is as tuneful as an old crow, so I decided to hunt out my old school recorders and play.

Big mistake: I found myself surrounded by my entire herd of cats, the largest of which tried to wrap herself around said recorder purring in ecstasy. Clearly my playing now resembles the raucous yowling of a randy tomcat. I think the Goddess had her fingers in her ears at this point....

Time for a rethink; you can't go wrong with a triangle can you? I like triangles, especially the little ones wrapped in green foil in tins of Quality Street chocolates! Mmmmm......

Hymn to the Goddess

All abound thee who speaketh the words as old as time and give reverence to the one who brings comfort and warmth in cold times, blessing her worshippers with a full belly and wobbly bits from her carbohydratey goodness.

We sing her praises to the tune of a song to other goddesses known as Isis, Astarte, Diana and so forth, but in this chant we call forth the great goddess Macaroni and ask she give us many blessings from her many names.

Penne
Farfalle
Linguini
Spaghetti
Eliche
Fusilli
Lasagne


Hail Macaroni!


Merry eat, merry wash-up and merry eat again.

Spell for the Wobbly Bits

Go out to your garden and pluck from your borders all that bindweed you have been ignoring all summer. Make sure you get the longest lengths you can get. Now, crochet, knit or weave these into a pair of bindweed pants.

Put on your bindweed knickers. Cast a circle and invite the elements in to the party. Take a yellow candle to symbolise fat and light it chanting 'candle candle burning bright, send my wobbly bits into the night' and then repeat the words 'Bindweed shrink me, candle melt me, water drink me, smoke disguise me' over and over again as you turn in ever-decreasing circles until you fall over. Eat the cakes and drink the ale, leaving some for the gods because they have wobbly bits too.

Close your circle and let the candle burn down to nothing.

Wear the bindweed until it falls off.