Friday 13th & Full Moon

Posted on September 15, 2019 by hag o the hills

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The full moon falling on Friday 13th September has been an emotional time for many out there, just going by what I’ve seen on my social media feed.

Full moons naturally heighten emotion anyway but with it falling in a water sign, anything repressed will bubble to the surface. I’ve been feeling it too. I had to work on some feelings of inferiority and feeling stuck in a job with no progression. I acknowledged those feelings, till the tears of frustration came and then afterwards felt a hell of a lot better. And then I made a deal with myself, to work to get to where I truly want to be.

A full Harvest moon on Friday the 13th was too good an opportunity to pass by. Like others I get complacent in my practice from time to time, and get sucked into the Netflix or Prime binge-watching sessions and full moons have come and gone without me doing anything. Partly, I can feel drained some full moons and consider it wise to conserve what little energy I have than spend it casting circles and calling in spirits.

As for Friday the 13th, I’ve always considered it a lucky day for me, I don’t spend the day dreading what may come and usually I find that everything works out just fine.

So, I’ve been complacent, and allowed the wheel to turn on many an occasion, but not this time. I felt fired up to do something, and now that I’ve finished University I would like to work in a job role that I can actually use my degree for.

Orange for success and opportunity, ginger and cinnamon for luck and for a speedy outcome, acorns for prosperity and good luck, moss for manifestation and frankincense and myrrh for some oomph. A sprinkle of lavender for a peaceable outcome. A custom made sigil to act as a beacon to draw in that which I desire, a petition and success oil. A circle charged by moonlight, the four elements swirling and the witch gods lent their blessing. The whole concoction smelled amazing.

It felt good to be in that space again and time will tell what I manage to manifest.

As you can probably tell, I don’t subscribe to the notion that doing spells for yourself is selfish. There are some out there that will only cast for other people and that’s fine for them. But I believe magic is meant for more than that; for self-improvement, to help us change and evolve. And like a muscle, it needs to be used in order to stay strong.

Witchcraft is tool for the oppressed and dispossessed, it helps to level out the playing field where others have a more natural advantage. With the state of the world at the moment, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that so many are being called on by war deities. I’m not saying war is coming in the literal sense, just a need to be prepared and to fight for your rights.

Beannachd leibh

Midsummer & Wildcrafting

Posted on June 26, 2014 by hag o the hills

It’s been a busy June month for me, I don’t know about you guys but I feel this summer season is just whizzing past and it won’t be long until it’s the knitwear and soup season of Autumn (which I’m looking forward to).

I’ve recently had one of my essays published in an anthology by Moon Books, called Witchcraft Today – 60 years on. The anthology is out to commemorate the 60 year anniversary of Gerald Gardner’s book Witchcraft Today. It was printed at a perfect time, as recently a blue plaque was placed at Gardner’s old home in Highcliffe to commemorate him as the father of modern witchcraft. My wee essay is about how I took a step onto the path of witchcraft and where it has led me, so far. My journey from solitary to coven practice, which was the case at the time of writing though now I’m back to being solitary. I haven’t gotten through the whole book yet, as I’ve got a huge pile of things I still need to read, but there are some fascinating essays which have caught my eye 🙂

A friend and I spent the full moon on Friday 13th June taking a pilgrimage up to a local hilltop cemetery, where we were sheltered by three tree spirits as we worked our rite. The heavens with impeccable timing opened up and thunder rumbled in the background – the perfect background music to witchcraft, no? 😉 Well we got completely soaked, but it didn’t bother us. It worked well with the purpose of our rite and it reminded me of how much I loved being out in the rain as a kid.

Then at midsummer I worked a solitary ritual then had a long walk outside to go foraging. There was tons of elderflower so I felt inspired to make some cordial this year. I’m a responsible forager, I make sure I never harvest more than around 10% so I leave plenty of the plant left for growth and to provide food for wildlife. I also make sure I ask permission and leave some sort of offering to the spirit of the plant. This time however I’d forgotten to bring the usual offerings, so I used what I had to give. A little bit of saliva on the bark, “some of me, for some of thee”.

Going foraging seems to be a great conversation starter with passers by wondering what you’re doing, and it delights me to see that they find it fascinating and never knew it could be so simple. I hope I have inspired them in some way.

I adapted the recipe from the River Cottage website: http://www.rivercottage.net/recipes/elderflower-cordial/ I used less sugar and only one lemon and one orange. The next day I strained the brew then heated it in a pan and added the sugar and orange and lemon juices and then (carefully) poured into sterilised bottles. I couldn’t wait for it to cool so of course I had to sample some mixed with soda water, and it was truly beautiful, a perfect summery drink. I took some into work for my colleagues to try and it seemed to be a big hit with them too 🙂 I will be making more next summer.