Thursday 28 March 2013

Personas...

I'm not sure where this blog  post will lead to but the idea is in my head...

I was talking the other day with a friend about 'personas' and 'masks' especially in relation to social media such as facebook.

Are we truly ourselves on facebook?  Or do we put a mask on and become a different persona?

I have seen many facebook statuses that quite frankly 'air the dirty laundry' right across the internet, usually intimate details I could really do without reading about... but are they just being honest and themselves?  Is that wrong?  Is it not better than being all fluffy and bouncy on facebook but in reality a real grump dealing with lots of issues offline?

I'm not sure to be honest...

I have known one or two people that do literally bounce across facebook with fluffy "the world is a beautiful place and I am so lucky to be me" statuses all the time when I actually know for a fact off line they aren't like that at all...I think I find that difficult.

Personally I try to be 'me' whether I am talking to my close friends, people I have just  met or on my facebook page...I'm not sure I have a good enough memory to keep up a specific persona anyway LOL

I don't always achieve it, I still have some 'masks' but I think that is a good thing too, do you really want to know when I am having a totally awful day?  Do you want to listen to me whinge and gripe about a pet hate?  Probably not...

I think perhaps by having a personal blog, by writing books, by keeping up a regular appearance on facebook, by being part of the Kitchen Witch leadership team, by being a part of regular rituals and  workshops I am actually putting myself 'out there' and on the front line anyway - warts and all ;-)

Why do I do all that?  Well, I hope in some small way that things I do and say might help people, that others might learn from the experiences that I share, and from the mistakes I make too, I am just following my own spiritual journey and where it leads me...a part of the journey so far has been to 'get out into the world' and I have been rewarded by meeting some amazing people and making new friends and learning from others along the way.

So ... no you won't see facebook statuses from me that are worthy of Jeremy Kyle (because quite frankly my life isn't like that...thankfully) - I will share with you what is happening in my world, and I will be honest about it, hopefully what you see with me is what you get.




Monday 25 March 2013

Isle of Avalon and no computer



I have spent today in the Isle of Avalon (Glastonbury).

It is just over a two hour drive for me so I set off early (8.50am, I know that's not really early but I had to do the school run first!!).  I don't mind the drive too much, I grabbed a handful of CD's at random for the trip...and when I say random they really were random - Elvis, Blondie, Stevie Nicks and Alice Cooper!

Thankfully the traffic was OK and the weather was fine until the other side of Salisbury when it began to snow but it didn't come to much.

I then spent a lovely day catching up with a friend and although we did venture out of the café once to mooch about the shops it was really rather cold...so we hit another café LOL

I got back home at 6.45pm...the whole day I had not picked up any emails or messages.  I did have my phone with me but it doesn't like the signal in Glastonbury, I think it does it on purpose so that I can't pick them up...to give me a day away from techno world.

I did realise that, on my way home...the whole day (OK not quite the whole day because obviously I am on the laptop now!!) but most of the day without looking at a glaring computer screen, without typing, without being sucked into facebook and do you know what? I didn't miss it, and I actually rather enjoyed it and I should step away from the computer more often...

It won't last though...;-)

Friday 22 March 2013

Enlightenment and tarot cards



It has been quite a spiritually enlightening week for me, first with my psychic medium reading from Paul Cissell and then today a tarot reading from the lovely Kate Bowman of Truly Tarot

Kate is resident tarot reader at Chi Coffee café so not only did I get a tarot reading but I got coffee and cake too!

I do read the cards, but I find it quite difficult to read for myself without mudding the waters with my own personal thoughts, so having someone else read for me was a real treat.

The reading was absolutely spot on and echoed entirely the reading I had from Paul on Monday - how synchronised was that?  Gave me lots of guidance and an awful lot to think about, some very interesting decisions for me to make and some huge possibilities coming up - I am actually very excited about the future - thank you Kate!

Kate does readings online, via Skype, face to face, over the phone, at various Mind Body and Spirit fairs and of course regularly at the Chi Coffee café.  She also does party bookings.

For more information:

On facebook www.facebook.com/trulytarotukpage
Her website www.trulytarot.com
And email katydazzabowman@hotmail.com



Wednesday 20 March 2013

Moments of wonder...



I was in the school playground yesterday waiting outside the classroom to collect our youngest...lots of mums (and a few dads) and lots of children running around and a lot of pushchairs with babies and toddlers in.

One toddler in a funky bright green pushchair caught my eye, he wasn't playing with any toys, he was just sitting back all snug tucked up in his blanket...watching...

His eyes were wide and he was taking in his whole surroundings, every movement or sound around him prompted his eyes to open wider and his head to turn in that direction.  Everything, every little sound or movement was a wonder to him, he took in everything with a sense of awe.

It was a lesson...that we should stop occasionally and just sit and look around us, take in everything that is going on, all the sounds, all the sights, all the smells, but to actually stop, if only for a few brief moments out of our busy day just to appreciate the world around us and all that is within it.

Monday 18 March 2013

A morning of mediumship...

I had a wonderfully interesting experience this morning as I had a reading from a Medium....very intriguing experience indeed.

I visited the Portsmouth School Of Psychic Development for my reading with Psychic Medium Paul Cissell.

Paul was extremely welcoming and immediately made me feel at ease, the room we sat in was comfortable and set a good atmosphere. 

Over the next hour several of my spirit relatives came to chat and pass on advice and messages - all spot on and all extremely enlightening.  And to add to the experience Paul records the reading onto CD so I get to listen to it again at home and check out any parts that I missed or couldn't quite remember.

Paul also holds monthly meditation sessions, psychic development courses, mediumship evenings and various other workshops - a lot of which I will be investigating further!

Check out Paul's website www.paulcissell.com for details of readings and events, also see the facebook page for the Portsmouth School of Psychic Development to be kept up to date on events and workshops.

A very pleasant, interesting and highly recommended experience.

Friday 15 March 2013

Books, workshops, goddesses and spring

Not sure where this week went?

Anyway...it's been busy - lots of new students at the Kitchen Witch Online School, my first book Pagan Portals Kitchen Witchcraft is doing well and is just about to sell out for the second time on Amazon :-) and this weekend is a quiet family one, well...quiet maybe tomorrow but then we have to rip up lots of laminate flooring to make way for a new carpet (involving moving furniture in the room with the heaviest and largest pieces of furniture)...

I also got news today that my second book Grimoire of a Kitchen Witch is now available for pre-order on Amazon UK - it is still very weird to type your own name into Amazon and have books come up!

The Kitchen Witch Chakra workshop is nearly full, which is very exciting - really looking forward to working with everyone on that...oh and having cake and coffee in my favourite cafe, Chi Coffee too of course!

If you have read my blog before you will know that my Patron (or should that be Matron?) Goddess is the Cailleach, but each year she gives me a different deity to work with for the summer months, this year she has directed me to work with Astarte so I was thinking last weekend about taking down my Cailleach altar and replacing it...when it snowed ... guess the Cailleach wasn't quite ready to step into the background just yet!  The dang snow (and eldest child being poorly) did put paid to my planned visit to Glastonbury this week, but that will happen soon.

Spring is on its way...it must be...we had rain today, but the crocus are out and the sky has been blue this week and I am pretty sure a couple of times I spotted that big yellow thing up in the sky...once or twice.

Sunday 10 March 2013

Mothers Day blessings and book covers


It is Mothers Day in the UK and I am very blessed to have received lovely cards and presents and will be off shortly to spend the day with my parents and family :-)

As another special treat my second book Grimoire of a Kitchen Witch is now showing on the Moon Books website (for publication 28th June 2013) and...the cover for my third book Pagan Portals Hoodoo Folk Magic has been designed too!

I've also had my lovely morning emails with my best witchy sisters which sets me up for the day.

Feeling like a very blessed and happy witchy today.

Happy Mothers Day to all the mums, grandmothers and why not throw in the sisters and aunties too!  And a special blessing to Mother Earth ♥

Wednesday 6 March 2013

Fair weather composting...

I have to put my hands up and admit...I am a fair weather composter...

Our council were offering free compost bins a few years back and I thought "what a wonderful idea" however we have a fairly small city garden so it was a bit of a dilemma where to site it.  In the end the only place for it was at the back of the house down the side alleyway, which isn't ideal for a compost bin (needs a lot more sunlight really) but it was the only place really.

But...to get to the compost bin involves me leaving the kitchen, walking through the hallway, through the dining room, through the conservatory, out into the garden, round to the side and down the alleyway...hence the 'fair weather' composter ;-)

So my confession is that during the winter months it does not get a lot of attention or a lot of 'food'.

Today however I ventured out there with my big bowl of veggie scraps (and some egg shells), it was with a bit of trepidation that I opened the lid and yep there were lots of squiggly creatures in there...

The best part of the compost bin is at the bottom though...investigation led to a lovely pile of soft, dark compost - the stuff that you pay lots of money for in the garden centre.  So even though it is neglected through the dark months, the wriggly creatures continue to work their magic and provide lush compost and all made from household scraps that would normally just fill up your dustbin.

It is so easy to do, even if you don't have a lot of space, here are some useful links:

http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/organicgardening/compost_pf.php
http://eartheasy.com/grow_compost.html
http://howtocompost.org/
http://www.compostinstructions.com/



Monday 4 March 2013

Birthday, workshop, cafe and cake

Well it has been a bit of a hectic weekend but in a good way.

Saturday was spent running errands and then a meeting to discuss details of the Kitchen Witch Chakra Workshop at the lovely Chi Coffee cafe (for more details click the link to the right hand side of your screen).

Sunday we celebrated my hubby's birthday with a fabulous lunch at a local Mexican restaurant and spent the rest of the day chilling and eating the most caramelly birthday cake ever.

This morning I spent back in my favourite cafe!  It was with the motive of dropping off posters and flyers for the Chakra Workshop but I ended up staying and having a cappuccino and chatting with the lovely staff and meeting some wonderful customers too, the cafe also has a Tarot Reader in on a Monday so I had the chance to meet her too, what a lovely lady!

And there is left over birthday cake at home...alone...with me...

So I have not achieved a lot from my 'to do' list today, but sometimes you just have to go with the flow and follow the energies wherever they take you...mine are leading towards that cake I mentioned ;-)