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