Midsummer Reflections: A Mid-Year Journey into Your Magickal Self

Midsummer Reflections: A Mid-Year Journey into Your Magickal Self

Inspiration, Magickal Living, Nature Connection

Welcome to a journey of magick and self-discovery!

As we find ourselves at the middle of the year, it’s the perfect time to reflect on our paths so far and dream into the exciting adventures yet to come.

For this enchanted exploration, all you’ll need is a blank journal, your favourite quill (or pen), and an open mind ready to conjure powerful insights.

Let’s go!

8 Magickal Ways to Review Your Mid-Year

1. Spellbook of Intentions

At the start of the year, you may have set yourself some goals, which we’ll now call enchantments.

These are the spells you’ve cast out into the universe.

What were they, and how many of them have come true?

Look for any barriers that might have interfered with your magick – are there any patterns that can give you a clue to how to proceed?

2. Potion Brewing

Imagine you’re a master alchemist, brewing potions for various outcomes.

If you could brew a potion to instil a particular feeling or outcome for the rest of the year, what would it be?

Identify the magickal ingredients (skills, strengths, or external resources) you’ll need for your brew.

3. Time-Traveling Mirror

Gaze into your magickal mirror. 

Your past self from January appears – what would they say to you now?

Then, your future self at the end of the year shows up. What advice do they offer?

4. Magickal Creature Transformation

Transformative magick is a fascinating aspect of folklore.

If you could become any magickal creature, what would you choose?

Why?

The attributes of this creature could reveal aspects you wish to embody to help achieve your dreams and desires.

5. Enchanted Map

Pick up your quill and draw an enchanted map of your year so far.

What mystical landmarks (significant events) stand out?

Identify the dark forests (challenges) and the paths you took to traverse them.

Don’t forget to mark the hidden treasures (unexpected positive occurrences).

6. Crystal Ball Forecast

Peer into your crystal ball.

What do you foresee for the rest of the year?

Note down any visions and then plan the steps you can take to turn these predictions into reality.

7. Grimoire of Gratitude

In any magickal practice, gratitude is key.

Reflect on the magickal moments (blessings) you’re thankful for this year.

Think about ways to conjure more of this positive energy into your life.

8. Conjuring Confidence

Consider the moments this year when you’ve felt most powerful and magickal.

How can you channel that energy more often?

By doing so, you empower your inner wizard to create and attract the life you want.

Remember, this journey is your own.

Embrace your inner wizard, let your imagination soar, and let your creative energy spill onto the page.

You might surprise yourself with the profound wisdom you uncover.

Here’s to a magickal, bold, and fulfilling rest of the year!

Next Steps

Check out the Pinch of Magick app

A Pinch of Magick at Your Fingertips

Step into the realm of the extraordinary with ‘A Pinch of Magick’, your pocket-sized portal to enchantment.

Download ‘A Pinch of Magick’ and conjure up some enchantment on your smartphone today.

Learn More

Celebrating the Spring Equinox

Celebrating the Spring Equinox

Inspiration, Magickal Living, Nature Connection, Sacred Rhythms

Connect with the energy of the Spring Equinox

Here’s some fun ways for you to connect with, and enjoy, the energy of the Spring Equinox

Jump straight to the practical activities:

Time to start moving forward

Spring Equinox is a festival that celebrates the first day of spring.

It is sometimes known as ‘Ostara’ if you celebrate Ostara, the ancient Germanic goddess of the spring, 

Around the Spring Equinox, days are getting longer and warmer, and the nights shorter.

This is a time of balance.

The balance of light and dark.

The balance of the inner world and outer world.

The balance and joining of the conscious and unconscious.

The Spring Equinox is marked on 20th/21st of March in the Northern Hemisphere, and  the 20th/21st of September in the Southern Hemisphere.

The earth energy is rising and increasing, and there is a feeling of moving forward and burgeoning possibility.

Nature is coming alive, the sun is gaining in strength. Trees are blossoming and the spring flowers are bursting forth with their colour and vibrancy. Animals are having their young.

We’re surrounded by life’s ability to regenerate.

We move from the darkness and stillness of winter, to an outward expression of life’s growth cycle.

The Spring Equinox brings with it the energy of fresh starts and is a time to express and move towards that which you want.

March also brings with it the energy of rebirth and signifies the astrological New Year as the sun moves into Aries, the beginning of the zodiac wheel.

Celebrating the Spring Equinox

Spring has been a time of celebration throughout history, with people gathering to mark the return of life at the end of the dark winter months.

The ancient Mayans held a festival to honour the god of fertility and planting, the Hindu festival of Holi, also known as the “Festival of Colours,” is celebrated to mark the beginning of spring.

Nowruz is the Persian New Year, which is celebrated on the Spring Equinox, and Christians, who absorbed many traditional earth celebrations into their traditions, observe Easter in the energy of Spring as they celebrate the energy of rebirth and resurrection.

During the Spring Equinox I love to decorate eggs (and get some chocolate ones!) and hide them around the garden – or the house, as I do live in the notoriously wet UK! –  for my little boy to find. And we’ll also plant seeds to symbolise the the renewal of life.

And of course there’s the celebration(?), well, at least the ritual… of spring cleaning! To physically, and symbolically, clear out the old to make way for the new.

 

Ancient wisdom for modern times

Celebrating the Spring Equinox, and other earth festivals or sabbats, helps us connect with the natural world and the cycles of the seasons. They remind us that we are part of something larger than ourselves and that there is a deeper rhythm to life that we are tapped into.

This is especially important as we tend to live to the timetables of other people. And connecting to the changes of the seasons, reminds us that there’s another way to live our life and that if we struggle with the traditional 9-5 lifestyle, there’s another rhythm we can align with.

Pausing to observe the Spring Equinox doesn’t have to be fancy. You can simply take a moment to notice how the world around you is changing and how that energy is reflected or changing within you.

For example, right now, where I live, the daffodils and crocuses are all around me. We’ve gone from the muddy brown fields, to white snowdrops, and now we have the colourful yellow and purples of the daffodils and crocuses lining the paths.

New life, new hope and more energy is on the way.

Spring reminds us, that no matter how dark, wet, cold or barren winter has been, we can always trust that spring will return.

In our own lives, we can remember that no matter how ‘dark’ and barren a circumstance can appear, it won’t always feel that way!

Connect with the energy of the Spring Equinox

Whilst you don’t need to do anything special to celebrate the Spring Equinox, it does always feel special to me to do something with a little more intention, for example, you could:

1. Plant some seeds

The Spring Equinox is the perfect time to start planning and planting a garden, or even some plants on your window sill.

Get your hands in the earth and start sowing some seeds, and intentions, and trust that they’ll come to fruition as the months go on.

 

2. Go for a walk in nature

Take a walk through the countryside, the woods, a local park, or even walk down the city street looking for signs of new life emerging.

Immerse yourself in the beauty and energy of the season.

 

3. Create a springtime altar

Use natural elements like flowers, branches, and stones to create a beautiful altar that honours the changing of the seasons.

You could also include symbolic items like eggs or seeds to represent new beginnings and growth.

 

4. Have a picnic

Enjoy a nourishing picnic in the park with family, friends or just by yourself. You may even want to incorporate some colorful spring flowers into your experience.

 

2. Make a springtime craft

Get creative and make a spring-themed craft, such as a floral wreath, a mini besom broom for your altar – or a full size one for your house, or paint and decorate some eggs.

Tap into your creative energy and bring some seasonal colour into your home.

Finally, some Journal Prompts to Connect with the Energy of the Spring Equinox:

  • What new beginnings am I ready to embrace this Spring?
  • What are some ways I can honor the changes happening in my life right now?
  • What seeds of intention am I planting for the months ahead?
  • What habits, patterns or behaviours do I need to release in order to make room for growth and renewal?
  • How can I connect with the natural world and the rhythms of the season?
  • What areas of my life could benefit from some spring cleaning or decluttering?
  • What are some ways I can tap into my creativity and bring more joy and playfulness into my life?
  • How can I cultivate a sense of abundance and generosity in all areas of my life?

Next Steps

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What’s going on beneath the surface?

What’s going on beneath the surface?

Nature Connection

“The Map is not the territory”

Twenty or so years ago I heard those words on one of the first personal development courses I went on.

It was a year long training where we spent weekends in the New Forest discovering how we communicated with ourselves and uncovering the stories and beliefs that we used to shape our worlds.

Some of those stories were useful, and some it was time to let go of!

During that year, I remember that we did high ropes courses, jumping off telegraph poles to grab trapezes, we took night walks and learnt incredible things about nature – did you know that there’s a type of moss that will burn as an ember for hours, and some grass that tastes like marzipan, and owls triangulate their sound to hunt?

I also remember that phrase: The map is not the territory.

Basically the way I understood it, it was saying that someone’s outward behaviour, what they show you, doesn’t mean that’s their true self.

Their behaviour is just one part of them, not all of them.

The same for how we see ourselves. We may think that we’re not good at something, and that may be the story we tell ourselves, but is that really true?

Is that really true in all areas of our lives, or just one area, or was it  on just one occasion?

I was reminded of this phrase again today when I visited the national cave centre in Wales and this was the first view that I had:

It’s beautiful.

Lush, rolling hills and rich green trees, and in typical Welsh fashion, it had just been raining, so everything felt more vibrant and alive.

Seeing the hills, it would be easy to take that as the story of the land.

Their beauty would be enough to satisfy most nature lovers.

However under these hills lay the most extraordinary caves, rich in their own beauty:

There was a cave as big as a cathedral and equally as impressive, there were waterfalls, rivers and incredible rock formations of all shapes, sizes and colours.

I love being in (large and spacious!) caves. They make me feel so deeply calm, connected and peaceful, and yet when I shared the images on instagram, someone commented ‘Caves are a no go for me’.

Same caves, different story and experiences.

Neither is right or wrong, they are just different.

When we encounter a person, a behaviour, a situation, we tell ourself a story about it and them. This story will be based on our own experiences, expectations or what we’ve been taught

We like things to be clearly one thing or another. To be black and white, right or wrong, good or bad, but that is rarely the case.

Seeing the hills today, with their hidden treasure reminded me that on first sight we rarely know what’s going on beneath the surface… with people, behaviours, hillsides, even sometimes with ourselves.

If a city was to be built on top of this hillside, the grass would indeed be gone, but the beauty under the surface would still be there.

The caves only came to light because two brothers were brave enough and curious enough to go and explore.

What if you had that same sense of curiosity about the things and people you came across?

When we take the time to ask:

What story am I telling myself about this person, behaviour, situation, feeling etc?

When we take the time to be curious about:

What’s going on beneath the surface…

We might just be surprised at what we do discover.

After the storm has passed

After the storm has passed

Inspiration, Nature Connection

“Storms don’t come to teach us painful lessons, rather the are meant to wash us clean” – Shannon L. Alder

The other day I was scrolling through facebook, when something caught my eye.

It was an article about a prehistoric forest that had been uncovered after a recent storm.

When I first saw the photo, I thought, “Wow, I’d love to see that”, and was about to scroll past, when curiosity (and a little voice inside) got the better of me and I read the full article:

“A prehistoric forest which was buried under water and sand more than 4,500 years ago has been uncovered by Storm Hannah.

The petrified trees lie between Ynyslas and Borth in Ceredigion county.

The forest has become associated with a 17th Century myth of a sunken civilization known as ‘Cantre’r Gwaelod’, or the ‘Sunken Hundred’.

It is believed the area was a once-fertile land and township protected by floodgates.

The remains of the forest’s trees, preserved in the local peat, have been exposed by low tides and high winds.” – BBC Website

Borth! I couldn’t believe it, for some reason I’d assumed the photo had been taken abroad, but Borth is my closest beach – it’s still over an hour away, but it’s an area I’ve visited regularly the whole time I’ve lived in Herefordshire – about 7 years now.

I quickly looked at the date of the article, it was only a few days old, the chance of the trees still being visible was high, so with the call of trees and the beach, how could I resist a trip to see for myself!

Even low tide aligned with a perfect day to the beach.

It was incredible to see.

I chatted to a few other people walking around the forest remains, one woman had travelled three hours to visit, and another 2 hours.

I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve visited these beaches, and I had never known about the trees.

Yet a chance scroll through facebook, a trust in the curiosity to read more, the divine timing of coming across the article and the perfect time of low tide, allowed me to combine a few of my favourite things; trees, beaches and adventure.

The uncovering of the trees reminded me of the power of the storms to reveal what we didn’t know was right under our noses.

The same is true for life-storms.

Not all storms are here to destroy us or tell us to turn back and seek shelter, many are here to reveal more of our truth to us.

In the SHEro’s Journey, the second stage of the four part journey is the Significant Challenge. It’s during this stage that we can feel as we’re in the eye of the storm, feeling tested to our limits.

Some people see this as a time to turn back, or a sign that they’re on the wrong path.

But like storm Hannah and the prehistoric forest, sometimes the storms are here to reveal the treasure that lies within.

The challenges of life storms give you a chance to review your choices, to decide how committed you are to what you’re after. They offer you the opportunity to grow and become stronger, to deepen your resolve so that you can move closer to and achieve what you desire.

Storms can reveal to you what was once hidden, in the case of the beach it was the prehistoric forest, but what treasure do the storms reveal about you?

The Importance of Reclaiming The Moon

The Importance of Reclaiming The Moon

Lunar Love, Nature Connection

Women have always been deeply connected to the earth, and to the wisdom of nature.

Through her menstrual cycle, she is connected to the cycles around her, such as, the seasons, the moon phases, the ebb and flow of the tides, and the cycle of life and death.

Once upon a time, this wisdom, this understanding of the mysteries of life, were passed down from woman to woman, from mother to daughter, but over the centuries things began to change.

These, once revered, cycles that were honoured as a circle, began to be seen as inferior to a line.

The circle that had no beginning, or no end, and no hierarchy, was replaced with the line that had a bottom and a top, and a superior and inferior position.

The mysteries and connection to the earth began to be rejected. Intuition, emotions, and healing were ridiculed.

 

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