Friday 25 May 2012

Mandalas

I love the patterns of mandalas, I can remember colouring them in as a child and I do now on occasion too - it is extremely therapeutic.

However a mandala is not just a pretty picture.

The word mandala is from the Indian Sanskrit and means 'circle'.  Although far from a simple circle, a mandala represents the whole, it can be seen as a structure for life itself, it reminds us of our connection to the infinite, the world that is within our bodies and minds and beyond.

A  mandala represents all aspects of life, it is the earth, the sun, the moon and all the circles we recognise in our lives those of friends and family too.

Sometimes the centre of the mandala is seen as the essence, the centre of your being, and the circle that surrounds it is your support, that which binds you together.

The purpose of a mandala is to help transform your mind into enlightenment and to assist with healing, answers and directions.  It can be done as part of a meditation, it becomes the focus of your mind.

You can draw mandalas yourself, you can print them already drawn and ready to colour in from the net, there are people that will draw them for you using numerology - there are some links below.  They can be drawn and coloured using pens, pencils or paint but they can also be made from coloured sand, spices and herbs, flowers, leaves or crystals, in fact practically any medium - see what your imagination comes up with!

Tansy
x

http://www.coloringcastle.com/mandala_coloring_pages.html
http://www.free-mandala.com/en/start.html
http://www.blueprint4creation.com/

Thursday 24 May 2012

NEW BLOG...


So many of you lovely people like our daily rune, oracle and tarot draws that we post on our facebook page and on our personal blogs that we have created a new blog, specifically to share our daily divinations with you all








Hop on over and take a look, we will usually post at least one draw a day - runes, oracle cards (we have many different sets between us) and tarot cards (again we have many different sets between us!).




The Kitchen Witch Leadership Team
x

Monday 21 May 2012

King Arthur's round table

On Saturday some of the Kitchen Witch leadership team met in Winchester...OK we really met to have cake but we also went to see King Arthur's round table.

Winchester Castle dates back to 1066 and the reign of William the Conqueror, but by 1216 and the end of King John's reign the castle and its royal palace needed a lot of repair.  Between 1222 and 1235 the hall was replaced with the building that is there today.

Henry III (1216-1272) and Edward I (1272-1307) both made alterations and improvements to the castle.  Edward and Margaret of France, almost died in a fire that destroyed the royal apartments in 1302.

At the end of the 14th century the roof and exterior of the hall was rebuilt.  The Royalists held the castle during the English Civil War until the Parliamentary Forces captured it in 1646.   Oliver Cromwell ordered the castle to be demolished, but the Great Hall was kept to use for assemblies.

In the 1870s the hall was restored and was last used as an official court between 1938 and 1974.

The round table hangs on the wall at one end of the hall, now known to have been made in the late 13th century and painted as it stands now for King Henry VIII.  It measures 5.5 metres in diameter, weighs 1200kg and is made from English Oak.

There is also Queen Eleanor's garden just outside the hall too.

It is free to visit (although donations can be given) and it is often the venue of re-enactments and medieval displays.

Tansy
x




Wednesday 16 May 2012

Obsidian Arrowhead

Whilst on a visit to Burley a couple of weeks back with some of the Kitchen Witch School leadership team, we were mooching around the shops...like you do...and went into one that had a really friendly lady owner and her lovely springer spaniel pup!

I didn't need anything in particular, we were just browsing but as I looked at the crystals she had on display an obsidian arrow head caught my eye.    I didn't know why I needed it or wanted it, but I did, so I bought it (it was only a couple of pounds).

It has been sitting on my table ever since, until today when I decided I needed to work with it, so into research mode, here is what an obsidian arrow head can do:

Works with the base chakra.
It's energies are used to help with scrying, grounding, protection, survival instincts, shamanic healing, creativity and intuition.  It protects from negative energies and helps us to stop having negative thoughts about ourselves.  It also teaches us self discipline.
The shape of the arrow represents truth and following your right path, going in the right direction.
It is also known as the 'wizard's stone' as it was used in the past to create magical mirrors.

Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed as an extrusive igneous rock.  It is produced when felsic lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimum crystal growth.  Obsidian is hard and brittle and when fractured has very sharp edges.

I think I may put it on some cord and tie it to my staff :-)



Tansy
x




Sources - thecrystalhealer.co.uk
wikipedia
clarityofsight.co.uk

Friday 11 May 2012

Three Milkings May

Whilst researching something on the internet I stumbled upon an article that discussed the meaning behind the name of the month of May, thought I would share it with you:


One of the suggestions is that May, the fifth month in the Gregorian calendar was named after the Goddess Maia.   There are in fact two Goddesses with that name, mother of Hermes, the Greek Goddess Maia and the Roman Goddess Maia, who was a Goddess of Spring.


Another suggestion is from the Latin poet Ovid who believed May to come from the Latin word 'maiores' which means elders.  June being named after the Latin word meaning 'youth'.


We first see the month of May being used in the 1000s.  In old English the fifth month of the year was 'þrimilce' which means 'three milkings', this was literally because it was the only month in the year when cows could be milked three times a day!



Tansy
x


image - May by Leandro Bassano

Monday 7 May 2012

Witches, dragons and cake


Yesterday we visited the little New Forest village of Burley.   It is a tiny little village - one main ‘high street’, quite  a few little tea shops, a couple of pubs and several witchcraft shops.  As it is in the New Forest you also get cows and horses wandering freely around the high street!   We spent a lot of time in a tea shop obviously, researching cake ;-)

They hold some interesting events throughout the year, we caught the Rescue Santa event one year, just by chance.  It was hilarious, keystone firemen attempting to rescue Santa who was stuck on the chimney of the pub, very entertaining.  The website for more details on events is burleynewforest.co.uk 

Burley also has a mystical history of witches, smuggling and dragons!

In the late 1950’s a witch called Sybil Leek lived there.   She was often seen wandering around the village in her long cloak with her pet jackdaw sitting on her shoulder.  Once she announced she was a witch, it brought a lot of media attention too, the Witchcraft Act only being repealed in 1951.  Burley was flooded with tourists coming to catch a glimpse of her. Unfortunately her looks started to cause un rest within the community, believing her to be  a black witch.  Eventually when her landlord refused to renew her lease she decided it was time to move on and left for America.   Some information also states that Sybil worked for the British Government during the Second Wold War, providing phony horoscopes for the Germans that were interested in Astrology.  She is apparently responsible for writing the chart that convinced Rudolf Hess to fly to England, where he was captured.   Sybil passed away in 1982 but leaves behind over 60 books on the craft.  For more details of her life there is a good recount here witchcraftandwitches.com/witches_leek.html

The 16th Century pub, the Queens head was notorious for smuggling and highwaymen.

And the dragon?    Apparently the Bisterne Dragon lived in the earthworks of Burley Beacon.  He demanded a bucket of milk every day until a knight happened along one day with his two dogs.  There was a fearsome battle and the dragon and the dogs were left dead, however unfortunately the knight was also mortally wounded.

Tansy
x


Saturday 5 May 2012

Come and chat...TODAY!


Unless you have been living in a cave for the past few weeks you will know that we are having an on line chat TODAY!!

Come along to our forum www.kitchenwitchhearth.com at 5pm UK time today and join in the chat, it is open to everyone in the whole wide world (better get some more virtual cake in).

Meet the Kitchen Witch team, and all the other forum and school members, get to know people, meet new people, chat about all sorts of things, eat virtual cake (it's calorie free) and ask any questions you would like to or just chill out with us!  

The Kitchen Witch team will be there between 5pm and 6pm (UK time).






Thursday 3 May 2012

The Prince of Swords

Tarot card draw for today was The Prince of Swords (in some decks he might be the Knight of Swords)


My keywords for this card:


Mental, intellectual
Razor sharp intellectual, wit
Can't pin him down
Will use words to stir up arguments
Makes plans and makes them happen
Can be inspirational
Things can happen in haste
Plough ahead
Set goals and bring them to fruition


This card to me is about intellectual thinking.  You get an idea, then you get so wrapped up in it and your wish to complete it that you forget to see the problems or the consequences.  


The Knight of Swords is a bit of a powerful dude, he takes life at 150 miles per hour, but he needs to have the balance of responsibility.


The energy of the intellect is double edged, it has great potential for good but it also has potential for evil too.   This energy must be balanced out with compassion and spirit.


He does have logic and reason, he speaks clearly and directly but his judgements are free of emotion.  Prince of tact and diplomacy he is most definitely NOT!  He can in fact be downright rude.  He is totally convinced that he is the be all and end all and he has no tolerance for fools.


In a reading the question is do you know someone with these qualities, are your exhibiting them or do you actually need to take on a few of his energies?  Is his energy hurting or helping you?    If his energies are all too obvious then balance is needed.  If you are feeling overly emotional or need some clear thinking then perhaps you need some of his energy.




Tansy
x

Wednesday 2 May 2012

and relax...

Well it's the morning after *looks at clock* well only just the morning!

 Our School of Natural Witchery opened its doors yesterday to welcome in students. We were all extremely nervous and excited at the same time! Welcome and thank you to the new students that joined us yesterday is it an honour and a pleasure to be taking this journey with you. We look forward to welcoming others as and when you join us!

 As a little celebration I had a curry last night (no one else in my house likes it so I only have it when it's just me eating). I am a bit of a wuss when it comes to the heat scale of a curry, I like the girly mild coconut sauce ones. And it was very delicious. However I always have a little 'ritual' that I do afterwards. First of all I put the kettle on, whilst that is boiling I eat a clove - it's not the best taste or texture but it clears the palette and refreshes the breathe. Then I make my 'post curry' herbal tea, it helps with digestion after spicy, creamy or fatty foods:

Cinnamon, clove & cardamon tea: 


Cinnamon has a warming and stimulant action for the digestion. It soothes bloating and indigestion. It also stimulates the circulation. 


Clove is an antiseptic and analgesic. It aids indigestion and bloating. 


Cardamom soothes an upset digestive system and relieves wind. Warming and analgesic it relieves nausea and indigestion. 


Mixture is made up of 1 tablespoon of cinnamon bark, 1 teaspoon cloves, 1 teaspoon cardamom seeds, lightly crushed in a mortar and pestle. Add one teaspoon of the mixture to a cup of boiling water, steep for 10 minutes, strain and drink (or use a tea ball).

And today feels like the calm after the storm, or maybe I am just in the eye of the storm LOL!

The school has taken a lot of hard work and effort from the whole team and it has been wonderful to see it spring into action. I am very much looking forward to this next step in my journey.

Tansy x

Tuesday 1 May 2012

School is OPEN!

Today we fling open our virtual on line doors to the


KITCHEN WITCH SCHOOL OF NATURAL WITCHERY


Don't forget to bring an apple for teacher, but not those Snow White rosy red kind...we are wise to those ;-)



www.kitchenwitchhearth.com

On joining our school you will be 'adopted' by one of our lovely Clan Guardians, they will be your personal tutor and guide and will be there to answer any queries and support you on your journey. 

There are 21 lessons with the first section the ‘Forest of Beginnings’ including an introduction, each one has text with the subject matter followed by a series of questions and sometimes practical exercises too.   The Forest of Beginnings is split into groups of 3 or 4 lessons, each with the name of a tree Birch, Rowan, Ash, Alder, Willow and Hawthorn.  

The second section of our school is the Forest of Mystery again with 21 lessons (on different subjects to the first section), split into Tree groups – Oak, Holly, Hazel, Vine, Ivy, Reed and Elder, it is entirely up to you whether you wish to continue on to study this section once you have finished the first one.  And then if you wish to go even further we have the third section the Forest of Wisdom, again it is entirely up to you whether you continue on to this as well.

There is no time limit on working through the lessons, but we ask that you take the time to work through the lessons properly and to digest the material, on average the first section should take about a year to complete, it might take you a bit less time, it might take you longer – there is no rule!  We do suggest that a minimum time frame for each lesson would be two weeks.

You will also find a huge amount of information within the Kitchen Witch forum.

Also included within the forum, but only available to Kitchen Witch School students, are extra classes should you wish to participate, our Branch Lessons, such as tarot, psychic development, yoga, animal magic and runes along with our online Grimoire of information.

In the Forest of Beginnings there are 21 lessons (including the introduction) split into six sections:

Birch:
1. Introduction & What is a Witch? 2. Working with energy & our minds 3. Grounding & Centering and Meditation 4. The Wheel of the Year

Rowan:
5. Esbats 6. Shielding 7. Deity

Ash: 
8. The Elements 9. Spell Writing 10. Ritual 11. Magical Tools

Alder:
12. Record Keeping 13. Candle Magic 14. Affirmations

Willow:
15. Animal Magic 16. The Fae 17. Divination18. Healing

Hawthorn:
19. Crystals 20. Herbs, flora & fauna 21. Elementals

There is no initial registration fee, payments are made monthly via paypal.  £10 per month (approx $15.96) which can be cancelled at any time you wish to no longer be a member.  Your fee covers your personal tutor, lessons, Branch classes, on line rituals, on line study classes, on line journals and access to all the forum information.

We invite you to come and join us kitchenwitchhearth.com


Blessings
Tansy Firedragon, Raven Willow Rune, Skylark Spiritsinger, Sunchylde, Tintagel Moon
The Kitchen Witch Leadership Team