Witches Online - New Generation, 6

😁

Patrick Chase2 said:http://www.whywiccanssuck.com/parody.html

This part from Ryan Wilson2's link is peak comedy. 😁 😁 😁

By the way... that site was built by people who
"actually know what REAL magic is, unlike those freaking amateurs..."

Honestly, isn't that whole site just another shadow projection?

It’s not like the creators of whywiccanssuck.com didn't dump a massive amount of energy into this just to prove something to us—proving nothing more and nothing less than the truth about ACTUAL WITCHCRAFT 🙄 😁 😁

Because you can look at the parody section of that site—the part mocking typical Wiccan sites—in at least two different ways...

A) As a solid roast of those ridiculous amateur websites that are so common even Google couldn't count them all...
B) Or as another serious site that's actually saying all the important things... just using the language of shadows 😉

Maybe the author didn't know how to say it directly, so they said it through "parody" instead. 😁

Thomas Mendoza5 said:Edward Patel81... you ever think about exploring the other properties of our local plants? You know... those more perceptual qualities? 🙄 😁 😉

Give me an old grandma recipe for some pain-killing tea. 😁

I know one... chloral hydrate. 😁 😁 😁

But I'm holding off on giving it to you until I figure out how to stitch my gut back together after this surgery so it feels like it did before... wouldn't want any nasty awakenings once this stuff wears off. 🙄

dustywolf13 said:Is it a bit too poetic or dreamy of me to expect to learn how to brew all sorts of potions, cast spells, and things like that... for good purposes, obviously... does even such a thing exist?

🙂 🙂

Haven't you realized by now that you've already done exactly that?

Every single desire you manifest and "set into motion" is effectively you casting a spell, and I always find myself remembering how someone once pointed out that whenever I want something and start moving toward it, I’m essentially putting the entire universe in motion just to make it happen... but hah, there's a tiny little trap hidden in there, isn't there?
Am I actually speaking from within that desire... because if I'm not, then the universe is going to move on behalf of whoever is actually representing that wish.🙂)))

Just imagine if I end up working toward a desire that isn't even mine, and suddenly the neighbor gets the new bike instead of me! grrrrrrrr

I can never get enough of dissecting this topic—trying to figure out what truly belongs to me and what doesn't...
because I know that's the key to finding that secret little gingerbread house..
And let me tell you, it is no small task to call everything within myself by its true name..

...
When two people cross paths, there's always one who "receives" and another who "gives," and just imagine a tiny fragment, a thought... traveling my way, while another travels from me toward them, in the opposite direction..
That little piece finds its home inside me, it sticks, it nests...
just as it does with the other person, and it doesn't even matter how much of it happens, because even the smallest amount counts..

And then, once the conversation is over, we both head our separate ways, processing the story through those little fragments they always have to tell us..

It is vital that we actually listen to them, because later, when we reach a crucial turning point and start pulling all those initial fragments out of ourselves to set them in motion, we need to know damn well which ones are ours and which ones came from someone else..

Tea for pain relief? What kind of pain are we talking about?

Heh, Buffy, a demon on the path to enlightenment... what else could possibly crawl out of the woodwork..😁 😉 🙂

My dearest witches, wiccans, and those of you still finding your way!

So, what I’m starting to share here today is part of a little ritual involving planting medicinal herbs. Everything I’m rambling about is strictly personal experience. There aren't any rigid rules I've read in some book that I'm following; I just listen to my gut, lean on what I've learned over the years, and apply the knowledge gathered at the Witches.

Since this is a bit of a "work in progress," I’d welcome any suggestions or corrections if I’m doing anything "wrong." Or better yet—since there really is no such thing as a wrong action—I'd love some guidance or focused direction from someone with more expertise (maybe Snake, V.?).

The slope where I’ll begin planting faces south; basically, it's bathed in sun almost all day long. That glowing orb arcs from left to right, feeding much-needed energy into the land and the seeds. Because it's a hillside, the sun hits this patch of earth at a near angle, which works in our favor. The site is tucked away in nature, pretty much untouched—surrounded by ridges, close enough to the main highway to be accessible, but far enough to feel isolated. You can only get to this spot on foot.
First, I need to perform the ritual of bowing deeply to grandmother land. My plan is to lie face down on every single square inch of soil and ask grandmother land to grant me a blessing—to let her energy swirl through my body and back into the earth again. It’s about circulating energy from the land, through me, and back into the ground, while asking permission to start digging.

Then comes the second ritual, where I release my own energy into the earth and circle it back to myself. I personally call it the "small and large circle."

These two rituals don't contradict each other at all; after all, the energy we hold is one and the same. We just direct it toward different points. Letting the earth's energy pass through my body gives me strength and seeks grandmother land's blessing, while sending my own energy into the dirt dictates how I'll interact with the medicinal plants later.

(more to come...)

Alright, folks, listen up,

I’ve gotta share my first solo attempt at digging. Finally had a gorgeous day today, so I decided to stop talking theory and actually go out and do it. Grabbed the dog and headed out to the field.

Look, I know the theory behind digging. But in reality, someone else always did the heavy lifting while I just stood there watching. Not this time.

Grabbed my gear, marked out the plot, did the initial ritual, and got to work.

Lesson number one:—doing stuff you don't actually know how to do is a total nightmare.

So, while my lazy dog was snoozing about two feet away from me, I was basically gambling with sciatica, lower back pain, slipped discs, and blisters all over my hands—mostly because it took me a solid thirty minutes to realize I was digging in the completely wrong direction.

Thank God for ancestral instincts. Intelligence doesn't have to be fast; it just has to show up eventually.😁

Lesson number two:—if you turn your nose up at help from the pros, you're choosing the hard way. You're doing everything with your own two hands, which makes the job twice as long and twice as grueling. You learn by failing and hitting the mark later.

Lesson number three:—once you've survived the hardest part of the job through pure grit, the sunset hits different. You'll want to shower that lazy dog at your feet with kisses, and you'll actually be happy to take advice when it's offered. Why? Because you've proven to yourself that you can handle it alone, and you won't fall into the trap of becoming dependent on some "teacher."

Anyway, until we next meet with the grandmother land, stay healthy, stay happy, and enjoy the start of spring and whatever it brings.😉 🙂

If anyone happens to run into Solaris, please let her know I'm looking for a quick DM... she’s unfortunately disabled that option 😢 .

My thanks to all the online witches and wizards 😁

So, where did the magic tree go? 😕 👋

________________________________________________

I spent some time today crafting a little doll.
I left it out under the sun, letting it soak up every bit of light.
I wanted that warmth to permeate every single cell of its body and soul,
charging it with enough energy for everything it needs to face in the near future.

During my meditation, I held it right in the palm of my hand 🙂 , feeling my hands grow warmer and warmer from this overwhelming surge of love.
My goal is to protect it, to heal it, to show it what freedom feels like, and then finally set it loose like a bird in flight. 🙂

It will never have to feel lonely or rejected ever again.

🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

Ugh, it was freezing out, and I’m already wired at a hundred miles an hour... but hey, the land doesn't care how I feel.

So, off I go with two bags of cow manure ready to work the soil. Didn't go solo this time, which kind of killed the vibe, but whatever—not going to lose sleep over it.

Spread the manure and dug back into the earth. Honestly? It exhausted me and cleared my head instantly. This wasn't some formal ritual today, but it felt necessary.

I paused for a second just staring up at the gray sky, eyes closed, trying to pick out the birdsong. It hit me again—my plot faces west. I love the west. I just instinctively gravitate toward it. Then I remembered Snake mentioned that altars at Witta face west... and even with Native Americans... nothing is a coincidence. Just a thought while I swung the hoe into the ground again.

Such a beautiful spot. You won't find me here for the next week. Coming from a traditional Christian family, you have to follow certain rules, including the ban on working the land. It's "controlled madness." Like back in the days of the Inquisition, I have to hide what I'm doing from my own neighbors.😁 😉

Heading down the slope feeling good about the work done. Maybe I'll manage to steal an afternoon just to sneak away for a little chat with the land.

Now, time to focus on the seeds. 😉

Sole, 👋 👋 👋 👋

The last time I was actually out there swinging a shovel, someone had the nerve to comment on my technique by saying something like, "Hey, you're throwing too much dirt over your shoulder, you're gonna hit yourself..."😁😁

That was the moment it clicked for me—I realized I needed to find a completely different way to express myself...

And now that I’ve sat here and really chewed on it for a while... doesn't that kind of behavior reflect how everyone else operates, too? Honestly, what is it with people?😁

You reap exactly what you sow...

There it is. Stopped by my little patch of future homegrown remedies for the masses today.

The land is sleeping soundly. Honestly, just looking at it felt peaceful. It’s soaking up the sun and feeding on all that rich, organic compost.
Let it rest for a bit longer. I'll be back out there swinging the hoe soon enough.
Just for a minute, though. Then it's straight to using the rakes to get those garden beds looking perfect.

Anyway.

Time to focus on the seeds. I need to tell them a story. A different one for every single one.

But that’ll have to wait until the new moon.🙂

We finally pulled it off. My friends and I. Friends? That feels like too weak a word for what ties us together. But anything else would just sound pretentious.
Backpacks on, we’re trekking toward that little cabin tucked between three hills. Nobody’s lived there for years.
It’ll be about an hour of easy walking to get there. We should arrive sometime late in the afternoon. We could have driven, sure. But today, we decided to cut out the modern comforts and civilization as much as possible.

Once we gather some stones, we’ll set them in a circle and fill the center with kindling. It burns best at the start while the fire is still catching.
Sitting around the flames, we’ll talk about the usual stuff. About us. Our lives, our cravings, our hopes, our failures, all our stupid mistakes. We’re all young, yet somehow we feel older than some of the oldest folks on this planet. We act as mirrors for one another; finally sitting by the fire, we're just staring at our own reflections.

I’m going to toss some couscous into a pot over the fire: just three handfuls, enough to lightly toast until it turns that golden color.
The meal is a ritual. One of us prepares the food and pours their own energy into it. This time, it’s me. So, I’m making sure my thoughts stay clear and happy. I want to feel nothing but warmth and gratitude for being here with my people. Because honestly, I might not have made it.

I’ll pour in a steady stream of milk. It’ll take a minute for the porridge to thicken. Sage and thyme are already waiting on the side, along with a cinnamon stick. Everything is freshly picked—except the cinnamon, obviously. You add the spices at the very end, once the pot is off the heat. Let it sit for a bit, then serve. The aroma stays with you.

I’ll grab the bowls and divvy it up evenly. For toppings, we’ve got honey, brown sugar, and chocolate chips. Just grab what you want.
Night has already fallen. We’re pulling risen dough from the cellar. The edge of the fire is nothing but embers and ash now. Perfect for shaping little rolls and burying them deep in the coals.

First, we eat the porridge. Our mouths are full of gratitude. There is nothing sweeter than eating with the people you love.
"You are what you eat." In my opinion, that’s a phrase that gets misinterpreted way too often. It’s not about the specific food; it’s about *how* you eat.
Food is something material that we created with our own hands in this world. By turning a meal into a ritual, we can consecrate it and breathe a certain spirit into it. That spirit comes back to us generously after digestion. Whatever state of mind was present during the prep and the eating is exactly what will wash over us once those ingredients settle.

Everyone will shape their own rolls and shove them into the ash and embers. It’s no wonder that "naked chef" type guy became so famous on TV. He finally dared to strip away the myth of sterile food prep and actually inject soul into the process. Our hands are stained black and gray, just like that.

Water is boiling in the kettle for tea. We haven't decided on the blend yet. Shadows are dancing across our faces. Every single one of us has eyes that glow with an inner fire.
The conversation will drift toward how modern life has alienated people from themselves. How the ignorance behind food preparation is a direct cause of the obesity epidemic sweeping through the population. It isn't about *what* you eat, it's about *how* you eat. Personally, I don't divide people into meat-eaters and vegetarians; I divide them into those who know how to eat and those who don't.
What's the point of calorie counting and "healthy food" if the preparation remains the same—rushed and mindless? It feels like it's being forced on us that one meaningful, conscious meal is better than seven calorie-balanced snacks shoved down your throat in a hurry.

Hmm, maybe some music now? Should we make it ourselves, or just put on a CD?

Things aren't always what they seem. 😉

Well, the moment has finally arrived.

The plot is split right down the middle, then each half is broken into three mounds, and every mound holds three garden beds.
Why? Honestly, I have no clue. Just intuition. It’s always like this—you do something purely on instinct and then spend the rest of your time trying to figure out why you did it.

It was a gorgeous day. The wind was howling through the trees in the nearby woods with enough force to create this incredible, natural musical backdrop.

Once the usual prep work was done, it was time to get planting. Showing the seeds to the sun, letting them catch the breeze, covering them with soil, and finishing off with plenty of water.
Here was the lineup:
Basil first. My absolute favorite.
Then sage next to it. Or wait, if I can even find any...
Under the basil goes mint; under the sage, thyme; and finally, oregano.

One mound stayed empty for now. That one is reserved for lemongrass. I’m having a bit of a hard time tracking down some good seedlings, but I’ll figure it out eventually.

Watering was an entire production in itself. I had to haul water up from the well nearby. Look, it’s not rocket science, but when you consider the garden is perched on a hill, the well is about 300 meters down, and I’m hiking back and forth ten times carrying a bucket that's basically half my body weight... yeah, those beads of sweat running down my back were totally justified.😁
Thank God there's music to keep me going; it makes everything easier. And hey, I realized that learning how to sling a heavy bucket is actually an art form with its own set of rules.
Like I said before, thank God for the intelligence and the raw instincts our ancestors left deep inside us.😉

Once the work was finished, I just sat there and soaked in what I’d accomplished. Sure, the garden looks a little bit like a collection of hills—edged with brick and stone and shaped in a pretty weird way—but to me, it’s absolutely beautiful. 🙂

Oh, and one more thing I learned: weeding is a hell of a lot easier if you scrape the surface grass away with a hoe first.😁 😉

For about a year now, I’ve been obsessed with almond trees. If anyone reading these travelogues from a self-taught gardener knows where to pick up some almond nursery starts, I would be more than grateful.🙏

Big hug for all!😉

Back in my garden again today. It’s been bone-dry this year; they say we haven't seen a drought like this since 1958.
I was hauling water from the well like usual, and man, this ground just keeps thirsting for more. "It never ends," I thought to myself..🙂

But hey, the work paid off. I can already see the first little sprouts peeking through, even though the seeds only went under the dirt a few days ago?!
I guess there really is something to those little rituals—singing to the soil and talking to the earth..😉 Now I'm sitting here wondering why I'm acting such a fool, playing the part of unfaithful Thomas..😁

On the drive home, I fired up the car. I’d accidentally bumped the radio over to an NPR station because the static from the nearby woods was driving me crazy. I was about to change the dial immediately because the announcer was just rambling on, but I paused halfway to hunt for some music.. then the woman said something "magical":"And so, on the other side of the garden, lived a slender, beautiful lemon tree."

Well, there I am, having just left my own garden, while this woman on a radio station I don't even listen to is telling a story about a garden.. A smile just flashed across my face, and for the first time, I decided to actually listen to what she had to say instead of just blasting some tunes..🙂

Want me to tell you the story? Fine, I'll give it my best shot. I didn't catch the beginning, but the ending was enough for me to reconstruct the whole thing:

"In one garden lived a beautiful lettuce. On the far side of the garden lived a handsome lemon tree. Slender, with magnificent branches and fragrant fruit.

After just a few moments, it became clear to everyone that the lettuce and the lemon had been tenderly in love for years.

You might ask how it's possible for them to love each other when they're on opposite sides of the garden? Did their roots intertwine? Do forgetful butterflies carry their love notes and sighs back and forth?

No..
By human standards, a love like that is hard to grasp. But...

Every single time, they would unite in a salad bowl.
Their passionate embraces would mingle there, where all their longing and sighs were finally brought together.
First, a strong woman—the mistress of the house—would harvest the finest, freshest lettuce leaves, and then she’d pick the juiciest, ripest lemon. She’d squeeze half of it and slice the other half. Then she’d toss it all together in a bowl with a few drops of olive oil. Sometimes, a stubborn egg, a radish, or an onion would join the wedding feast of lettuce and lemon. And sometimes, they loved each other all alone.
It goes without saying that the children of that household were rosy-cheeked, healthy, and happy. So, that’s the garden tale of the tender love between the beautiful lettuce and the slender lemon prince."🙂

Maybe I'm just being totally delusional, but on the way home, I couldn't shake this vague smile from my face. My fingernails were stained black with dirt, my scratched-up legs were pressing down on the gas pedal, and every pore in my body was screaming for a shower, but in that moment, I was just completely and foolishly happy... It's funny how little it takes to feel happy, yet people always say that's exactly what we're missing most often..

Anyway, enough of that. Time to get serious..

🙂 It’s gorgeous... honestly, you’ve got the garden all set—all you need now is some Adam to make it feel like a little slice of paradise 😁 😉

Man, do I need to hang a sign out front that says "No Snakes Allowed!"?😁 😁 😉

Paul Campbell3 said:Well, if I go through with this, I’ll probably have to hang a sign out front that reads: "No Snakes Allowed!"😁 😁 😉

😕 If you do that, you're essentially just barring yourself from your own garden.😕 🙂 😁

Paul Campbell3 said:Well, I suppose I’ll have to hang a sign out front that reads: "No Snakes Allowed!"😁 😁 😉

Not even a massive python?

Now you just need to find a way to deal with that swarm of unwanted guests...