October Reflections

The month of October has been a busy one. There’s been a gap in the blog posts as I’ve been busy first with preparing, then with completing the Witchful Thinking Challenge. Today, I wanted to share some of my thoughts and experiences on the past few weeks.

The Witchful Thinking Challenge has pushed me in many ways. Due to an unexpected loss I wasn’t able to carry on each day as planned, and had quite a bit of catching up to do. This meant that some of the tasks were less elaborate than I originally envisioned, however this simply showed me that spells really can be simple and easy. I do still think certain extra elements render the spell more effective, but when time is limited magic still works and can be used for small day to day things. This was particularly important to me as I wanted to move away from only using magic in very important cases, as a last boost or last resort. It’s a tool, and tools are there to be used.

Witchful Thinking Challenge Day 15 – Create a Witch’s Ladder

There were certain aspects of the challenge which really pushed my comfort zone. I have never performed prosperity magic before, for fear of unwanted consequences (I’ve been told I’ve watched too many horror films!). I was also weary of poppet magic, but found the poppet I made incredibly handy since. I’ve surprised myself with my own creativity, since I’m usually less than eager to physically create things. Through this challenge I made charms, decorations, talismans and amulets, even a witch’s ladder which I’m rather proud of. And you know what? It was fun. I enjoyed these creative aspects much more than I anticipated and would happily try similar tasks in the future.

October also brought less pleasant surprises. An unexpected death in the family caused everyone a lot of stress and turned me away from my routine and plans for a while. I’m still processing the experience, though I’m finding I’m coping with it better than I expected I would. Certain signs and events have helped, and my spirituality has been hugely important during this time. The loss also gave me the final push I needed to finally create an ancestor altar. After months of receiving signs that it was time, I have put together what I have, lit a candle, and connected to my Beloved Dead, mourning their loss. The altar isn’t much at the moment. A candle I have been saving for a special occasion. Some seashells from my homeland. A fossil I found back in April, which has already been designated for this purpose. A pocket watch from my grandad, and a ring my great-grandma received from her grandfather. It’s not much, but it’s enough for now. As time goes I will incorporate photos, and more features, but for now lighting a candle and offering a cup of tea is all I can do. And it’s a start.

Today, on Samhain, I spent time reflecting on all the changes this last month has brought, both internally and in the world around me. I feel the shifting energy of the land, so alive and electrifying. Walking amongst the trees, by the river, I feel their spirits. I stop to connect with them, offering my awe and energy. The familiar ones call to me, others are less certain or are simply disinterested. Relationships take time to form, and I would very much like to deepen mine. I know these relationships change me too: the way I approach other beings, my ability to sense and communicate with them improves. At times I get frustrated with seeming lack of progress, and it’s not until I look back over time I’m amazed how much things have changed.

We are all on our separate journey, maybe trying to get to a known destination or maybe still figuring things out. Wherever you are on yours, I’m glad to share this little part of my journey with you. I would love to hear other people’s experiences of the challenge, whether they’ve completed it all or just parts, and any other reflections you may have on this past month. I hope you have a blessed Samhain, that it brings you peace and beautiful moments, however you’re celebrating.

Past Lives – Evidence and Thoughts

Many believe in reincarnation and past lives, though reasons for which we come back may vary. Some say we come back until we learn all the necessary lessons, some say it’s until we fulfil our soul purpose, and some will say it’s until we are deemed worthy by the Divine. I’m sure there’s more and a mixture of these theories. I have started my own journey into past lives a year ago, and today I wanted to explore the idea of past lives and my own beliefs in this area in more detail.

At this point you may very well be thinking “Past lives? What a load of bull hockey!”. Let’s consider some evidence.

Some people report having memories from another life, often expressed as a repetitive dream or a nightmare, or a strong sensation of deja-vu in what was supposed to be a new place. A friend of my family told me she had repeated dreams as a child of a factory she worked in and died in, only to find the exact place years later and be told that everyone who worked there was slaughtered during World War II. There are also many documented cases, published in peer-reviewed journals, where the idea of past lives is explored. For example, Lucchetti at el. (2013) wrote about a patient who reported past life memories of death linked to his rare health conditions. He was initially admitted to hospital with chest pains and received heart surgery, following which he recalled a past life memory in which he was a priest, who ended his life with a crucifix. He was urgently admitted again a couple of months later with abdominal pains, which again matched the position of his crucifix from the memory, but turned out to be another rare medical condition. In the next regression session, patient recalled being killed with a medieval weapon, and a later routine GP consultation found an aortic abnormality in the same position as the recalled memory suggested, but with no visible skin marks to explain it.

The obvious criticism is that the patient could be reporting false memories, suggested intentionally or unintentionally by their therapist, and linked to the problem areas. Indeed, research has shown that it is relatively simple and easy to manipulate such memories in past life regression, resulting in rich emotional and historical backgrounds entirely made up by patients (Pyun, 2015). This, however, does not explain such memories occurring organically, without prompts from regression therapy.

Could it be that our past holds the key to our future?

Keil and Tucker (2005) describe the case of a six year old boy from Turkey who recalled clear memories of a previous life including names of his family members, his faith, home, and details of death. These were later confirmed by the researchers to match the life of a man from Istanbul, 850km away, who died 50 years before the child was born. They argued that this excluded any possibility of the child learning details of the life by accident and attributing it to himself. Researchers have studied over 2,500 similar cases, with many of them verified to a particular person from the past (Tucker, 2007). Moreover, some of these memories are believed to explain bodily malformations or birthmarks in current lives. It may therefore be reasonable to at least entertain the possibility of the existence of past lives.

“So what?”, you might ask. How does acknowledging this help you in any way in your current life? Well, apparently it can be helpful in a few different areas. One important aspect is any past life trauma that may have occurred and whether this has any impact on your current life. It may be the case that traumatic events or a traumatic death from a previous existence, leave some sort of a mark, or as some would call it, an energetic block. This may then lead to unexplained phobias, which Stevenson (1990) has shown may develop in children with past life memories without any indication they were learnt from another family member or a result of post-natal trauma. I also know past life therapists who have successfully treated phobias through past life therapy. It is therefore possible to gain a better understanding of ourselves, our fears and weaknesses through understanding what happened to us in previous lifetimes. It is also possible to heal these wounds and become stronger.

Past life exploration can be difficult, as it can often include revisiting traumatic events.

Since it is possible to explore the traumatic side of events, it may also be possible to explore the strengths acquired in our past lives. The aforementioned therapists also believe that we can re-gain these strengths through past life exploration, re-learning forgotten skills and gifts.

Personally, I am exploring the idea of both sides of the coin. I am trying to overcome some trauma from my most recent life, though I have been told that it is important for my “soul purpose” in this existence. We shall see how this works out. On the other hand, I was also told of a more prominent, older past life, which can allow me to draw strength and confidence from it to help me on my journey. I am finding it more difficult to acknowledge the life of a more prominent historical figure, since everyone always wants to be someone significant in history and that’s just not possible. I am, however, choosing to trust the guidance, seeing as it comes from a more experienced source than myself. I am also hoping to take part in a past life course soon, which would help me understand the theory better and allow me to explore it all in more detail. This may be something I will revisit in future posts to write a little about my experiences.

What’s your belief and experience of past lives? Do you have any memories or recurrent dreams that seem out of place? I’ curious to hear about other people’s experiences in this area.

References:
Keil, H. J., & Tucker, J. B. (2005). Children who claim to remember previous lives: Cases with written records made before the previous personality was identified. Journal of Scientific Exploration, 19(1), 91-101.
Lucchetti, G., dos Santos Camargo, L., Lucchetti, A. L., Schwartz, G. E., & Nasri, F. (2013). Rare medical conditions and suggestive past-life memories: A case report and literature review. EXPLORE, 9(6), 372-376.
Pyun, Y. D. (2015). Creating Past-Life Identity in Hypnotic Regression. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 63(3), 365-372.
Stevenson, I. (1990). Phobias in children who claim to remember previous lives. Journal of Scientific Exploration, 4(2), 243-254.
Tucker, J. B. (2007). Children who claim to remember previous lives: Past, present, and future research. Journal of Scientific Exploration, 21(3), 543-552.

Ostara Celebrations 2019

It’s been a little longer than I intended since the last post, but then it has been a very busy couple of months.

Ostara has just passed and there are many articles on its history, origins of the name, and associations – some more accurate than others. It’s up to you to review the evidence and make up your own mind on what it means to you. Today I wanted to share my own reflections from this holiday, and how I celebrated.

The celebrations for me started a few days early, simply for practicality and free time on weekends. To me the Spring Equinox is a time of balance, reflection, recharging, and marvelling at the beauty of nature. You know that fresh, juicy green colour of young grass, bathed in golden rays of sunshine? The dazzling white blossoms against a brilliant blue sky? Those intense, yet gentle colours make my heart skip a beat this time of the year.

On Sunday, I went on a journey with a local group to gather the four different elements and rebalance ourselves. We started at a beautiful waterfall, and the mossiest valley I have ever seen, to gather the element of Water. The place felt quite magical and emotional, so I let the energy of the water cleanse me. We all received a rock, which symbolised one thing or experience we wanted to let go of and cleanse; and a crystal, which was meant to gather the energy of the elements to help us re-balance at a later date if needed. Afterwards, the spirit of the waterfall quickly claimed its payment for cleansing, as one of the crystals disappeared in depths of the water without a trace. The spirits or guardians of the place also made it very clear they did not want anything taken, as the second one of the participants picked up a pretty little branch, a tree above us collapsed with a turbulent roar. The branch was quickly returned to its original place and we continued with our journey. This is an important point to consider. While we all sometimes likely mementoes or beautiful pieces for our altars, it’s important to ask for permission before we take anything, and only proceed if it is gifted willingly.

This photo doesn’t quite do justice to the beauty and depth of the moss here.

The journey continued to a historical site on a hill, where we collected the element of Air and connected with the ancestors. The weather obliged throughout, as we experienced rain, hail and snow at the waterfall, followed by a really strong wind at the hill. Since my roots are not local, I did not expect to be able to hear the voices of the ancestors, but I was pleasantly surprised to receive a message nonetheless. While sharing our experiences, some of the others presented the stones they found when asking for a sign. I felt the urge to find something similar myself and looked down at my feet. Surprised, I found there was a small fossil in stone right where I was standing. I’d like to think that this was a gift, since there are no coincidences in witchcraft, and no one else could find one though they looked for a while after. Fossils can be particularly useful when connecting with ancestors, and in past life work.

Our next destination was a stone circle to gather the element of Earth. I stood against a stone, visualising my roots going deep into the soil and my consciousness following through. I haven’t yet figured out the messages that came through, though my guess at the moment is that I simply connected to the energy of the place, and others who have been here before me. While this was a particularly cold and wet part of the journey, I would like to think that it brought me closer to the place, almost becoming a ‘weathered stone’ myself.

The final stop was on top of the tallest local hill (so that we were closest to the Sun), with rich quartzite composition – which apparently corresponds to the element of Fire. Touching the stones, we journeyed with a drum. The Sun even peeked out from behind the clouds for us briefly! The journey was supposed to illuminate our path forward, though once again the messages are not always clear.

It was a beautiful day out, with really lovely company. The crystal I had with me has been exposed to all four of the elements and charged with their energy for future use. I spent the actual Spring Equinox meditating on some of the messages received and going for a lovely walk to really take in the changing seasons. Celebrating each holiday in turn can be as big or small as we choose, but I feel this was a particularly special holiday for me. I hope that you enjoyed your Equinox celebrations, and that my story might inspire some to try a similar celebration in the future.

Introduction

Welcome, and thank you for visiting my blog. I have been toying with the idea of setting up a blog for a while now, to use it as a prompt to delve deeper into my practice and to document it in some way. Who knows, maybe someone else might find it useful too.

Now, to tell you a little bit about myself. I’ve been interested in witchcraft and paganism for over a decade, but I have only been actively practicing for the past couple of years. I am an eclectic pagan witch and a polytheist, interested in different aspects of the occult and esoterism. It took me a long time to arrive at this label, having explored different paths and beliefs. I would like to use this platform to explore topics such as myths and folklore, spirituality, paganism, the multitude of different tools such as tarot, astrology, crystals, etc. I don’t consider myself a ‘beginner witch’, but by no means am I an expert on anything so I will stay away from any reviews. I would simply like to share some knowledge, offer my opinions and open up some discussions. I hope that you can join me on this journey.