I dream of cake ... ;-)

Last night I dreamt about cakes, lots of them...yep seriously I did...well to be more exact cream buns and custard donuts :-)

I remember my dreams on a regular basis, using the method of re-running the dream through my head as soon as I wake up, before I get out of bed - it seems to 'set' the details into my memory.  I think your subconscious can give you very interesting messages via your dreams, it is worth keeping an eye on them.

I don't over analyse them, I do have a 'Dream Interpretation' book, but I seldom use it.  I prefer to assess the dream myself and see what meanings and symbolism my intuition picks up on.  And of course failing that I just email the Kitchen Witch girls and see what they think, they are usually better than me at seeing the meaning - easier to look at from the outside.

Just out of interest I did look up 'cake' in the dream dictionary:

Cake: A fortunate dream signifying satisfaction in both social and business affairs.  Very sweet cake indicates a legacy and/or for those employed a promotion.  Thickly iced cake predicts gay times ahead.   To eat cake in a dream is more fortunate than to bake or buy it, although anything to do with cakes is lucky.

Well looks like I am going to have a good day...especially if I actually get to eat some cake too ;-)

How good at being a Witch am I?

The question came up yesterday - how do you know if someone is a decent witch or not?  And by decent I mean whether they know their stuff or not.

And to be honest I don't think there is a definitive answer.

I have met quite a lot of witches, druids and pagans off and on line.  Some have been extremely wise and experienced, others have been new to the craft and then a whole lot on a scale in between.  Some have come across initially as being full of wisdom but in actual fact have turned out to be full of waffle.

For Wiccans there is the degree system, and although not Wiccan myself I have worked my way through all three of the degrees - does that make me better than the witch next to me that hasn't done them but has lived her entire life living, working and practising as a witch?  (um..no, it just means I have some certificates).

My personal journey started out as one of research and study, I like to learn, I like to have a structure of learning so the Wiccan degree system (and all the other courses I took along the way as well) work for me but they don't work for everyone.

I then ventured out into the big wide world of rituals and learnt a whole new load of skills.

For instance, let's take a peek at the Kitchen Witch School team...

We all come from slightly different backgrounds, we all followed the basics of the Craft until at some point along our own very personal and individual journeys we branched off into for want of a better word 'specialist' areas.   Is any one of us better than the other? ... NO certainly not.   Some of us have been walking the Witchcraft path longer than the others, some of us have sparkly laminated certificates, others don't - doesn't mean any one of us is 'better' than the other.  We all walk this path differently.

You may find someone that calls themselves a Witch because they once read a book on it 20 years ago and they like to go for walks in the woods...and that's it.  Now I personally wouldn't recommend asking that person for training in Witchcraft but it doesn't mean they aren't a Witch.

I have seen people within the pagan community stating that their way is the only way or their way is the right way and everyone else is wrong - if you see this my recommendation would be to WALK AWAY.

I love that the Craft is a personal thing, it starts from a similar point and then it meanders with twists and turns and off shoots so that your journey becomes your very own.  No one journey is the same.

There are of course traditions within the Craft that have strict guidelines and rules and if that's how you want to roll then go for it, but I would say ultimately go with your instinct, if your gut tells you something is right do it...if it bubbles and gurgles and twists up then walk away...and the same goes for anyone that you meet along the way - if they sound like they know what they are talking about and you get a good feeling that's brilliant.  If they are waffling and gesturing and you get the strong feeling they are talking hogwash then they probably are.

I would also ask, if you are new to the Craft, that you don't believe everything that you see posted on the internet or facebook...I have seen some shocking information put out there...do your own research, work with your own instinct.

And here is where I may upset a few people...if someone claims to be a High Priestess/High Priest/Arch Druid and they are 16 years old then I am sorry but that doesn't rock with me.   At 16 you are still learning about life, let alone all the training and experience that an Elder requires.   I was 43 when I was given the title of High Priestess and that was after nearly 8 years of solid training on the back of a previous 6 years of learning the basics of the Craft.  The word 'Elder' is a bit of a clue...you need (in my own humble opinion) to actually be old enough to have had a few life experiences.

Sadly even within the Pagan world which is supposed to be made up from 'enlightened beings' you will still get pagan politics and witch wars - it saddens me, but 'tis true - the 'he said/she said' kind of playground scenario still happens, I personally try to stay away from tattling and back stabbing.  I prefer to get to know someone myself before making a judgement on them based purely from gossip.

Do I know everything? Ye Gods certainly not and I hope I never do, life would be extremely boring if we all knew everything.

Am I always right about everything? - If my husband is reading this then the answer is "yes I am" but for anyone else ... no of course I am not.  I am human, I make mistakes but hopefully I learn from them and try to always be honest about it too.

But if an old hunched up woman dressed in black comes up to you and offers you a bite of a rosy red apple - you might wanna say no...

Good Reads and Billy No Mates ;-)

A while back I joined www.goodreads.com - I LOVE books and I LOVE to read so it seemed like a good site to belong to.  I can post reviews and give star ratings for books that I have read and share them with others, I can see what other people are reading and look at the reviews they have given books I might like to read - all very useful.  It also allows me to follow authors I love and get updates when they post new blogs.

And so I also succumbed myself to setting up a Goodreads author page - my first book already has a five star review (squeeeeeee) but sadly I have no fans yet...so I do wonder if this isn't just going to make me look embarrassed LOL  However it is done now, so if any one feels really sorry for me you can hop on over to Goodreads and like my author page just so that I don't look like 'Billy No Mates' ;-)


My Goodreads author page:

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6830074.Rachel_Patterson

Mad dancing, miserable January and pretty dresses

I do not like January...it is just one of 'my things' and this January has been no exception in fact probably a bit worse.  As our whole family was laid out with the flu bug over the festive season we did not celebrate and it has hung around ... for weeks it seems.  The festivities are all over, pay day seems like an eternity away and then with all the snow we have had in the past two weeks that grinds everything in the UK to a halt and all the events that have been cancelled because of it, it's not been a particularly cheerful January at all.

So after my usual daily 57 emails back and forth chat with my Kitchen Witch sisters yesterday they convinced me that I have the power to change my outlook and they are of course right.

The flu bug thingy has nearly gone, just a few sniffles and coughs but it could have been worse.

Our festivities in December were cancelled due to illness but...we are having a big family party in February instead.

Yes things were cancelled because of the snow but most have been rearranged.

So I needed to get myself up from the sofa and out from under my blanket and get some positive energy working...so I did...

This morning my day started with some Bollywood dancing, nothing fancy just me in my dining room with a DVD dancing like no one was looking...actually no one was :-)

I have showered (you will be relieved to know) and even though I will only be around the house today I have put on a pretty floaty dress and pinned my hair up (look a bit like Margo Leadbetter..) and I feel GOOD

So as usual a huge thank you to my soul sisters, don't know what I would do without them.

And January draws to a close...soon it will be February and signs of spring and today I am going to KICK BOTTOM in my pretty floaty dress kinda way.

Sad, disappointed but I have cake...

Sitting here disappointed as we had to cancel the Kitchen Witch Coven ritual today :-(

We made the call late last night, the forecast wasn't good and the QE Park was closed so we made the decision.

It hasn't snowed over night in Portsmouth but all surrounding areas are very icy and my sisters have had more snow over night where they live.

The QE Park is open this morning but only the shop, cafe and main car park - a lot of the other areas are inaccessible, so even if we had made it to the park without mishap we would have had fun and games finding a spot for the ritual.

We have heard from several people that would have come to the ritual that they still can't get out of their driveways or roads because of snow and ice - please stay safe.

We have posted a solitary Birch Moon ritual script in the Kitchen Witch Coven facebook group for anyone that would like to use it at home.

So now I have to decide what to do with all the cakes and hot chocolate I had ready for the ritual...just don't know who will eat them all ;-)

Our next ritual is Saturday 23rd February, we shall be there come rain, shine, hail, thunder or plagues of locust ...

Snow...aaaargh...panic.....!!!! ;-)

It seems that the merest hint of a flake or two of snow sends the people of the UK into total and utter panic...we just don't know how to deal with even the slightest extreme of weather.

We do have snow here today, it started about 7.30am this morning and it is still snowing quite heavily now.  Schools were open for both children this morning although one of them is shutting at lunchtime.

I do love the look of snow, wintery scenes are beautiful.   I also love that special silence you get when it is snowing, the walk back from the school run was lovely, the snow falling, snow on the ground still white and fresh - not brown and sludgy as it gets when lots of people and cars have gone over it.  The branches of the trees were covered in a layer of white fluff, beautiful.

But I have to be honest I am not one to panic about it, I haven't been out and purchased 17 loaves of bread, shovels and sacks of salt but I do worry...hubby has driven to work and I won't stop worrying until he is home safe and sound.  The children are at school at the moment, but again I won't feel OK until they are safely home.

Why?  because after all it is only a bit of frozen water?  Because it does make the roads dangerous, we aren't geared up for driving in the snow, we don't 'do' snow chains over here as a rule and people still drive like idiots.  Hubby was held up on the drive to work today because some idiot had left his BMW at a 45 degree angle right across the apex of one of the bridges - seriously it had only been snowing for about 10 minutes by then.

So I shall sit this morning with a cup of herbal tea in the conservatory and watch the snow fall and take a moment to connect with my beloved Cailleach...before I head outside again to do the school run.  Possibly drying my hair first this time, as I went out this morning having just washed my hair (it is very long), when I got back I had icicles hanging from my head.

So for those that don't have to travel today, take a moment to enjoy the beautiful silence and peace that comes with fresh snow fall and connect with the wintery Goddess.  For those that have to drive - please stay safe.  And lease don't forget to leave out some food for the birds and make sure they have unfrozen water.

Hyacinths and screaming house plants

I wanted to share a picture of my flowering hyacinth with you - why? Because technically this one is a house plant and I don't do house plants...generally.

My husband makes a joke if a house plant ever gets brought into our house, he claims he can hear it scream as it comes over the threshold. ;-)

I love gardening, absolutely love all that it entails - planting, watering, dead heading, cutting back etc - LOVE being out in the garden but that is outside and we have a pretty nice healthy looking garden as a rule.  But house plants are another matter.

Any house plant that braves our home ends up dying, either from too much water, too little water, too much light, too little light, black spot, white spot, plant plague and the like - I don't know what I do to them.

However back in December I was gifted a very pretty little teacup with a hyacinth bulb in, it sits in a little soil and some pine needles.  "Just a little water now and then and it will be fine" I was instructed.

Now our house doesn't have any window sills, strange I know, it has huge 1920's ceiling to floor bay windows but no sills.  So the little tea cup had to sit on the side in the kitchen, next to a window that has indirect sunlight.  And I watered it, and I watched it and it rewarded me by flowering :-)

Mr Cunningham's Encyclopedia tells me the following about the hyacinth:

Gender: Feminine
Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Powers: Love, protection, happiness

Sniffing the fresh flowers of the hyacinth relieves grief and depression and also cures fascination (actually it makes me sneeze LOL).

The dried flowers can be used in love mixtures and to ease the pain of childbirth.

Grow the plant in the bedroom to guard against nightmares.

I knew I loved spring flowers, now it seems I can grow them indoors too...

goals, challenges and transparent oracle cards

I am not really one for making New Year resolutions...mainly because I don't have the will power to keep to them...however I do like to start a new year by setting myself some goals and challenges.  Some of them last past the first week...if I am lucky ;-)

One of the goals I have set myself is to become more familiar with my transparent oracle set of cards (by Emily Carding) that I was gifted back in October.    I love the idea of these cards, they are made from transparent plastic with beautiful images drawn onto them, the process being that you draw at least three cards and layer them up so that you get a beautiful mandala type image.  Each card has it's own meaning and they are linked to the elements Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Above, Below and Within, which all add to the reading.

So here is today's draw of three:

Butterfly:
Soul, transformation, awareness, beauty, potential, sacrifice.
A symbol of transformation and inspiration she aligns with the element of Air.
Butterfly can help us look at the bigger picture in our lives and help us to rise above the less significant  details, which in some cases can hold us back.

The next two cards are from the 'below' section of the deck - the spiritual realm beneath our feet offering wisdom, guides and the opportunity to strengthen our roots so that our branches may reach even higher.  Drawn with the Butterfly these cards represent the deeper aspects of sacrifice and the resulting spiritual evolution it affords.

Grail Hollows: The Cauldron
Abundance, healing, initiation, transformation, rebirth, inspiration.
The cauldron of Dagda which represents a divine healer and provider of the soul's need.
A source of inspired knowledge, initiation, healing and nourishment, the Cauldron provides what is most needed for the self and the greater self that is the land, to be whole.

Grail Hollows: The Stone
Responsibility, sovereignty, knowledge, tradition, immortality.
This card represents the element of Earth and the Stone is a symbol of long lived tradition and responsibility. The stone also stands for good judgement, worthy traditions and the power to enter the deepest mysteries through the asking of a well placed question.

Hmmmm interesting reading...

Pre-order...go on you know you want to!

If you haven't been bored to death with it on facebook so far...my first book Pagan Portals Kitchen Witchcraft is now available for pre-order.

Written as part of the Moon Books Pagan Portals series, which are small books written with the intention of introducing the reader to different areas of the Pagan world.

Back cover copy:

Pull up a chair, have a cup of tea, sit back and take a glimpse into the world of Kitchen Witchcraft. This little book will give you an insight into what a Kitchen Witch is, what they do and how they do it. It gives an overview of the Sabbats, working with the Moon, the elements and candle magic. Packed full of ideas for crafting such as washes and smudges for your home and your body, witch bottles, incense, medicine bags, magic powders and offerings. Take a stroll through a Kitchen Witch's garden and discover what you will find there and finish up with some lovely meditations. Follow the heart of a Kitchen Witch...

Endorsements:

Melusine Draco | Author of numerous popular books
I like this ... it's light, friendly and good fun to read. One important facet of traditional Craft is the use of the kitchen and everyday implements to create magical goodies. I like the way the author brings the reader into the kitchen and makes the whole thing inclusive like having a cosy chat over the cauldron. A great addition to the Pagan Portals series.

Janet Farrar & Gavin Bone | authors A Witches Bible, Witches Goddess and Inner Mysteries
‘A wonderful little book which will get anyone started on Kitchen Witchery. Informative, and easy to follow.’

Tylluan Penry | Author of Seeking the Green, Magic on the Breath, Magical Properties of Plants, Staying on the Old Track and the Essential Guide to Psychic Self Defence
I am very proud to write this endorsement/preface for Rachel’s book, Kitchen Witchcraft. Rachel is very sensible and down to earth, both qualities that are rare nowadays, but which I really admire. Kitchen Witchcraft is becoming increasingly possible as people try and merge spiritual and everyday life. Rachel’s book contains plenty of great suggestions for kitchen witchery and I particularly like her emphasis on learning to love what you have, yet learning to adapt and grow too, which is an essential part of the Craft.
The beauty of this book is the ease with which Rachel blends the magical with the everyday, something I consider to be the true essence of all witchcraft. Her writing is a friendly, personal account that immediately invites us to feel we are there in the kitchen with her. This is particularly helpful for those who work as solitaries.  Kitchen Witchcraft contains plenty of ideas about the seasons, elements, festivals, gardens, working with candles and crystals and – best of all in my view – recipes for potions and incense etc. These will make even the newest beginner feel very ‘witchy’ indeed!

AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW FROM:

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com

Barnes & Noble

Rachel Patterson website

Waterstones

Sainsburys

coughs, sneezes and the year of the Witch

Well that was a pretty rubbish Christmas to be perfectly honest.

The week before Christmas both children were off school with coughs and colds which meant youngest missed his school party and carol service.  It also meant that unfortunately I couldn't get to Stonehenge on the 21st for the sunrise.

A couple of weeks before Christmas my mum got a cold that turned into a cough and by Christmas Eve had developed into bronchitis...horrible for my poor mum in that she was poorly but also because she hosts Christmas Day and had done huge amounts of preparation and we had to cancel it.

So no Christmas dinner for our family :-(

Christmas Eve my hubby, my dad and myself all came down with the flu bug and we are all still trying to get rid of it, although it has finally started to ease now.

Pretty miserable Christmas with lots of get togethers cancelled and everyone feeling really poorly.

Now the trees are down, the decorations are packed away and hubby went back to work today.  It seems like such a waste of two weeks holiday.  Yes we did get to spend that time together but it was shared coughing, sneezing and flu meds which isn't exactly the festive fun I had planned.

However 'tis a new year, not that New Year means that much to me particularly but it does give an incentive to make new plans for schemes and intentions.

2012 was actually pretty good to me, a few minor hiccups but nothing too bad for me personally although some of my friends didn't have it so easy.  So I look forward to 2013 and what it has in store (less coughing and sneezing would be appreciated for a start) '13' being a witchy kinda number I think I may declare 2013...the year of the Witch...

Wishing you all blessings, dreams and wishes for the coming months.