What Makes A Witch Authentic?

Hello my Witchlings,

I've been gone for far too long. You could say that I've been off zooming on my broom but the truth is, that broom has been standing in the corner gathering dust. Bad Witchy. No cookie for me. I truly hope to make more of an effort with this blog by posting at least once a week - although the book reviews will be little rather than often.

I realised I've been spending far too much of my precious witchy time reviewing books, and as enjoyable as it once was, we all know that we head to amazon to check out previous buyers opinions rather than trawling blogs. So I asked my friends what they would like me to do; book review or blog authentically with creations. It was a resounding BLOG AUTHENTICALLY WITH CREATION along with the sweetest "We miss YOU" message. It touched my heart very deeply. I have listened and here I am with a rather brilliant topic and question I think. (Please do let me know your opinions).

 

The other night I dreamt of having animals outside of my bedroom door, I'm still deciphering what this dream actually means based on the animals that were there, but I really believe that there is a deep and meaningful message to it. I have always believed in the power of my dreamtime, and have over the quarter of a century of my existence (goddess that makes me sound old - I'm only 25), had a great many of prophetic dreams that many have scoffed at. The thing is, I never asked for anyone's permission or validation of these dreams, I simply shared them with whom I thought were like minded folk. I know my self, I know my own inner mechanical workings, I have all the validation within. Which, going back to the subject I am discussing with you here means that when it comes to me and my dreamtime - I am authentically assured.

 

But what makes a witch authentic?

 

 

This is a question that I began my day with this morning when my darling little Mr Magick Man woke me up at 5:15am and we snuggled and purred (You do know I'm talking about my Cat here don't you? ;) ) and I grabbed a witchy book from the side and began reading. I began to wonder exactly what does make an authentic witch, and I knew from that moment it would make an excellent discussion here amongst us.

 

So what does make a witch authentic in her/him self, in her/his practice, and perhaps in her/his teachings? Is it the clothes they wear, the jewellery they display, the ritualistic photos that are splashed across social media, or is it even the branch of the craft that they practice? I don't think it is at all. Before, when I was just starting out on my path I thought it was so super important for me to have the elaborate altar in my home, because that would make me a witch, and I thought that if I had witchy items displayed in my bedroom and home and even garden that would make me a witch for sure. I was young, naive, and a beginner. Who hasn't got some "Oppsy" to share about their beginnings in the craft. 

 



Over time I have come to realise that it really doesn't matter how often you miss a lunar cycle ritual, or even that you forget to cast a spell on the full moon, and you don't always have a witchy altar on display, heck you may not even pick up a book on the craft for months. Your pentacle is in your jewellery box, the candles are low on stock, you may even have forgotten some of the theory you once learnt. But NONE of that matters. Not one tiny bit. Not to the Goddess, Not to the God, and it certainly shouldn't matter to You.

What does matter however is the intention and purity within your heart. Do you always try to be grateful? Do you smile at passers by? Do you try to help whenever you can, in whatever way you can? Do you feel fondness for Mother Nature; the trees, flowers, plants, grass? Do you feel the love for the animal kingdom and realise just how blessed you are to share your existence with all of them and the beauty of this world? Then I believe within my heart that all of that is what makes you an Authentic Witch. When you feel a calling to the craft path, and you honour that calling AS and WHEN you can with or without the extras, then you are being authentic in your craft practice, your life as a follower of the craft, and as a teacher of the craft as you go about your day to day living setting an example to those around you. All the other stuff is just glitter. And we can sparkle with or without the physical glitter.

I'd love to hear your thoughts about what you think makes an authentic witch, and how you remain authentic in your craft practice. If you have time, please stop by my lovely friend Lyn Thurman's blog where she's posted a blog of a sister theme to this one on how you can feel more witchy. It really is a most excellent read. Just click on the picture below and don't forget to mention who sent you :)

 

 

Until Next Time, May the Goddess Guard and Guide you Safely

 

Dawn

xXx

 

All written content on this blog belongs to © Dawn Brierley, Life Coach, Love Your Money Coach ©, Intuitive Angel Therapist, Tarot Lover & Hedgewitch.

PLEASE DO NOT COPY ANYTHING WITHOUT WRITTEN CONSENT FROM DAWN BRIERLEY

The Passionate Crafter : Guest Blogger ~ Janine Harrison

Hi

I’m honoured to be able to write a guest blog here. It’s about my current passion which is crafting and how you can find inspiration and confidence through crafting.

Crafting is a pleasure that is currently undergoing a major resurgence. Whether it’s for environmental or budgetary reasons people are turning away from the mass produced items and looking for homemade and individual. The demand for learning new crafting skills is growing too. I hope reading this could help inspire you to try a craft. 

Sometimes the thing that could be holding a person back from trying a craft is not knowing where to get the inspiration from. I find the best inspiration of all is free and all around us – the inspiration of nature. That vein pattern of a leaf could look great as a picture, the softness of your pet dog’s fur could inspire a cuddly toy or the colours of the sky reflected in a puddle might inspire a poem or a song.

Deciding upon a craft to try for the first time can seem quite daunting, especially if you don’t feel confident in your own abilities. Starting small is the best first step, little things like doodling stick men on the back of an envelope, trying to write a short poem whilst waiting for a bus, cutting up images from magazines to stick in an inspiration scrap book, these are all little steps which allow ourselves to consider a craft. This allowing ourselves time to try something new is an inspiration in itself. Just taking 5 minutes out of the everyday to think about something creative can in itself spark more creative ideas.

Treat yourself to a visit to a craft store or haberdashery stall – you don’t have to buy anything yet we are still browsing for inspirations. What do you feel drawn to? Is it ribbons and bows, material or card? Follow your instincts. And don’t worry if you feel drawn to a material which you have no idea how to use. Supplies don’t have to be used only for their traditional roles. Buttons can be glued to cards as decoration rather than sewn to a shirt; wool can be knotted into a friendship bracelet rather than knitted into a scarf.

When you feel you have found the materials you would like to use then Charity shops are also a great resource for crafting materials. They often stock items like buttons and thread, picture frames, wool and material etc to help you start up. This is often a cheaper first option and is also re-using materials so good for the environment too. And you could score some amazing vintage item to incorporate into your work too.

Once you have some crafting materials you might still feel you need guidance on what to do next. You could consider a skills swap. Do you have friends or family who already use a craft you would like to learn? Think about asking them to swap a few lessons in return for something like babysitting, cooking a meal, putting up a shelf. Everyone has skills that someone else would like to learn, so never think you have nothing to offer. I guarantee you will have a huge list of swappable and transferable skills if you just looked at yourself from other people’s eyes. Ask your friends and family what skills they think you already have.

There are also lots of classes and clubs springing up – look for listings in local craft stores, online, in the library and at local adult education centres and ask around locally. Crafting can be a great way to bring different generations together as we all have something to share and a different way of looking at things.

Once you start crafting you may also notice an emotional change. You could feel calmer, more centred, and happier when inspired, motivated to complete a project, a sense of belonging to the wider community of crafters. I strongly believe in the healing powers of creational activities as they allow us to experience simple pleasures and become lost in the moment of creation. Personally I try to practice a mindfulness of stitchery, enjoying everything I work on, concentrating on each task in hand, and appreciating the process. And remember it isn’t a competition, there will always be people whose work seems better, neater, and more creative than our own but there will also be people thinking that about your own work too.

I hope reading this has inspired you to take the first step in learning a craft or trying a new craft and helped show that inspiration is available in abundance, materials are easily obtainable and help and guidance is out there.

Magic of the Miniscule is a way of life, a philosophy and a person. Janine has been interested in alternative health, medicine, spirituality and nature her whole life. Always interested in the smallest details her childhood involved lots of ant and bee watching and playing with her microscope! Recently she became a full time carer and amongst the many changes this entailed has also been able to resurrect some crafting skills and learn new ones. When not caring for relations she'll be found either caring for chickens, crafting or appreciating nature in its tiniest details. 

You can Find Janine at Miniscule Magic

Dawn Says: "I absolutely loved reading about Janine's passion and found it heartwarming to know just how much it has helped her on a personal level. I sincerely hope that you all enjoyed reading this just as much as I did. I am so pleased that Janine was willing to share her passion with us all here as Faerie Whisperer, and I hope she will return to write for us again. Thank you Janine xxx" 

Love, Life, Live ~ Post 100

Hey all,

Wow! Not only is today valentines day *Happy Valentines to all of you out there*, it is also a day where I have finally been given the gift of seeing a way forward, and.... (Yes there is more! - there is always more with me!) but it is also the day I blog my 100th post!!!

What better way to celebrate this fantastic day of LOVE that to blog about how I have made my life more *lovable*.

I have over the weekend whilst I had no voice to use through laryngitis decorated my bedroom. Now it could be a bit too pink and floral for some, but for me, it is perfect. I knew it when I saw the picture that inspired me, and the feeling the room has now its done is well... beyond what I expected. I feel happy, inspired, carefree, and well, ALIVE!!!

Here are the pic's that inspired me;

So I set my mind on creating a Vintage and pretty Pink home for myself, starting with my bedroom.... and here is the finished picture...

So pretty! I am in love with it! I even have my witchy altar set up too and it looks perfect as a little vintage witches bedroom ... dont you think?

Now, you remember the mirror shown in the picture? Well, my Dad brought me that many many years ago when I was a little girl. At the time, I didn't like it as I thought the writing was spoiling it "Who'd write on a mirror?" I said!

Well Mum found it and I saw it, looked at it and said "Oh My.... how beautiful is this? Corsets and Busts unbreakable... that sounds like an Unbreakable woman! How empowering!" So it had to go on my wall, and just how darn pretty does it look now?

Well I couldn't just leave it there. I wanted to know about J.B. Side Spring Corsets... so I googled it and found a corset by them...

dated 1905-1907

OMG, how beautiful is this? And my, I never expected it to be so old :D

Well, this got me thinking and now I have some wonderful ideas for this Witch Inside. I can't reveal anything just yet, but I will in due course.

With my bedroom now looking so beautiful, I have more space in there too with careful rearrangement of furniture, so I just have to set my desk area up and I know my ideas will flow and be fabulous!

oh, and just in case you're wondering, yes I have inspiration for my desk...

I'll let you know how that project goes too.

So to end this Valentines day 100th post, I will leave you with this....

Make sure you do everything you can to;

Bright Blessings,

Aurora )O(

x X x

All written content on this blog is the work of © Aurora Brierley, The Faerie Whisperer & The Witch Inside. No written contents of this blog may be reproduced in any way (in part or in entirety) without the express written permission of the author, © Aurora Brierley, The Faerie Whisperer & The Witch Inside.

Pagan Blog Project 2012 ~ Butterflies ~ Week 3

Merry Meet,

Today is week 3 of the PBP and my post is all about some very charming and magickal spiritual messengers ~ BUTTERFLIES!!!

Butterflies for me are more than just something that flies around the plants during spring/summer. They are a powerful symbol of spirit energies and transformation which is probably what they are known for. The symbolism of transforming from a catalyst into a beautiful fluttering butterfly is simply enchanting don't you think? They bring with them many hidden messages such as "I love you - I'm OK" from a loved one in the Summerlands/Spirit World, a message of hope - that things can indeed change for the better, and for me, like perhaps many others a symbolic message that the Faeries are near.

Way back in 2006 I began writing more and more publically about faeries and became the *Angelic Faerie Whisperer* as I had been initiated with the blessing of Queen Mab in FaerieLand, which gave me the absolute honour of being a **Faerie Priestess**. You can read in an earlier post of mine about a poem I wrote in 2006 on World Faerie Day on asking for Faerie Guidance. This was written using my priestesshood initiation as my muse. So what's this got to do with Butterflies I hear you ask?

Im so glad you asked me that! :)

Queen Mab, gave me a symbolic Faerie Priestess-Hood emblem which would be my magickal key to FaerieLand when I attend meetings with the Faerie Council. That emblem became also my *official* *Faerie Whisperer* logo/emblem and Faerie Spiritual Tiara/Crown... it was of course a **BUTTERFLY**.

Since my initiation I have worked with the faeries very closely and passed through more initiations where I've been given more symbols to add to my tiara/crown, such as A FaerieHeart, A Dragonfly, and A Raven (the latter a gift from Morgan Le Fay). But although I love and appreciate these gifts so very much, I simply adore and treasure my Butterfly.

Throughout my day I come across Butterflies in many guises, sometimes I'll turn a page and see the word or a picture, I may walk into a shop and see something decorated with butterflies, and even recieve Butterfly gifts unexpectedly. My slippers, bedroom bedding, diary, clothes and even bubble bath bottles all carry the energy of the Butterfly with its pictorial magick. For me, the craft would not be *my craft* without a butterfly.

What do you associate with a butterfly?

Brightest Butterfly Blessings,
Aurora ~ Faerie Whisperer ~ Faerie Priestess )O(



All written content on this blog is the work of © Aurora Brierley, The Faerie Whisperer & The Witch Inside. No written contents of this blog may be reproduced in any way (in part or in entirety) without the express written permission of the author, © Aurora Brierley, The Faerie Whisperer & The Witch Inside.