Welcome to my monthly blog

 APRIL

Hello, this is me. My name is Abby and I am a pagan and a practising witch. I was born into a Christian family, and for as far back as I can remember, I never fitted in. I hated Church, if you questioned something you were told off, or told because that’s how it is. Grrr!

My mother went from church of England, then became a Catholic, then became a Baptist, and I could not understand why she kept on changing, as surely Christianity was one religion!

When my father in law died, my husband and I decided to go to the funeral with our uncle and cousin. On the long drive down to Sydney, we were talking about spirits and how i had been able to see them since I was very little. I said to our cousin, the one thing that gives me peace is knowing that I will be able to be with my beloved dog again, as he was and will always be my soul mate. The answer I was given was along the lines of the following – you’ll never see your dog again, when you die that’s it.. you dont get to go to this nirvana you all dream of.

That was it for me, I shut the book on Christianity, I knew I was going to see my dog again, he still visits me, not as often as I would like but i know when he is around. The cousin? he is a Priest!

I searched for a long time to find something that would interest me, would help me grow, and become a better person. Something I could also study, so that I could help others. I studied Wicca, Buddhism, Taoism and one day I came across a book that changed my life. Paganism – An introduction to earth centred religions by Joyce and River Higginbottom. It was amazing! I felt like I had been lost for so long and suddenly woken up at home and it was a really surreal feeling.

I love the earth and all that is in it, I love nature and all it produces. I genuinely love meeting like – minded people and sharing stories and being educated into new concepts of living green.

So welcome one and all, enjoy my web site and be sure to contact me if you would like any help with products or how to’s.

 MAY

Well, we are now into May. In the Southern Hemisphere the Pagan celebration of Samhain (pronounced sow-wen) which is the celebration of the end of the harvesting season. At this time of year, there would be a lot of preserving of foods, drying of meats and pickling or preserving fruits and vegetables in preparation for the winter.  

Big feasts were had, lots of dancing and drinking to celebrate the end of – by today’s standards, a very hard season. Modern pagans still celebrate end of harvest in quite the same way, by gathering friends and family sharing their wares and enjoying the cooler months. Today’s farmers would then plow the fields in readiness for sowing the seeds for the spring. If you visit Jimboomba Country Markets in Jimboomba Queensland and Mount Tambourine Country Markets also in Queensland, you will find some beautiful stalls that sell Jams and preserves, pickles and chutneys. Or you could come to my house as I have most of them in my fridge. Well….. you cant beat local seasonal organic produce can you?

So, as we are ending the season with feasts and drink and good cheer, I raise my glass and say Wassail! In Norse this would have been said as Vass Heill, meaning good health and good cheer!

   JUNE

Winter has well and truly set in. I find the cold days exhilarating!  I was born in a country renowend for its cold winters , so I love the cold. 

I am also mindful of all our wildlife and lay out bowls of food so they may have at least some nourishment. In England we used to save the bacon fat from a cooked breakfasts and add seed and bugs then hang them on trees in our garden. The cold meant that the bacon fat would stay solid all day and night.  it was so lovely watching all the different birds eating from them.

Here in Australia animals like the Pigmy possum hibernate, while Sugar gliders and Dunnarts enter a temporary state of slow metabolism to survive low food supplies. If you have these beautiful animals near you, you can leave sweet potato frozen peas and carrots in little bowls, you can also leave raw honey with mealworms and crickets ( must be dead already) and they are readily available at most big pet stores or online.

You can also get nectar powder and add the already mentioned veggies to it. This and the raw honey replace the nectar they would be getting from the wattle trees.

For us, a nice hot goblet of mulled wine and a cosy blanket each evening is a must! The alcohol is cooked off via evaporation but you can still enjoy all the lovely winter flavours.  

Witches are normally busy in the kitchen at this time of year. The long dark nights are a great time for personal reflection, releasing all that serves no purpose in your life and setting new manifestations for the new year.

If you have an altar, you can decorate it with spiced dried fruits and white or warm coloured candles to create a calming space. You could even use some fallen local branches and twigs to create some new besom brooms for the new year. In any case enjoy this wonderful season, and don’t forget to visit us at the markets listed on our site.