Moons & Musings

Ancestral work with herbs. Hi Guys, Yes, it's me again continuing our ancestral work mini-series with the follow-up as promised on herbs to use. As with all herbal work, if you plan to ingest them, seek medical advice first. As you gather your herbs (it doesn't matter if you are using fresh home-grown herbs, or store-bought dried ones) make sure that you speak your intentions to them, and connect to them. Keep stating your intentions during the workings, and express your thanks to the herbs for working with you in this. Herbs can be used internally, in foods, teas and tinctures; and externally, in baths, as an incense or an oil. You will know what works best for you, and consult a professional if in doubt. If you are seeking to do ancestral work, where possible, use herbs that your ancestors would have been familiar with or used, or if there is a particular plant or herb that you associate with them, then use that. Below is a list of general herbs and plants that can be used al...

So, here we are in the 'season of mists and mellow fruitfulness' (Keats: To Autumn), so we thought that we would look at the symbolism of fog, because, well, why not? Cat has tech issues today, so I am in the driver's seat for a minute! Scientifically , mist or fog is formed as water droplets that hang in the air when cold air and warm, moist air meet. It is commonly found in valleys in Autumn and Spring. Mist is thinner than fog, as such it will dissipate quicker. Technically, fog is when you can see less than half a mile (1,000m) ahead and mist is being able to see up to five miles ahead (1km to 8km). There is a lot of symbolism associated with mist or fog. The most obvious connection in today's world is an association with a state of mental confusion. I am sure that most of us have experienced 'brain fog' at some point. It is very prominent in a number of conditions, including (but not limited to) fibromyalgia, long covid and menopause. I was diagnosed with l...

(Photo Credit: Kerenza Jinks) Earthing Although many people see grounding and earthing as the same thing, I do not.  Allow me to elaborate. To me, grounding is a spiritual thing, whereas earthing is a physical one. Although, both can be practiced together. Yes, I'm confused too. I have confused myself!! So, I will try and explain what I see as the difference. Our post on grounding is here . To me, grounding is a practice of getting rid of unwanted energy, it helps me when I feel anxious, overwhelmed or am overthinking. Yes, I go outside to do this quite often, but that is not a necessary practice. I can also meditate to achieve this   Grounding meditation on YouTube . Essentially, grounding helps calm me down, whereas Earthing gives me energy. In walking barefoot on the ground, I feel that I can draw up energy from the Earth herself, and this can be enough to allow me to face a busy day with positivity. Basically, I Earth to feel more energetic, and ground to rid myself of unw...

Hello all!! Today, we're going to talk about something important and something that often gets overlooked on the spiritual path and that is: is the physical or metaphysical? Allow me to explain.... Things happen for a reason. And, normally, when there's no logical reason that we can see, we're quick to call out the metaphysical or see the metaphysical in everything. This is all well and good but, we mustn't neglect the physical world. For example: Plants . If you have plant wards or use plants in your craft and notice that said plant/s isn't like it should be, what do you immediately do? Some will immediately up their protections and cleanse which, don't get me wrong, is a logical thing to do but you must also take into account the physical needs of the plant. Is it watered appropriately? Is it in the right soil and getting enough light? Has the temperature/weather been different than normal? If you've upped your protections and cleansed but your...

Hello all!! Today, we're going to have a little post about flower foraging!! Spring is officially here! Leaves are returning to the trees and flowers are once again in bloom so, now is the perfect time to gather ingredients for your craft! However it's not that simple... There are rules for this sort of thing, both local and nature wise. Here's a quick guide for the Flower Foraging Witch.... Rule 1 - Be prepared First and foremost, you need to make sure you're as prepared as possible and this includes: - Clothing and changes of - Safety precautions. Let someone know where you are going, take stuff with you to defend yourself, stay as close to paths as possible etc - Take containers with you - Know where you are going and what you're looking for! - Know the weather - Don't pick it if you don't know what it is!! Rule 2 - Don't trespass Trespassing is illegal for a reason. It doesn't matter if that specific place has exactly what you need, i...

Hello all!! Today, we're going to talk about something that some of us often forget about and something that new Witches need to remember as they start to progress in their craft, and that is Patience !! For New Witches It will take a while for you to come into your power. You may start on one path and end up on a completely different one! It's ok to dabble ( as long as you know what you're doing !), Witchcraft is a lot like cooking, sometimes you have to experiment until you get what you want. So, it may take a while for your Spells to work, especially the first time and manifestation will take a few tries to grasp ( remember to be specific! ), just keep trying and double check your Spells, your tools and your manifestations. Don't forget to research everything thoroughly, especially if you find yourself changing paths!! There's a lot to learn in Witchcraft and a lot to keep learning so stock up on notebooks!! You might not always be able to get th...

Hello all!! Today we're going to talk about fruit and veg and how we're going to incorporate them into the blog!! We all know fruit and veg are important and we all know we should be eating more of them, I myself am guilty of this! But, fruits and vegetables also have properties that mean that they can also be used in Witchcraft, from skins to seeds and pips, every part has some kind of use!! How are we going to incorporate this into the blog? Firstly, I will try to incorporate for fruit and veg into Flora Friday. This is mostly to save on yet another series that I have to semi-fulfil and try to work into a time table. In fruit and veg Flora Fridays, I will be including what to do with the actual fruit and veg itself as well as skins, pips, seeds etc so, as a result, these Flora Fridays will be a bit longer to accommodate the extra information. Secondly, our own human, herbal encyclopedia Kerenza and I will be working together to put together random little posts tha...

Hello all!! This week's Flora Friday is about Nettles! Nettles belong to the family Urticaceae in which the species is further divided into 6 subspecies, 5 of which sting. I have determined that the Nettles pictured here are Common Nettles ( Urtica dioica ), other names include: - Stinging Nettle - Giant Nettle - Nettle - European Nettle - Lateng - California Nettle - Slender Nettle - Tall Nettle - Big-sting Nettle - Common Stinging Nettle - Wild Nettle - Great Nettle - Greater Nettle - European Stinging Nettle - True Nettle Where to find Common Nettles are originally native to Europe, some of temperate Asia and western North Africa but are now world wide! Nettles prefer damp, fertile, disturbed ground so I can be found on and around agricultural sites, gardens, hedgerows, fields, woodlands and the like.  Edible Parts Surprisingly, this plant is edible!! Nettles have a similar taste to spinach when cooked and contain vitamins A, C, iron, potassium, maganese and calcium....

Hello all!! This week's Flora Friday is Lavender !  Lavender (Lavandula)  believe it or not, is part of the Mint  family with 47 different species. I have determined the lavender pictured above to be English Lavender ( Lavandula angustifolia ), also known as: - True Lavender - Dutch Lavender - Garden Lavender - Common Lavender - Narrow-leaved Lavender This lovely plant has been used for various things over the years due to it's lovely scent and many properties both medicinal and magical.  Where to find Lavender is native to Cape Verde and the Canary Islands, Europe across to northern and eastern Africa, the Mediterranean and southwest Asia to India. As this plant covers a large area, it's quite possible that you've seen some growing in a garden or on a woodland trail without realising it. Edible Parts Lavender is edible!! To dry the plant, it's best to harvest the lavender buds when they are still closed (best way to preserve essential oils), being sure ...

Hello all!! Tomorrow will be our first Flora Friday so I feel that we need a bit of a lead up to it. The purpose of Flora Friday is mainly to uncover the knowledge of nature that we have either completely forgotten or neglected. Our ancestors found a way to use what nature provided albeit through some trial and error. Of course with the passage of time not all of these long lost secrets can be revived. Climate changes, urbanisation and just plain ingnorance have cost us both wildlife and their habitats. However, with more and more people searching for natural alternatives, I think it's only right that we take a look for ourselves. During the pandemic, I found myself being drawn back to the magical practices with a particular interest in nature, mainly flowers. I wanted to know all about them, what they meant, which where edible, what forms they could/couldn't be consumed in, which could be made into tea, the list goes on and no matter how hard I looked, I couldn...