Monday 26 September 2011

The Witches Blog…

 What a delightful twisted and intense journey that led Us Witches to This Our first ever weekend of our Herbcraft apprenticeship.  


This has been in the pipeline for many years, and to realise sections of the Dream is so very exciting. There are so many of you herb-lovers, earth walkers out there who have energised us on our walk. Thank you for your support and love. 

Thank you too to John P Rogers with your cementing and Inspiring Words which form a foundation for our work.


15 slightly frazzled, travelers arrived to the Cheshunt Youth Hostel to land and find their accommodation for the weekend while 2 excited witches waited in the Robinson lair, their base for the weekend. 

Listening to the introductions, seeing the openness, feeling the warmth was indeed nectar that we all enjoyed supping into .  

Where does conscious perception lie? (Our starting point ) 

‘In my skin’, ‘all over’, ‘I feel like a lightening rod sometimes’… 
Our Hearts are the seat of our perceptions here, dropping our attention down and being ready to receive.   

15 warm and open hearts relaxed into what was to be a busy, experience-filled time.  In these hearts, the processes of intuition and observation were being interpreted into some useful form of interpreting information.   Observation. Intuition. Interpretation - the key to all our work and movements -Grounded Healing deeply connected to the Source. 

It seemed right we start with the heart.  We looked at how to approach a patient with a heart condition and what may have led them to it in their lives, saw patients and shared our observations and intuitions to find out how we might approach them, designed questions to consider during a consultation. 

Sensory Herbcraft -Smell, Study, Taste, Feel, Sing, Dream, Create. 

Weave together and meet your Guides your Plant Allies. 

We had the blessing of being introduced to Hattie Hawthorn, Old Timothy, Mr Fit Guy, Emlyn Redfire, Maggie Crategy, Rex and the Craggy Crone, to name but a few.   

These personifications of the blood red-berried hawthorn all had common themes.  Loving, Tough, sharp talking, eccentric, hard to reach but nourishing if you dare to delve into its realms.   

Witches waiting to dance, waring a green leather coat that tastes of greenery.  Health in its fundamental self.  Hawthorn was our major heart herb, a masterful tonic.  

Always bringing it back to Movement -Circulation -Fire -Smash stagnation. 

Horsechesnut Gellified and Nettle Iron Tonic…mmm 


Saturday nightlife,

What does it mean to be a witch?
To study witchcraft?
Who are we all and what are we doing?
We’re here with this physical plane how do we work with it to blossom and become. We looked at practicing ritual in an intuitive way and moving away from dogma. We looked at the history of medicine and some lesser-spotted female influences on it….who was Lily the Pink?

 As the Moon Moved into Gemini on the Sunday we began with Seed --- Air 

The midpoint of it all, the space between life and death, potential, patience.   

What is seed?  Fertilised and ready.  How do we make seeds as humans and what conditions could get in the way of this process or what complications can arise from these complex and sensitive systems?  Rosehips and nettle root were the focus of the day.  And with the herbs we need get even more movement…get the circulation flowing through our loins.  Releasing our hips, opening, yoga and massage.  What old old stuff is lurking in our hips preventing that release… 

Stress is all around us, daily, we are in constant flux to try and regulate our position in the external environment.  It was clear that stress is a major factor in all dis-ease (looking at the heart and reproductive systems) and that we can help our bodies to be more adaptable by removing extra strains such as caffeine and nicotine.  There was a few caffeine withdrawals by Sunday which some felt got in the way of their studies.  It was a good challenge to be able to stay focused and a big lesson that something like caffeine or a lack of it can affect you so much and impinge on your enjoyment!  Our bodies relying on other substances to wake them up and get going…..lets be free from unnecessary constraints. 
What a pleasure to have walked this 1st weekend with such open, intuitive and up-for-it folk…a truly magical experience. 

We are Planets Earths Secret Service and we all need Costumes…..


We have a couple of witchy days coming up and a couple looking into the birth warrioress artemis, also known as mugwort...


Witching Herbs Workshops:
22nd October @ Crews Hill, HERTS
www.triple-moon-apothecary.co.uk/visitus.html


and


29th October @ Bowden House in Totnes, DEVON
www.woodshedcollective.co.uk

Mugwort workshops:
Saturday 19th November in Bedfordshire 
http://www.clophillcentre.co.uk/classes/mugwort-day/

Saturday 3rd December @ 5 Penny Farm, DORSET 



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