I am Kali...release your power!

I think 2014 has been a bit of a struggle for a lot of people and I am no exception, hanging onto the past, keeping hold of that which does not serve me, not standing in my own power...you get the picture...

As it is a New Moon and as I felt the need to have a big shift in energies I have spent the morning working magic.

I took two oracle cards from the Oracle of Shadows and Light (Lucy Cavendish & Jasmine Becket-Griffith).

I am Kali
From death comes rebirth. She represents the destruction phase of this natural cycle and it it her role to clear away all that is no longer needed. Kali clears all that is leeching off your energy, draining your strength and abrading those relationships that cannot do anything but keep you stuck.

and

Dress of Alchemy

Release your power! It is time for you to celebrate who you truly are at this time, to acknowledge that you have some energetic debris that needs to be cleared and when you do this, the gold of who you truly are will shine through.  It is no longer possible in this new energy to hid who you are.  You must take the time to be truly yourself.

I used a grey candle to release that which no longer serves me, to let go of the past, hate, fear, anger, guilt and to cut ties.  This candle I stood in front of the 'I am Kali' card and sprinkled sage, rosemary and star anise around the candle.  I also set a clear crystal next to it.

Then I used a pink candle to bring in love, friendship, trust, good things, wishes, hope and success for the future.  This candle I stood in front of the 'Dress of Alchemy' card and sprinkled carnation, cinnamon and strawberry leaves around it.  I also set a carnelian next to it.

I tied the two together with a beautiful gold candle from Twisted Sisters Tarot and Tools.

I put some gong sound bath music on and lit some charcoal and popped a loose incense blend on top of it.

The gold candle was lit first and from that I lit the grey one...as I sat and watched the flames I let go of all the issues I was holding on to...a few moments later I lit the pink candle (from the gold one) and visualised a happy and successful move forward.

As I sat and watched the candles burn I started to take the herbs from around the grey candle and drop them onto the charcoal allowing them to burn...once I had finished with the grey candle herbs I moved onto the pink candle and dropped those herbs onto the charcoal.

The gold candle burnt out first and I have to say the wax patterns it created were amazing to watch.

I have called upon the power of Kali, of death and rebirth to clear out, cleanse and help me to move forward, I have also asked the Goddess to help me regain my own inner power.

Oh yes...it's nearly finished...ahem...;-)

I am currently writing book five...if you ask me how far I am through it I will say "just over half way" unless you are my publisher then I might say "oh...nearly finished" ;-)

The contact for this one was signed ages ago...but I have to admit I struggled to make a start with it.   Chatting with the publishers deciding what to do next, what would fit, what people would like etc etc the question was "what are the main areas of the Craft that you work with as a Kitchen Witch?" one of the top answers was "herbs", which was interesting and exciting as it is one of my favourite subjects.  I don't mean medicinal herbs, although I did complete a quite extensive Herbalism course a few years back which involved learning about how the body worked, illnesses, medicinal herbs, how to make tinctures and the like...but it's not really 'my bag' I prefer to work with herbs on the magical level.

So the seed was planted and the challenge to write a book on magical herbs was taken on by myself and I did make a start, I researched all that there is to research (it feels like it anyway) but I couldn't get a hold on how I wanted to write the dang thing.  Big boss/owner publisher man said "make it inspirational"...no pressure there then...

So I faffed...and I procrastinated...and I faffed quite a lot more...I even set up a facebook page to inspire others and share the journey of writing this book with everyone out in facebook land
www.facebook.com/kitchenwitchmagicalherbs if you are interested.

But it wasn't until a few weeks ago that I had the epithany/aha/lightbulb moment...

I was writing it like a text book..NOT as me.  I don't do text book writing, it was a total yawnfest and if I was bored writing it then people reading it would most definitely be...

All change...butt kicked into gear...and now the book is being written as I would write anything else - my own style, my own way, my "sit down, grab a slice of cake and slurp your mug of tea whilst you read" kind of way...so now it is very much well under way.

Still some way to go yet but I will get there...Rome wasn't built in a day right?

Not only am I re-learning about herbs as I go but it is also deepening my fascination with their magical powers and making me laugh out loud at some of our wonderful folk lore.   But seriously the amount of herbs that have been traditionally used to protect AGAINST witches is just shocking ;-)

The everso hopeful publication date will be sometime this summer...I will keep you posted.

The not so short or catchy title is A Kitchen Witch's World of Magical Herbs & Plants.


www.rachelpatterson.co.uk
www.facebook.com/rachelpattersonbooks
www.facebook.com/kitchenwitchmagicalherbs

Guilty as charged m'lady...

I stumbled upon a blog post (via facebook) a couple of days ago that summed up a cycle that I keep repeating in my own life, the blog was entitled "Why Good People Feel Guilty" and the first paragraph reads:

There are numerous occasions in which a decision you’re obliged to make carries the unfortunate side effect of hurting someone else. That is, in taking the necessary steps to protect your welfare (personal safety, interests, boundaries, integrity) you may undeniably become the source of another’s woe. Assuming you’re a caring, considerate person, making such a decision will inevitably lead you to experience a certain amount of guilt. This uncomfortable feeling derives precisely from your compassionate response toward the other person’s pain.

The full article can be read here http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/201403/the-downside-compassion

Yep I carry guilt - been there, done that, read the book, got the t-shirt...heck I own the t-shirt company...

The pattern has repeated itself for me, I put myself out there with the intention of helping others and then bit by bit I realise I offer to do more, I put my own things aside to take on more for others, I let my own projects take a back seat, I end up being taken for granted, manipulated and used (not always intentionally on the part of others)...and so it goes on in a continual spiral downwards until I find myself forced to say something...which inevitably goes all pear shaped and I end up feeling like the bad guy.

The cycle also includes not speaking up when I should and allowing others to do things or take control of things that I don't necessarily agree with or want to do, but I keep quiet as I don't want to upset people.

Am I to blame?  Yep partly...I should start to say 'no' earlier in the process, I shouldn't get myself so involved, I should only give as much time/effort/energy as I can spare and keep enough for myself, my own projects and my own time.  This is a lesson that I need to learn...I am getting better at it but I feel that as 'giving and sharing' is a big part of my personality that it will be a difficult cycle to break out of.

There is no simple solution and I am pretty sure I am not alone in this cycle, I share this because I want others to know that you are not on your own, this does happen to other people including what possibly seems like a strong and confident character such as myself (read that as bossy and independent LOL).    I also want those that are on the other side of it to stop and think...if this sounds like a familiar situation to you, do you feel that someone has 'let you down'...just take a moment to look at the bigger picture...maybe things aren't quite as simple or one sided as you thought they were...

It will be an ongoing lesson for me...I need to get new 'big girl panties' and start again with the intention of not repeating the cycle... I make no promises, just hope...

Makeup, no makeup, confidence and scary eyebrows

Love all the 'no makeup' selfies that have been flying around facebook and all for such a good cause.  Although some of them seemed to miss the point and didn't have any mention or links about it being in aid of cancer.  Apparently it started with breast cancer awareness whereby people were sponsored to go without makeup, all money raised going to breast cancer charities.

However...the Independent newspaper says:

The no makeup selfie trend may have sparked a huge cancer awareness vs narcissism debate, but it is arguably more productive than previous viral trends, if the £1 million in donations made within just 24 hours is anything to go by.  Cancer Research UK has received more than 800,000 text donations since it began sharing the text code for donating on its Facebook and Twitter pages yesterday.

Having had a personal experience with ovarian cancer some years back and knowing a lovely lady that is on that particular journey right now I chose to donate my money to:

http://ovarian.org.uk/news-and-campaigning/ovarian-cancer-awareness-month

another good one is Macmillian:

http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Home.aspx

It did make me stop and think about makeup though - I had lots of lovely comments from people along the lines of 'oh you look better without makeup'...and for that I thank you all ♥ but...here's the thing...

When I was younger I did go without makeup (although not often it was the 80's after all) but then I also didn't need to wear a bra and my body hadn't been through two C sections and copious amounts of cake...

But my skin is now 45 years old and my dressing table mirror is incredibly honest, when I sit in front of it first thing in the morning it does not tell lies.  Don't get me wrong I feel very blessed and am more than happy with how I look, I am perfectly comfortable being ME.  But whatever way you cut it, makeup is a confidence booster. I don't consider that I wear a lot of it, I don't have the orange tint or scary eyebrows ;-) And having discovered last week after 22 years together that hubby doesn't like red lipstick that's been thrown out too...but I do like to put on 'a bit of slap' if I am going somewhere special and I do wear light make up every day.

However...I have worn less makeup in the last couple of days, choosing the 'natural' look rather than the false eyelash look and I have to say I like it.   I do wear make even if I am not going anywhere and I do it for two reasons 1. because it makes me feel better and 2. because even after those 22 years together I still like to make an effort and look nice for my hubby, not wearing any make up does make me feel like I couldn't be bothered (my own opinion, my own thoughts, not meant to be judgemental about anyone else!).

It probably won't stop me from wearing the Aunt Sally eye look when I go out partying next time but it has all been food for thought.

I guess it made me think - wear make up or not - it is YOUR choice, go with what makes YOU feel good and if it gives you confidence slap it on...just don't expect me not to laugh if you have scary eyebrows ;-)

Ignoring changes...

For the past few months the 'changes' card has shown up in any reading that I have had and quite frequently in my own daily oracle card draw...I ignored it...

I think a lot of people fear change although I don't think I am one of them particularly, I love new challenges and different ventures. I actually think I was a. too busy to really pay much attention to it and b. possibly in the back of my mind I fear that changes sometimes upset other people however unintentionally.

I had an amazing tarot reading on Sunday and it really kicked my butt into gear.  Yep change is happening, yep change has to happen - there has to occasionally be death for rebirth to occur.  Sometimes we get stuck in the same cycles, going around and around - this can be good if the cycle is positive and productive, but it isn't always.  A good 'shake up' can get rid of the 'mehs' and bring on the 'yay let's do this'...

I am a good one for getting myself into the same cyclic patterns but I do learn lessons from them, sometimes the lessons are harder than others - it's all a part of the learning curve of life isn't it?  And if I can help others along the way then all the better.

I think it is easy to believe you are sticking to the familiar because it works best for everyone, but that isn't always the case, it is good to take a step back and look at the big picture, get some real unbiased insight.

What should you do? What can you do to make your life better? Will your actions affect others? (this one is a toughie but be honest a change you make that on the surface may seem to adversely affect others may actually be helping them too).   Just small changes can have a big impact.

I also believe that this time of year is good for changes, look back over the past year and see what worked and what didn't, have a look at what makes your heart sing and what doesn't, see how your interactions with others affect not only them but yourself too.

Put together a plan, what do you dream of doing?  What would you like to happen?  What goals can you set to make your life better? (and hopefully the lives of others in the process).  Write your ideas down or make a vision board, piece together everything that you love to do and want to be involved in.  

YOU can make it happen, take back your own power and rock your own destiny.

The Tower tarot card image is from the Shadowscapes tarot deck by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law
http://www.shadowscapes.com/Tarot/

A Twisted Adventure...♥

I was very excited to be at the Chi market yesterday where the lovely Starlit and Psychic Gypsy premiered their new venture - Twisted Sisters Tarot & Tools.

The stall looked absolutely beautiful with all of Starlit's hand crafted goodies - poppets in all sorts of colours and sizes, gorgeous medicine pouches for every intent, hand rolled candle spells, witches bottles and deliciously scented incense and oil blends to name only some of the amazing items.  I came away with a whole bag full...

After my shopping spree I had a tarot reading with Psychic Gypsy...oh my word!  Amazing, insightful, inspiring and kick bottom does not even begin to describe it.  Details came out that Psychic Gypsy could not possibly have known, situations became clear and I came away with a huge sense of clarity (and a sweetie...).

Highly recommend these lovely ladies, they are at various local mind body spirit fairs in the coming months but can also be booked for private parties and readings.

Find them on facebook to be kept up to date with their new products and general shenanigans...

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Twisted-Sisters-Tarot-Tools/586844871410308

escapee chicks and playing with pots of dirt...

I am writing this now feeling truly, truly blessed ♥

I have not long been back home from our first Kitchen Witch ritual of the year - I have to admit to feeling a little bit 'rusty' having not had one since Yule last year.

Slight panic setting up in our yew tree grove and wondering where everyone was...only to discover they had all been waiting in the car park for me LOL.

The sun was shining, the grove of trees we work in has such a lovely energy and as we were setting up three large horses trotted past...lovely and spooky as we were going to be working with Rigantona.

I cannot adequately express how blessed we feel that so many lovely people turn up each time, our true 'regulars'  - I am sure it's not just for the cake...;-)  It was also fabulous to see new faces today too.

We had a lovely ritual and quite a lot of laughs including escapee chicks (not real ones) wind/lighter issues and playing with pots of dirt.

It is a real honour and pleasure to have spent time in circle with such a truly lovely group of people, many blessings to you all ♥

A cash and carry expedition...

Saturday I went on a  little adventure (dragging my ever patient and long suffering husband and children with me) to the local Indian cash and carry...I suspect I was the only one actually excited about the expedition...

Kitchen Witch are hosting a mini sabbat workshop on Saturday 12th April at Chi Coffee - a talk about Ostara and Beltane to include a short ritual and we will also be making a craft - the idea being to make a seed goddess.

So I needed seeds and spices to make it with, hence the trip to the cash and carry because I knew supermarkets would be way too expensive.

I was like a child in a sweet shop...

Huge bags of coriander, fennel, sesame and mustard seeds for about £4 - these spices cost about £1.50/£2 for a tiny jar in the supermarkets.

And of course the cash and carry held all sorts of other delights, we came away with possibly the biggest jar of garlic mayonnaise ever (for eldest offspring), some deliciously sweet and sticky Indian desserts and some powerful  hot chilli sauces and the most enormous and spectacular cinnamon barks I have ever seen (told you I was excited).  I could have purchased an awful lot more but we had come unprepared and only had so many hands to hold the bags in...

Herbs, spices, seeds, rice, breads, sweet treats, sauces, curry mixes, a huge selection of exotic fruit and vegetables and a butcher at the back of the shop as well - this could well be my most favourite place to shop.  

If you haven't investigated an Asian supermarket I encourage you to seek out your local store, you won't be disappointed - whether it is or culinary or magical use.

Altar dressing intuition ♥

I have two main altars in my home and a couple of other smaller ones...and a very understanding husband ;-)

One is dedicated to the Cailleach but I also dress it for the seasons, the other I tend to 'go with the flow'.  Yesterday was one of those days, I knew I had to re-dress the altar and I knew it had to be red but I had no idea how it was going to turn out or what the purpose or intent of it would be.  This happens occasionally so I tend to go with it and the reason becomes apparent on completion.

So red cloths came out as did anything with a heart on it, pink and red candles, pink crystals and pink rose buds from our wedding cake (aaaaah ♥).  My garden very kindly provided some pink camellias to put in a vase too.

I was drawn to place four cards from the Sassy She oracle deck - Knowing, Passion, Spirit and Heart...aha it was starting to make some sense now.

The wooden 'inner altar' has three little dishes on so I added rose petals, cinnamon and lemon balm to those.  All three for passion, love, strength and success.

Finished...and I have my altar for inner strength, self esteem and passion for what I do and who I am - et voila...all things happen for a reason and this is the altar that I need right now.

Trolls need not apply...

Very rarely will you see me rant...so this should be a nice treat for you ;-)

I seem to be spending an inordinate amount of time defending what I do, who I am or posts that I make on facebook at the moment and reading loads of negative doo doos from others.

Is it me or are the trolls and negative ninnys out in force?

So many supposedly enlighted spiritiual beings are fighting amongst themselves or judging others within their group (this phrase stolen from another religion springs to mind ... "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her")...just a thought...

Groups and people sometimes go their own way...fact...life changes, people change, views change...but does it all then have to be plastered over facebook with the 'he said, she said' thing?  Bearing in mind that versions of events related at a later date often aren't exactly how they originally started and even if the intentions are pure a story can be twisted and turned...accept that a split has happened for a good reason, remain friends if possible and go your own separate ways, move on with your life!  My own personal rule of thumb?   Judge a person on how they treat YOU, judge a person on how they speak to YOU, never listen to gossip, never rely on tittle tattle being the truth.  If you weren't there, if you didn't hear it with your own ears or see it with your own eyes then it ain't your business or your concern.  If you were directly involved, chalk it up as a life experience, learn a lesson from it, release it, let go of it and move forward - to do otherwise can only make you all bitter, twisted and most definitely squinky.

Now you all know that I am not a stickler for rules and that my Craft is made up from bits taken from all over the place that I have learnt along the way, my 'pick n mix' pathway - that doesn't make it wrong, in fact it makes it very, very right for me.    But I never judge another for their pathway or how they make it work for them...so I ask that you don't do it to me.

On the Kitchen Witch facebook page we share all sorts of information from all sorts of places, for reference...because knowledge is power right?  It doesn't mean we necessarily follow those practices, but others on the page might.  We have even had lengthy threads on there berrating us for showing how to make an orange skin candle...and not warning people about naked flames and oil being flammable...seriously people?  We are all grown ups and we would certainly hope that people know about not leaving a candle unattended...have we become such a 'nanny' planet that everything needs a health and safety warning on it?

And don't even get me started on the 'pagans shouldn't earn a living from spirituality' issue...that gets very old, very quickly.  (Unless you are charging stupid silly money for things then you deserve all the negative energy you get thrown at you). Based on a lovely quote I heard last week - "share your knowledge and experience freely, but you need to charge for your time and materials".

I read a lot of books, I review a lot of books - some I like, some I love, some I am indifferent to and some I hate...if I don't like them ...simple - I don't write a review about them.  My theory being that just because the book doesn't resonate with me, doesn't mean that it is a bad book, just means that it isn't for me, but for the next person it might be the best book they ever read.  (Obviously if a book is so badly written, terrible grammar/spelling/punctuation etc or the content is clearly plagerised then that may well be a different scenario).

I love my life, I love who I am, I love the people I choose to have around me (mostly...unless you steal my cake, then there will be consequences...just warning you...) but it takes a lot of hard work, time and effort to create my own little part of this world, what you put out there comes back to you, seriously it does...

Whatever you do whether it is your hobby, your life, your business, your relationships - it all needs passion, effort and work - if you put 100% of that into it then you can rest assured that it will pay off.  Oh you won't always please everyone all the time, we are humans after all and everyone has a bad day occasionally or wants the impossible, but as a general guide it works.  Don't pass the blame onto others when things fail...

Be the person you want to be, be the person you would like as a friend, treat others as you would like to be treated yourself, be respectful, leave the grumpy pants at home...share the love man...♥

Just a quick update...

Soooo busy at the moment...am part way through writing my newest book A Kitchen Witch's World of Magical Plants & Herbs - yeah I know...short catchy title ;-)

Just wanted to pop on here with the schedule for this year (so far), just in case you wanted to pencil anything into your diaries...or wanted to avoid LOL

Tues 4th March 2014 - The Psychic Experience open mic night, Portsmouth

Sun 9th March 2014 - Totem Animal Workshop (Kitchen Witch) in Portsmouth

Sat 15th March 2014 - Kitchen Ritual, Queen Elizabeth Country Park, Horndean

Sun 16th March 2014 - I will be at Chi Spring Market, Portsmouth

Weds 19th March 2014 - I will be talking at the Portsmouth OBOD & Havant Pagan Moot, Emsworth

Sat 5th April 2014 - Kitchen Witch will be at the Mind Body Spirit Experience, Wickham

Sat 12th April 2014 - Kitchen Witch Mini Sabbat Workshop - Ostara/Beltane, Portsmouth

Sun 27th April 2014 - Faeries & Elementals Workshop, Portsmouth

Sun 4th May 2014 - Kitchen Witch will be at the Fairy Fayre in Petersfield and running a workshop

Sat 10th May 2014 - Kitchen Witch will be at the Wandering Witches Fayre, Bedhampton

Sat 17th May 2014 - Kitchen Ritual, Queen Elizabeth Country Park, Horndean

Sun 1st June 2014 - Divination Workshop (Kitchen Witch), Portsmouth

Sat 14th June 2014 - Kitchen Witch Mini Sabbat Workshop - Litha/Lughnasadh, Portsmouth

Sat 21st June 2014 - Kitchen Witch will be at the Solstice Fair, Midhurst and running a workshop

Sat 19th July 2014 - Kitchen Ritual, Queen Elizabeth Country Park, Horndean

Sun 27th July 2014 - Hoodooo Workshop (Kitchen Witch), Portsmouth

Sun 31st Aug 2014 - Magical Herbs Workshop (Kitchen Witch), Portsmouth

Sat 13th Sep 2014 - Kitchen Witch Mini Sabbat Workshop - Mabon/Samhain, Portsmouth

Sat 18th Oct 2014 - Kitchen Ritual, Queen Elizabeth Country Park, Horndean

Sun 9th Nov 2014 - Healing with Crystals Workshop (Kitchen Witch), Portsmouth

Sat 15th Nov 2014 - Kitchen Witch will be at the Wandering Witches Fayre, Bedhampton

Sat 29th Nov 2014 - Kitchen Witch Mini Sabbat Workshop - Yule/Imbolc, Portsmouth

♥