Tuesday 26 November 2013

21 days of Yule...



We are going to be celebrating 21 days of Yule starting 1st December...

Daily inspirations and some candle magic, maybe even a bit of tarot wisdom to celebrate the Winter Solstice.

From 1st December you will find the information here on this blog, daily up to and including 21st December.

The link to each blog entry will also be posted on:

www.facebook.com/rachelpattersonbooks
www.facebook.com/kitchenwitchuk

So keep an eye out for the first one...

Monday 25 November 2013

The 'C' word...Christmas from a Witch's point of view

I make no apologies...I am in the festive spirit...in fact I always am by this time every year.

I know the retail market have made it commercial, but I ignore them...I make it a celebration for things that aren't material - good health, friends, family and all the things that I have been blessed with over the year.

I don't think I ever lost the childlike excitement that comes in the build up to the festive season.

Christmas was a fabulous time when I was a child, my family celebrated it to the fullest...with bells on...and still do.

My family is not religious so there never was the Christian side to the festivities but it was a time to get together as a family, everyone chatting, reminiscing, laughing and of course eating.  The TV was  not allowed to be turned on, it was a time for people to connect and again still is for us as a family.

The twist came once I discovered I was a Witch (although let's face it I probably always have been one) over the past fifteen years I have um'd and ah'd at this time of the year about what to do about sending cards and whether it is OK to mention the 'C' word (Christmas..).  But you know, it's not really a big dilemma. What I celebrate is the season - whether it is Christmas or the Winter Solstice, I celebrate life, love and the blessings that I have.  This time of the year is one to greet complete strangers with festive greetings, to smile and laugh at parties and gatherings and if you have the spare change, to give to a charity.  My young son likes us to give money to the Salvation Army to provide a Christmas dinner for someone less fortunate.

I have been recording and watching the Xmas 24 channel since the beginning of November, I have already started on the mince pies and am working my way through all the Yuletide songs on my laptop as I work each day.  Does it matter that some of them are carols?  Does it matter that most of them have the word Christmas in them?  No ... not to me... they are happy, joyful songs that fill my heart and I don't see anything wrong in that.  And I have managed to find a few songs that relate to the Winter Solstice and the Holly King as well.

Our decorations will go up around 1st or 2nd of December and they will stay there until about 26th/27th because after that I get fed up with them LOL

And of course there will be loads of lights and plenty of glitter...got to have glitter...

So I wish you all greetings of the festive season ♥

Friday 22 November 2013

Psychic supper, laughter and Elvis


Last night I had the absolute pleasure of attending a psychic supper led by two fabulous psychic mediums...Donna Bednall and Polly Harnett.

What an amazing evening!

Donna and Polly took the 'stage' and led an evening of message after message for everyone with lots of laughter and hilarious moments.  Not only did everyone get a message from spirit we were all throroughly entertained for the whole evening.

Admidst much laughter my guarded secret love of Elvis was revealed...it will take me a while to live that one down LOL

For more details on both these talented ladies:

www.donnabednall.thepsychicexperience.org
donnabednall@yahoo.com
07930819891

www.facebook.com/polly.harnett
07890735027

Thursday 21 November 2013

Wandering Witches and witchy bears


On Saturday the lovely Tracey (Sunchylde) and myself had a stall at the Wandering Witches Fayre in Bedhampton.

What an amazing day!  A whole hall full of witchy stalls ♥

All sorts of wonderful traders with woodcrafts, clothing, candles, leather crafts and artwork to  name but a few.

Also on the stage we were kept entertained for the day by musicians and singers.

Huge thanks to Andrea and Julie for the organisation, it was a resounding success and we are definitely looking forward to next years!

We may have also come home with a Witchy Hoodoo bear...competition for her name over on the Kitchen Witch facebook page...


Wednesday 20 November 2013

Stop hiding...

At a very good mediumship development class last night one of the other students whilst reading for me said "stop hiding"...

Which on the face of it seems a strange thing to say to me of all people, when I have spent the last year putting my head above the parapet and pimping myself to all (only in the marketing sense of the word, not actually as a lady of the night...).

But when I thought about it, the message was spot on.

I also had someone last week ask me about how I feel about standing up and speaking in front of lots of people and my answer was "if I am talking about the Craft then I love it, sharing my experiences and the knowledge I have gained and chatting with like minded people is wonderful".  I was then asked "but don't you put on a persona when you do it"...no I definitely don't.  What you see with me is pretty much what you get.  Oh sure I have masks like most people so that you don't get to see under all the emotional layers but when I am working at sharing the Craft whether it is as an author, a teacher or an High Priestess - it is me you get.

When I write you hopefully get the feeling that I am just sitting next to you chatting, that's how I like to read a book - if I need a dictionary and a thesaurus then I don't usually make it past the first page.  And that's how I like to do my talks and workshops, keep it simple, make everyone feel comfortable, grab a cup of tea and a slice of cake and let's have a chat style.  (Obviously there is always cake...)

As for the 'hiding' part, at the beginning of the year when the workshops and the talks started happening I was nervous about doing them on my own and for the first few I didn't stand up as just me, I had support (and I was very thankful for that) but the time has come to get out there as 'me'.  Don't get me wrong, I love working with my 'partner in crime' at Kitchen Witch, she is a total star and I wouldn't be without her, but I am talking about 'Rachel the author' and in fact the last couple of talks I have done have been just me sitting there in front of the audience and do you know what?...it was fabulous, and it is fabulous because it's just me and a group of people having a chat, sharing information and learning together.

I have already got quite a packed diary for next year, not just my events but also Kitchen Witch as well, but on the book front...well let's just say it's going to be another fabulously busy and exciting year...so much in store, so much plotting and scheming behind the scenes...2014 I hope you are ready for me!


Details of the 2014 schedule so far can be found on www.rachelpatterson.co.uk

Tuesday 19 November 2013

Beautiful Bath...

Last weekend was spent in the beautiful city of Bath and it really is a wonderful city.

All the stonework and the buildings tie in with the feel of the place, even new builds use the same pale yellow stone and are designed in keeping with the old and original.

The Roman Baths is a fantastic place to visit, so interesting to see and the guided talk is brilliant.  I recommend going in the evening as they light the actual baths with candles, it is breathtaking.  And of course you have the history of the Goddess Sulis there as well.  www.romanbaths.co.uk

The town itself has all the usual high street stores but also lots of independent and unusual ones as well along with huge amounts of restaurants and cafes.  We can highly recommend Bills and The Roman Baths Kitchen. 

There are also lovely walks to be taken all along the riverside, which was especially beautiful with all the autumn trees.

I could quite happily live there!





Friday 1 November 2013

Surprises, tears and Minion cake ♥

During the day yesterday I was part of a children's Halloween party at Chi Coffee with proceeds going to charity (Portsmouth Association for the Blind) - and what an exhausting but fun day it was!  Lots of children (and their parents), colouring, story telling, pumpkin designing (even the adults), guessing how many eyeballs in the jar and all sorts of mad fun and we raised money for charity too.

Then home about 5pm for two hours of trick or treaters at the door (and not one but two surprise bouquets of flowers and a box of chocs from dear friends) and a quick shower and change to head back out for what I thought was going to be a takeaway with my lovely friends at Chi Coffee to celebrate my 45th birthday...

Little did I know that for some weeks prior to yesterday lots of plotting, planning and scheming had gone on behind the scenes between some of the Kitchen Witch Coven and the Chi gang to organise a surprise birthday party for moi...I hadn't got a clue, not an inclining...not the merest hint that something was going on...so I headed into my first ever surprise party.

"Oh...it's a bit dark in the cafe, everyone must still be upstairs"...bang, flash, hurrahs...and all the lights went on... Standing before me were loads and loads of lovely friends - all dressed up in Halloween outfits!
Embarrassingly I was the normal looking one...something that doesn't happen very often to me.  Lots of hugs followed...til I saw my partner in crime at the Kitchen Witch school, Tracey - then my eyes sprung a leak and tissues were required (I'm such a wet).

The evening that followed was amazing fun, pass the parcel and party games, beautiful presents and the most amazing Minion cake (not sure it is at all right to be eating Minions...).

I am still somewhat overwhelmed and emotional today.

HUGE thanks to the lovely Sam (Starlit) who I understood did the planning, to Adam for making my beautiful besom (and all his taxi driving & photography), to Jane, Wayne, Sam, Megan and Lee for all the catering and the cake (and all the support), to my hubby for making sure I was in the right place at the right time and to Carol and Jess for helping Sam, to Ness and Josh for being fabulous, to Steve (for your support too), Lucas, Jacqui, Becky, Kate & Rob, Laurie, Kate, Gwen & children and Simon and Tracey (for your support as always) and to my children for behaving all evening ;-) and I hope I haven't forgotten anyone!

OK I know this blog post looks quite long but I really don't have the right words or enough words to express just how special you guys made me feel and how much it meant to me to have you all go to so much effort, I am really speechless...really I am!

Huge hugs and much love to you all, I am very blessed to have you all in my life.


P.S. for Wayne...the image of your fancy dress outfit will remain with me for my entire life...burned into my eyeballs ;-)