Top Hat

I received many beautiful and wonderful gifts this Yule, one of my favourite gifts was a Top Hat. I have wanted one for years, ever since I saw Stevie Nicks wearing one. Having seen recently quite a few appearing at witch gatherings too sealed my desire.

History of the top hat

In the 18e century, the young elegant class in England became what was known as Dandies. Many regard Charles II as the trendsetter and the first Dandy. The Grand Tour of Europe also took the English Dandy to Italy and France. In London, these travelled young men formed the 'Macaroni Club', bringing some southern elegance to their grey and overcast country. From 1770-1790, the Dandies of the Macaroni Club wore white neck-ties knotted into a bow.


At the start of the 19th century, George Bryan Brummel was the uncrowned king of the Dandies. Brummels disassociated himself from extreme fashion trends and announced the rule of thumb that still applies to this day: 'the sign of a good dresser is someone who does not attract attention'. Brummel advised King George IV: 'Tying a white neck-tie in a bow will have to be the highlight of everyday life'.

It was against this backdrop that the Silk Top Hat came into being in 1797 and made its way to the Netherlands from England via France. Although people already wore top hats in the 16th century, these were only covered in silk plush in 1797.

The wearer of the first top hat in England created an enormous stir. In January 1797, a certain Hetherington appeared in the streets of London. The hat maker walked along the thoroughfare wearing a top hat in the shape of a stovepipe. Within a short time, a large crowd had gathered around him. There was such chaos that the 'officer of the law' grabbed Hetherington by the collar and summonsed him before the court. He was accused of disturbing public order.

The officer, who dealt with the scandal, described the offence as follows: "Hetherington had such a tall and shiny construction on his head that it must have terrified nervous people. The sight of this construction was so overstated that various women fainted, children began to cry and dogs started to bark. One child broke his arm among all the jostling."

The hat maker relied in his defence on the right of every Englishman to place what he wanted on his head.

The London newspaper, The Times, wrote the following day: "Hetherington's hat points to a significant advance in the transformation of dress. Sooner or later, everyone will accept this headwear. We believe that both the court and the police made a mistake here."

The Times was right. Hat manufacturers in England made a substantial amount of money from this 'extravagant construction'.

During the Empire Period (1800-1850), the hats - which were much taller and basically straight-sided - were called 'stovepipe hats'.

The black silk top hat was made from cheesecloth, linen, flannel and shellac. Using various types of flat-irons, the shellac was 'baked' in the linen around a five-piece wooden hat block and covered with black silk plush, which came mostly from France. Only the master tradesman (foreman) was permitted to cut the expensive silk. The hat was finished with a 2½ to 3 cm wide cloth hatband, which was later replaced by one of ribbed silk. The brim of the hat also had a ribbed band. During this early Victorian time - i.e. approximately 1830 - top hats were extremely tall, some even reaching 20 cm.

Later in the Victorian era, from 1837 to 1901, the height was reduced to between 16 and 17 cm. Around 1890, the top hat also received a larger crown, so appearing more tailored or 'nipped in'. From around 1920, top hats were around 12 to 13 cm in height. That still applies today.

Tansy

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Source: silktophats.eu

The Horse

When I was gifted recently with a beautiful carved staff, it had a horse on the top. I haven’t had a lot of connection with horses, the unicorn but not the horse. When I was a small child I went up to a horse from behind and patted it on it’s bottom. It had not seen me and kicked out at me. I remember that quite vividly so have always been a bit wary since. However last night in my usual evening meditation out of nowhere a chestnut brown horse came to me and took me for a wonderful ride through beautiful woodland. As always I knew the horse staff had a meaning, and now with a horse spirit animal too, it is meant as a message for me. So, I did some research...

The Horse Totem possesses the following virtues:

Friendship, adventure, travel, new journeys, high-spiritness, stamina, mobility, freedom, power, loyalty, devotion, bravery, warrior spirit, faith, cooperation, inter-species communication, astral travel, warning of danger, unquestioning love, and overcoming of obstacles.

Horse symbolises the wind, loyalty, devotion, unconditional love, friendship and companionship. Horse has faith in his master. His medicine includes power, stamina, endurance, loyalty, freedom of mobility, control of the environment, awareness of power achieved with true compliance, interspecies communication, expanding one's own latent abilities, friendship and cooperation, astral travel, guardian of travellers, warns of possible danger, guide to overcoming obstacles. He is also your warrior spirit, giving safety in your physical and metaphysical journeys.

Horse is there to teach us how to ride into new directions, to awaken and discover our own freedom and power.

The Horse Totem indicates travel and new journeys and directions in life. They also represent a guide to overcoming obstacles, the advent of adventure and the spirit of personal freedom.

Horses are said to be able to sense those with magical powers and can see the good or evil in people. They will warn humans of dangers from those who seek to harm them. They are very intelligent animals and are sensitive to a multitude of human emotions from happiness to anger, and they respond to these emotions in various ways.

Celtic tradition holds the horse goddess as having power over life - the cycle of birth - death - afterlife - and rebirth. Therefore having horse medicine provides the means to mentally prepare us with all these stages. Doing so helps us discover true spiritual power - that we are immortal souls using the body as a vehicle temporarily. In the Celtic tradition Horse is also associated with the power of the land itself.

Horses helped turn Native tribes into the powerful mounted warriors and nomads they became, although taming the horse wasn't easy, as their spirit for freedom was a fire burning within them. The People were able to discover places further afield, and not just stay close to home. Also, visiting far away clans strengthened communication and relationships. Therefore, horse is connected to sincere, meaningful relationships and valuing what our spiritual paths hold for us. This influences Native Americans customs to view Horse as the symbol of True Power, which comes when opening up to others with compassion and love, sharing their gifts with their communities.

Power is an energy which can be used on many levels. It is our servant and should not be used in a negative fashion, abused, wasted or kept to ourselves. By sharing our power with others and showing them how to develop their power and make it flourish, speeds up our journey and makes it more joyful.

At the ego level power may be used for personal gain, with complete disregard of others needs. At worst it may be used at the cost of others. As there are misuses of power to be seen and found all around us, those on the spiritual path frequently have negative emotions toward it. But being powerless is not the answer here. One must learn to use power correctly. This is an important lesson to learn and horse is a powerful teacher.

If Horse enters your life, you will probably feel a power within you that is sometimes hard to control, a bit wild and fiery! People with Horse as power animal are fiercely independent and have little tolerance for anything or anyone that limits their free expression. They give us the safety of speed and the promise of adventure.

If a wild or domestic horse has 'galloped' into your life ask yourself whether you are feeling constricted? Do you need to move on? Do you need to allow others to move on? Are you pushing boundaries that may have unpleasant consequences? Carefully consider the course your actions may lead to. You are being presented with a gift of safe movement. Do you need to get somewhere physical or spiritual? Horse will assist you. Are you afraid of a situation in your life? Horse helps awaken your inner power and bravery to get through it. If Horse is your power animal, you are a teacher to your family, partner and friends demonstrating how to be strong within themselves.

Well that makes perfect sense to me!


Tansy
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How was it for you?

I have been thinking about 2010 and how it was for me. It was definitely a roller coaster year that's for sure!

I made some new and very special friendships, strengthened a special friendship I already had, and also removed some negative influences too.

This year I have learnt:

That I have a wonderful husband, children and family. (But I knew that already!)

That I have very special friends.

To trust in my intuition more.

To trust in my own abilities.

That every friendship is different.

That everyone has their own path to follow.

That even if you offer help and assistance to someone that appears to need it, they won't always accept it.

That books don't always have all the answers, sometimes you will need to step outside!

In taking a step outside your comfort zone you may find some pleasant surprises.

To not get cross when people don't act as you would wish them to, everyone has their own way of looking at and dealing with any situation.

That my witchcraft is very, very important to me - it is who I am, what I am and how I live my life.

That shadow work is very powerful, well worth doing, but must be tempered so that you don't lose the essence of your personality.

To take a step back from any unpleasant happening, look at it objectively and then make decisions - knee jerk reactions are never good.

and finally...

I should be supervised when eating toasted marshmallows ;-)

This week of the year is one of my favourites, the children have finished school, hubby only has a couple of days left at work before the holidays. The presents are all purchased and wrapped. The tree and decorations are all up. We have watched numerous Christmas films already and listened to every Christmas song ever made. Tomorrow I shall celebrate the Winter Solstice with my own special ritual. Christmas Eve we will watch White Christmas and eat lots of nice food. Christmas Day will be spent with my lovely family, eating wonderful food.

I count my blessings, I am one lucky witch.


Tansy
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YEW - everlasting life and continual rebirth

I had the most amazing day on Saturday, spent with very dear friends. I received two very special gifts - a yew wand and the most beautiful beech & hazel staff. I was overwhelmed with both gifts, truly.

I haven't worked with Yew before, so I have looked up some references to it:

Tree properties - Yew

The Yew represents everlasting life and continual rebirth.

Yew is often named among the most ancient trees in the world and, according to some sources, may as well be the oldest-living one. This wood holds a key to the mystery of Creation; thus, the importance of Yew cannot be underestimated. Not without reason Yew, not Ash, is sometimes thought to be the original 'World-tree' of Scandinavian mythology.

Yew forests were once common in France and Germany. The wood of the English Yew was used for bows by Celtic and Teutonic warriors, a practice which eventually led to the demise of the great Yew forests of Western Europe. In Teutonic areas the Yew had important symbolic significance. A judge's staff was made of its wood and Yew was planted in graveyards as a form of protection from malevolent spirits. Its needles were also used in rituals to communicate with the dead. In the Celtic past the tribal elders and leaders were buried under Yews in the belief that the tree would keep their knowledge and wisdom available for the future use of the tribe.

This tree is known as the death tree almost in all European countries. Yew is very poisonous. It contains the dangerous alkaloid which can invoke hallucinations and even cause death. However, the 'death', personified by Yew, must be seen not as 'elimination', but rather as 'transformation', as gaining the new quality, or as a passage to another world. Due to that fact, Yew has a strong association with Life as well as with Death. The symbolical vitality of this tree is emphasized by some of its physical characteristics: the Yew tree's branches grow into the ground; and when the central trunk dies, the tree lives on.

It is very powerful tree with deep, complicated symbolism; and as such has a wide range of possible uses, especially in all workings dealing with the essential transformation. In addition to that, it can induce visions, protect from aggression, enhance magickal and psychic abilities, etc. Yew, as the tree of Creation, symbolizes not Death, but Love.

Keywords: Essential transformation, striving for life, rebirth, mystery of life, ancestry through the blood, connection with the past, darkness, chaos, power, poisonous aggression, pain, suffering, illusion, death, destruction. The main principle of created Universe and Love as the main cause of Creation.

Magickal uses: The Yew represents direct contact with our past, and the old wisdom which we find deep within ourselves. It also speaks to us of fresh growth arising out of death, perhaps of our old selves, or old ways of thinking. It is a wonderful wood for runes or ogham sticks and can be used for contact with ancestors.

Tansy
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The Queen of Wands - is it me?

It was mentioned to me a while back that if I were to be a tarot card I would be the Queen of Wands, so I am sharing with you my thoughts on the Queen of Wands.  I shall leave it up to those that know me to decide whether it is me or not.

From the Thoth Tarot book by Lon Milo DuQuette:

The characteristics of the Queen are adaptability, persistent energy, calm authority which she knows how to use to enhance her attractiveness.  She is kindly and generous, but impatient of opposition.  She has immense capacity for friendship and for love, but always on her own initiative.

Adaptability, steady force applied to an object, steady rule, great attractive power, power of command, yet liked notwithstanding.  Kind and generous when not opposed.

From the Sassy Sorceress tarot definitions:

Bright, chatty 'been there, seen it' sort of person.  She commands attention and is definitely not shy.  Can be quite impulsive and often speaks before she thinks.  She dislikes opposition of any sort.  She is quick to action and can have a quick temper.  She is often self taught - what she doesn't know, she will make sure she learns for next time.  Despite all this, she does have a very caring and sensitive side.

Extacts from my own Queen of Wands notes:

The Queen of Wands represents the aspects of fire that are most important to us.  She is warmth, sensitivity, gentleness and faithfulness as well as strengthand determination.  The Queen of Wands represents fidelity, warmth and sustenance, but she does have a darker side too.  She is creative energy, she can be fiery and passionate with a quick temper.  Her style of mothering is to flash her temper, yell, then get over it and hug - all within a very short space of time.  The Queen of Wands would have been popular at school.  She is attractive and confident.  Her energy is contagious and her enthusiasm total.  No matter what the task she tackles it with whole hearted dedication and commitment.  Her life is full and busy and she prefers it that way.  Although not usually arrogant, the Queen of Wands has a deep faith in her own abilities.  Her quiet self assurance comes from the knowledge that she can accomplish whatever she sets her mind to.

Reversed - The Queen of Wands can be moody and jealous, sometimes demanding and controlling. 

Well there you have it, make what you will from all that!

Tansy
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To get your own tarot readings check out:
http://www.kitchenwitch.org/
http://www.thesassysorceress.com/

Shadow Work

Over the past year I have done a lot of personal shadow work. 

For those that are not aware of what this means here is a paragraph from Raven Digitalis' book 'Shadow Work Magick Compendium':

The very essence of the concept of 'shadow' is ambiguous.  Throughout the ages and around the world, various cultures, religions, and individual philosophies have approached this idea in various ways, often discovering deep wells of meaning in the divine polarity of light and dark.  A number of shamanic religions have long recognised the portion of the self deemd 'the shadow' for its role in human spiritual development and understanding.  The view of the shadow as a spiritual force has also been carried into a number of modern religions.  It is from the shadowed aspects of the psyche that our magickal reality is brought into vision. 

Car Jung recognised the shadow of self as the often non conscious aspect of the human psyche that contains repressed thoughts and impulses.  It is the portion of our mind that usually goes unrecognised, harbouring fear and other unpleasant emotions that we have consciously rejected for one reason or another.

In Jung's words: Everyone carries a shadow, and the less it is embodied in the individual's conscious life, the blacker and denser it is.   The more repressed one's shadow self is, the darker and more intense it becomes.  The shadow is a moral problem that challenges the whole ego personality, for no one can become conscious of the shadow without considerable moral effort.  To become conscious of it involves recognising the dark aspects of the personality as present and real.  This act is the essential condition for any kind of self knowledge.   Recognising the internal darkness leads to self awareness. 

It has helped me immensely.   I have come to recognise my character 'faults', the traits of my personality that I am not proud of, I have worked with them and hopefully am a good way to recognising them, and curbing them when they try to come into play.

When I am met with an unpleasant situation now, I try to see why it is happening, and step back and think about my response before I give it. 

It is also about recognising your own personality traits in others, a bit like looking in a mirror.  Why do you dislike a person? Why do the actions of some people upset you? Is it because they are acting in a way that resonates with some small part of your own personality?  This isn't always the case, but is worth bearing in mind.

The downside to all this shadow work that I have discovered is that I believe I have worked too much with it, and to a certain extent 'lost' my own personal power.  Recently I had a 'lightbulb' moment and realised that I had curbed the dominant, strong side of my personality too heavily.  Once I realised this I have worked to balance it.

I guess that is the quality that we all strive for in everything - BALANCE!

Tansy
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Altars

Today I decorated my main altar for Yule. I change it with the seasons and the sabbats. What do I put on my altar? Well I do think it is a very personal choice as to what goes on your altar. I know all the books give lists - athame, pentagram, wand, chalice, represenation of the Lord & Lady and all four elements, which is a good place to start. And I did that, at first.

Now, I have a main altar that I put things on that really mean something to me, things that I feel want to go on there.

My main altar is a long narrow shelf underneath part of my book collection. So on the left hand corner I have a space dedicated to the Cailleach - a goddess statue that I can put offerings in - usually I put crystals and stones, a picture of the Cailleach, a crystal inside a stone, a hag stone and some pretty pebbles. For Yule I also have some evergreen foliage. On the right hand side I have a space dedicated to Merlin - a statue of Merlin, my large crystal ball and a smaller green one, a couple of dragon statues and a piece of bluestone (the stone that Stonehenge is made of). In the centre I have a pentagram and two candles in holders - one black for the God, one white for the Goddess. I also have a pretty glass & silver dish to put offerings to the God in. In amongst it all I have various things that are important to me - a prosperity witches bottle, a figure of Granny Weatherwax (a crone witch from Terry Pratchett books), a witch rag doll, various crystals, shells and pebbles, a feather I found, a dragon necklace from a sister witch, a bracelet made by a sister witch, a wooden toadstool, meditation beads I made, my athame, a green man plaque and any other odd bits of nature I feel need to be on there!

My altar is personal to me, it represents my beliefs and the spiritual things that are important to me. Sometimes I put my dragon chalice on it, sometimes I put my wand on it - it all depends on what feels right to me at any particular time.

That is my main altar, I do have others - I have an ancestors altar, on top of a sideboard, it has photographs of my grandparents and great grandparents, along with a candle, incense, shells, stones and crystals.

I also have a desk altar where I sit and work, this has a dragon candle holder, a pentagram, incense and various crystals. Again I add and take away what feels right at the time.

I have a tiny altar in the space that I meditate in - this has an oil burner, a candle, a Merlin's dragon stone, a selenite wand and various crystals.

There is also a sacred space in my garden, just a round shallow terracotta pot filled with glass pebbles and stones that I painted to represent the four elements.

I would love to have four elemental altars at the corresponding directions in the house, but there is a. a lack of space and b. I do have to share my home with others! ;-)

Now I really need to get on with putting up the rest of the Yule decorations!

Tansy
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