Bullying

Bullying

The idea that bullying happens in adulthood makes many uncomfortable, we have this notion that children are bullied because they are a easy target and that's what children do but when you become an adult it all stops.  Firstly it is never clever to bully anyone no matter their age.  I was bullied as child and it was quite a painful experience but you think along the lines of when I get older it will stop but what if it doesn't and it continues to make your life a misery?.

Adults are supposed to be in control of their life and have the power within to stand up and say no but sometimes we feel unable to do this and for many reasons.  It might start off unsuspecting with a boss or partner slowly wearing you down making you feel insecure, stupid and they come out with remarks that make you want to be swallowed up by the hole that will magikally appear in the ground.  It can get to the point of being unable to sleep, nightmares, feeling depressed because another person takes it upon themselves to treat you as their victim, their toy, it may continue for many months even years.

Bullying can also take place via the internet, we've all heard of cyber bullying and these bullies hide behind the computer unleashing a side of themselves that quite frankly is appalling.  To make someone feel as if they are worth nothing,  to revel in making that person cry or have them dreading going to work must make them feel in control and so proud of what they have achieved.  Adults who are bullied tend to not share their experience with anyone for fear of ridicule or being told to get a grip, we are led to believe that bullying is what happens in the playground so we keep it to ourselves.  We become grumpy, tired, sad, lose direction etc and these have a knock on effect within our family, friends, social life etc and we question what is it we have done because we automatically assume it is us that has caused this bullying when in fact we have nothing to do with the insecurities and plain nastiness of bullies.

Whether you are a child or adult you do not ever have to suffer in silence, find someone you can trust to confide in and explain what is going on and how it is making you feel.  Once you have confided in someone you will feel like a weight is gradually being lifted, a teacher, parent, boss should give you the support you need, how you can proceed to stop it should also be discussed.  There are websites which have some advice also so find the support you really need to stop what is happening.  You owe it to your happiness, your well being to be treated with love, consideration and respect and don't short change yourself either.  I know how hard it can be to acknowledge you are being bullied and to ask for help, you have to do what feels right for you but let us put a stop to bullies and make them feel secure and loved within their life after all when you know you can succeed at what you do, when you have a respect for yourself and then for others and feel positive you want to share your world with others and shower them in these productive emotions.

It took me a very long time to lay to rest the emotional hurt left by bullies, in a way I thank them for making me see that there are different types of people in this world and their type was not a model to base a personality upon or to befriend, for pushing me in a direction where I could release my creative side because the sadness, pain, humiliation was written down and set a path for my love of writing and understanding the people around me.  It helped me learn to tolerate, to have patience, to see the pain behind another persons eyes and to help them but most of all it taught me to love who I am because there was and is nothing that I did to encourage a bully, that is a problem they have to deal with in their life.

I do like to call upon Archangel Michael and Faery Queen Mab for protection very day because sometimes we come across negativity, unkind words aimed at us and a adult who is still very much a child in that playground.

To call upon Archangel Michael simply light a blue candle and place a Lapis Lazuli crystal beside the candle.  Ask him to come forth and name  the reasons.  If you don't have time for the candle and crystal all you need to do is to just call him, all very quick and easy.

Sending love and healing to all hearts and souls who need it.

Rachel x

© Rachel Curtis/The Faery Enchantress

~Acorns~

~ Acorns ~

I love Acorns what more can I say!, I was lucky to have spent my childhood playing on a mountain that started at the end of our street so grew up exploring waterfalls, caves, climbing tree's, collecting nuts and now I am even more lucky to have woods on the back of our house with two mighty Oak tree's in our garden so you can imagine the amount of Acorns we have. I love to work Acorns into my Magick and they represent the Eath Element. I do like to alternate my altar with different objects to represent the Elements, I find otherwise we can fall into a pattern of sameness so it is great to experiment with various items found upon Mother Earth. Below are just a few ways in which to invite into your life the powerful Acorn.

A great way to get everyone out of the house and together is to go searching in your local woods for items you can use such as Bark, Fern, Moss, Acorns. The Oak tree holds a deep protection within and this will extend into the Acorn, as we know when performing magick protection is important so collect a handful and place in the North on your altar, they will act as a dual, the earth element & protection.

To ground yourself before performing a meditation or ceremony take a few Acorns and hold them in your hands, close your eyes and imagine a white mist seeping out of the Acorns and entering at your crown slowly making it's way down your entire body until it reaches your feet, the white mist will go deep into Mother Earth finding a anchor in which to wrap itself around before making it's way back up to the surface and takes a hold of your ankles, you are now grounded.

Acorns can be used as a Amulet for when you require protection from negative energies. You can make some really lovely pieces of jewellery so why not purchase some cord, headpinns, beads and tune into your creative side, maybe a necklace, bracelet especially a charm bracelet where you can add silver charms as well or earrings. Ask the mighty Oak King to bless your item and to infuse with the appropriate magick. You could make a decoration to hang up outside your home, a windchime or perhaps you could make a number plate for your home and decorate the edge with the Acorns.

If you feel you need more strength how about decorating a glass jar with the Acorns and place a red candle inside, light your candle and ask that strength be placed within your heart, ask for the strength to be released and flow through your veins. You do need to be careful here because the glass will get to hot if you leave the candle burn too long, I usually light the candle, perform my magick and then blow the candle out but you still need to be careful.

Keep Acorns in a pretty bowl and place throughout the house, they will do their best to keep the air clean and will send out healing energies. I now and again have some in my bedroom so while I am sleeping I am breathing in those energies, as always if you are feeling unwell you must go visit your doctor.

The Acorn Dryads want us to embrace them for their protection, strength, courage and spiritual energies and there are so many ways in which we can do this. Just make sure you leave a offering in the area where you take the Acorns, some cake or milk and we need to thank them for helping us.

Blessings

Rachel x

© Rachel Curtis/The Faery Enchantress 13/1/12

Wings & Colour Healing

Wings & Colour Healing

I believe that we are all born with wings and some of the reasons for this are balance, to have lift, to gradually soar until we reach a place that works for us. The balance of the wings is to keep us upon our feet, upright and steady as that is a must have foundation, it's where we can draw upon our strength to get us moving forward. As with every new venture in life a lift to just get us started is always a positive, it can be hard on times to just put your feet on that pathway so if we can have a little lift at the beginning it can help with our confidence and set us on our way. We all soar and all at different heights, doesn't mean anyone is better just that we all learn at various speeds and everyone has a place where they feel at home, we need those wings to travel around and to help us arrive at many places and to bid farewell when the time is right.

Broken wings need time to mend, they need nurturing, lots of love and attention and above all rest. If you feel like your wings are not working, causing you sadness, feel heavy or need repairing then take your time and make the adjustments needed after all, the faeries didn't build their realm in one day and no one least of all you should expect immediate results when time will be the healer.

One of the ways to help your wings heal is to use what I call “Wing Colour Healing” and

this works by letting energies seep into your wings. We will work with a few of the Queen faeries who will help us. They will present themselves to you as you and they will look exactly how you imagine them to look.

I want you to sit comfortably and close your eyes. You want to have your wings feeling as free as possible, let them hang down or fan out.

Call upon Faery Queen Selene, Queen of the Moon. She may help to cleanse your wings of any negativity that may cling there and will unblock stale energies. As she draws near a white bubble embraces your whole being, millions of white little orbs gently fall from the top of the bubble and embrace your wings. Feel the orbs go deep within and start cleansing.

Next call upon Faery Queen Mab, she may offer you protection against un wanted energies as well as binding the tongues of those who speak untruths. A blue bubble embraces you and from above the lovely orbs fall and coat your wings, going within and joining forces with a protective shield.

Faery Queen Caelia comes to you and she may help to heal the heart of any matter. She embraces you with her pink bubble and as the pink orbs fall they are pulled into your wings, they flow and as they do the pink goes a lovely deep shade. You can feel the love she offers you.

Last of all we call Faery Queen Argante who may bring to you healing. She will help to connect the wings to our soul as this is where the healing needs to be sent. She sends to you a green bubble that surrounds you and you can see the green orbs trickling down like raindrops as they enter your wings, you can feel those orbs then make their way to your soul.

We then thank them for coming to us. You may need to do this a couple times a week for as we know mending our broken wings takes time so no need to rush. I would suggest a journal where you can document your emotions as you begin to notice changes within you over the next few weeks. Once you start feeling better I would once every 6 months bring in these energies as a kind of top up.

I do work with the colour faeries and also the Faery King's but that's another meditation.

*Footnote

Please please do not try flying for real, you might only jump off the ground a few inches but might land with an awful bump, our wings cannot physically carry us off the ground or help us to fly. If you are feeling unwell then you must go and see your doctor, it is always best to get professional advice, the healing you ask for here is a spiritual healing only and is not intended to replace medicines or doctors. If you need protection against someone who is bullying you then always tell someone you can trust, don't suffer in silence, there are people who can help you.

© Rachel Curtis/The Faery Enchantress 12/1/12  

The Beauty Of Magick

The beauty of magic is that it lives within us and has since our soul was first born. Our soul collects the magick discovered over the many centuries, magick that in your previous life you worked with or were around and stores it away, you may not remember within your mind magick from a very long time ago but your heart will because it connects on a deeper level to your soul.  

How many times have you been preparing to perform some magick but you are finding it a slight struggle to bring it all together.  Something doesn't feel right, whether it is the ingredients, words or layout it just ain't happening but something all of a sudden takes over when you feel like walking away for a while and you have no idea where this surge of information comes from and before you know it just like automatic writing there you have it, your piece of magick that has flowed from your heart through your mouth, hand or pen.  It can happen so fast too and this is your heart and soul connecting, looking, putting together, making it all work for you.

Magick sits well with our senses, you can feel, see, hear, smell & just know it.  Magick is also unique to each one of us, we can share our knowledge which I feel is important, learning always is but more than that we can come together and unite for the love and positive we need in our lives.  We might feel drawn to another's magick but maybe there is a herb that doesn't sit well with you so you change it for another, or you are not keen on putting broken shards of glass in a jar outside the front door for protection so you opt for a pot of Thyme both will work because it is the intention you have infused into it.  Our thoughts, our spoken words are a very strong influence, their energies travel a long way, around the world, to another universe but they are out there and for some time if not forever.

Magick books written by another and are shared are a great way of gaining more knowledge, also the magick will become stored for when you require it, I have a few books that tell you about the properties of herbs, oils, crystals, flowers etc that I wouldn't be without.  But sometimes we need a Book Of  Magick that is personal, secret and just for personal use for there is something powerful within that piece of magick that for whatever reason will only work for you, maybe our blood, sweat and love has soaked themselves into a particular piece of magick.  

Magick doesn't have to be complicated or confusing but it does need to be worked responsibly and always for light.  We never cause harm, hurt or deliver darkness to another...why? because that is abuse of your soul and causing others to suffer will be returned upon where it was sent from. 

Bring magick into your life, get a feel for how best you can work with it and it you, practice, learn, share, experiment, enjoy and respect it's power the Gods, Goddesses you call upon, Mother Earth and of course you.

Rachel x

© Rachel Curtis 11/1/12

Bonding Magick (Partners)

For a lot of us we have a perfectly balanced energy that connects us with our other half, like a silver cord that connects us to each other's inner soul.  This cord needs nurturing and love to bring us closer, you know the feeling the one where you feel tingly,  you fit like a hand and glove or where you look at each other and the biggest smile erupts.  It is important to keep that balance but sometimes we are so caught up in the week with work, kids, housework, shopping, appointments etc that we don't always have time to just connect on a deeper level with each other and the silver cord well it can feel a little lost, with drawn, low on energy and slightly stretched.  This may lead to the weekend being a wash out where we are just tired and feeling cranky, that romantic meal ends up in the dog or the babysitter cancels.

I think it is important to make time for bonding together and the extra sparkle you will feel inside will be worth it.  The Bonding Magick can be done in your home and will only take 10 minutes at the most.   As you set about preparing the area you are going to use you should feel a little lighter of the week's activities, it will all gradually disappear.

We are going to call upon the 4 elements plus the God Cupid and Goddess Aphrodite both of Love.  You can perform this magick best when the moon is waxing or full. . You will need 4 small beeswax candles, 2 each of pink and red, a God and Goddess figure, Rose essential oil and a carrier base oil.  Please read the footnote before carrying out this spell, it is at the end of the page and is with regards to anointing.

I want you to anoint 2 candles each, one pink and one red.  While your doing this think of your partner and what it is about them that draws you to them, those energies will seep into the candle.  Place in  candle holders and put each one in the North, East, South and West, then light.  Take your God & Goddess and place on the outside of the candles but facing each other.  Now comes the affirmation which you can if you so choose write your own.  We'll work with the female energies first, so if your the female this is your part.

Goddess

"I summon the energies of the North where Earth grounds us, our roots entwine and together go deep into Mother Earth connecting us to each other.

I summon the energies of the East where Air breathes life into both of us, the air fills our body with each other's love.

I summon the energies of the South where Fire ignites our passion for each other deep within the core of our soul.

I summon the energies of the West where Water pulls strongly at us both, bringing us together in a bonding union."


"Goddess Aphrodite I ask that you give us your blessing, that you replenish the silver cord that connects myself and my partner"



God


I summon the energies of the North where Earth grounds us, our roots entwine and together go deep into Mother Earth connecting us to each other.

I summon the energies of the East where Air breathes life into both of us, the air fills our body with each other's love.

I summon the energies of the South where Fire ignites our passion for each other deep within the core of our soul.

I summon the energies of the West where Water pulls strongly at us both, bringing us together in a bonding union."

 God Cupid I ask that you give us your blessing, that you replenish the silver cord that connects myself and my partner"

Once you have both made your affirmation, take a few moments to feel the energies of the God & Goddess as well as those flowing energies sparked by you and your other half.   Make yourselves comfy, pour a glass of wine, chat to each other and spend time together for even an hour.  Most of all enjoy yourselves.


Footnote

*To anoint a candle add 5ml of a carrier oil such as Sweet Almond Oil to a pot you will not use for food etc or you could buy a bottle especially for mixing oils.  Add 3 drops of Rose essential oil to the carrier oil.  Take some cotton wool and dip into the mix, or you can use your fingers, then you want to rub it gently onto the candles always starting at the top and making a sweep in one go down the candle towards you as you are bringing the connection between you to you.  Do this until the candle is covered and place in a secure candle holder.  Leave the wick free from the oil.

Be careful with essential oils, check whether you can use them if your pregnant, have high blood pressure or other illnesses.  Beeswax candles seem to be the quickest for burning out, if you have to leave the room then it's best to snuff them out rather than leave unattended.

© The Faery Enchantress/Rachel Curtis 10/1/12

That F Word

That F Word is none other than Failure.  Now, I have never liked this word especially when there are children around.  Children pick up on some words more than others, they take the words in and digest them, placing them within their memory bank where it will rise up during the following years.  When you tell a child they will fail and it could be aimed at anything that attracts an interest then this negative word clings onto their soul and penetrates it so deep it takes a lot of positive words to smother what should not be within a child'd mind.

And as we grow we may become excited at the new experiences that are about to come our way but when we move forward to partake what can happen......this word failure pops up from the depths of our mind and starts to play tricks on us, making us suddenly think we are not capable that we should not be making a fool out of ourselves, we then take a step back either not proceeding at all or giving half of our efforts.

I know we cannot make the world a place of cotton and candy floss and that as children we have to learn to be independant, to acknowledge the world and how hard it can be to live within that world but we also need to encourage someone to give opportunity a chance where they can be a part of the venture and learn what is needed to do a good job, to work alongside others, to care about not only themselves but those around them and to put love, laughter, fun, focus into what they do.  Let's teach about how to find our strength's and how we can work with what does not come so naturally to some of us after all it is about the energies we have living within us,  they can be showered in love and nurtured so we do the best we can or are those energies to be put down, neglected and starved of fresh air.

By being encouraged to take part in many things in life we can determine whether we were meant to follow that path, for instance I like to draw........matchstick people because that is all I have within me to give but that doesn't mean I should never pick up a pencil and it certainly doesn't mean I am a failure at it, I know where my strength's lay because I was encouraged to explore art as a child.   We need to find a balance and we won't find it among that word failure, for a lot of us we will try many new things that come our way but we tend to know what works well and what doesn't work so well for us.  Learn, explore, try, ask for help but never think your a failure because you are not.

Faery hugs.

© The Faery Enchantress/Rachel Curtis 8/1/12

Acceptance (The Pagan Blog Project)

Acceptance

I have joined a lovely project called "The Pagan Blog Project" where each Friday we write about anything connected to the spiritual realms, wicca, pagan etc.  I love to write so decided that I needed a challenge for every friday where I can explore idea's and ponderings and write about them.  Some of my blogs may be short and others lengthy I guess it will depend on how my mood flows but I welcome you all to join me along my path.

This week's topic for me is acceptance, the word can look and sound scary for some of us as it brings about inner emotions that we may have tried to hide that belong to our past or we may be going through some difficulties in the here and now.  I guess we all want to be accepted just for being us, no strings attached but when we come across a mountain that allows us limited or no access at all we can start to retreat backwards even if only a few steps.  We might even feel like it is our fault, that we are not good enough, don't have the required knowledge to be a part of a certain group when in reality none of that holds any truth for we all have the ability to learn, that's what makes us special.

I feel that the key element is that we learn to accept ourselves before we do anything else in life, hard on times yes but if we take the time to get to know more about what makes us tick, our likes, dislikes etc then we become tuned in to our inner soul.  By doing this it will help us to grow in confidence, to see that it is ok not to be the same as another person after all we are each of us unique in our own way and this is what you will bring to any friendship or group.  We want to be able to shine within our own love and acceptance, to be able to stand up in front of people and share what we have without having to hide from our truths.

When we don't hold the key to our own doorway that will lead us to our place of happiness we shrink, apologize way to often for anything and everything and usually are too sensitive, instead we should hold the key and open that door letting our heart guide us forward.  By doing this we will become stronger within our being, we will stand up and be counted while feeling at ease with our self, for when we know and understand who we are then so shall others around us, they will come to us guided by the light that shines so brightly around us.  When you accept who you are you will notice how differently the world see's you and how you will be drawn to opening up to more knowledge.  By accepting who you are it can make it easier to feel as if you  are contributing to life,  to someone, whether that be love for others, helping those who need guidance, sharing written words or simply just giving a hug to that one person who really needs to know everything will be alright.  It isn't always a easy path but then if life was easy we wouldn't learn very well and would be stuck if a certain issue did crop up, take each day as it comes and learn to love, to laugh and to respect who you are.

I accept who I am and I accept you as a friend.  I accept that I can change my life and do not accept that I have to take what is left.  I accept that daily life brings a variety of up's and down's but I accept my ability to embrace them and work through them.  I accept what is positive and work with it and I accept negativity exists but refuse for it to be a part of my life.

Acceptance of you because you are so worth the beautiful soul you are.

© The Faery Enchantress 6/1/12

The Snow Queen Faery

I always associate the Snow Queen faery with Yule because this is the time of year that they seem to connect to us and Mother Earth the most strongest. Of course, the Snow Queen can always be found wherever a snowflake falls but her energies can definitely be felt around the time of Yule. Yule is also known as the Winter Solstice or Midwinter, a time within the year when it is the shortest day and to be followed by a very cold, harsh winter, the Snow Queen just loves this weather and is always at her happiest when the frost is upon the ground, when lakes and other waters are frozen over and the skies are like a white duvet. She is concerned though that wildlife cannot take their fill from Mother Earth so at these times she encourages us to look after them and to feed them.

The Snow Queen resides over her Kingdom all year round and Winter time she makes her journey on a daily basis into our realm, this way she can keep a eye on her faeries and other elementals who carry out her work for her. Her kingdom is very beautiful and you've guessed it, yes there is snow! Infact there is rather a lot of snow, every inch of land is white but the tree's, flowers, plants all survive well, the animals are well care for too. The sea's never freeze over but the ponds do which is where they can all relax and have some fun, they do like to iceskate. Her castle really is made from ice as are all the buildings, feeling a bit cold? Not to worry as no one here will feel too cold, they have learnt how to harness warmth on the inside.

The Snow Queen is so very beautiful to look at with her long flowing dark hair, blue eyes that sparkle and can hold you captive, fair skin so soft and a beautiful smile. She has many outfits but the one which I usually glimpse her in is one of pure silver that has embossed snowflakes adorning it, it isn't silver as we know it but a very light almost silky look to it, around the edges there are pearls, light blue and white and a little fur which is collected from the ground once it has fallen from the owner, there are some lovely colours in there too. Her cape is silk and the most beautiful light blue/grey and is plain. Her crown is again silver with real snowflakes, silver glitter that glistens and some gems such as Quartz, Moonstone and her wand is very similar with the crystals embedded into the Elven star. You should have a picture of her in your mind now but don't worry if it is different from mine because we will all see her as we are meant to. She has a carriage drawn by 7 majestic white horses who are able to glide along the ground as well as fly effortlessly, sometimes when she has been on one of her journies through the sky you can just make out sparks in the sky, like a fire work going off but without the noise!. You might be lucky in seeing this magikal sight as it isn't often she lets herself be seen by humans so think yourself lucky.

The Snow Queen also works alongside Jack Frost in ensuring the ground is frozen and that certain bugs are sent off to sleep in order for the soil to be safe when we come to sow our harvest. The Snow Queen and her workers also prepare the Earth and care for the seeds that are already below the ground waiting for the Ostara faeries to wake them up. She also has to make sure the winter evergreens thrive and that the order in which nature works is taking place. She does have a tough job desinated to her and she does it with love and with pride. You can call upon her for strength, imagination, tapping into your inner child, to find inner peace etc and I will set out below some ways of calling upon her and how to work with her.

Set up your Faery altar using a white or silver cloth, you can sew some sparkly sequins on for extra glisten, next you want some white/silver/light blue candles, snowflake decorations, Quartz or any gems you feel drawn too, perhaps you might want to make a little wand, some Ivy and Holly. It is entirely up to you what you use to decorate your altar with, ask the Yule faeries out loud to show you some items to place there if you like. Once you have set your altar up and you are happy with it you now want to call the Queen forth. Here is a affirmation you can use or try writing your own if you feel you want to.

“I call upon the Snow Queen faery to grace my life,
I ask that you reveal yourself to me this night,
I wish to draw you close & hope that we can join together,
I ask that you sprinkle my life with Snowflakes,
I wish for the magick within them to shower me in strength &
to give me the courage to change what needs to be changed,
may I connect once again with the child that lives within my heart,
to see the beauty in the magick that surrounds my life,
help me to embrace all that I am capable of and guide me forward”

Take a few moments afterwards to feel the energies around you, blow out the candles and leave your altar for a few days. Leave a offering outside for her such as milk, cake or honey. I also like to burn some Yule incense over the following days, the lovely smell seems to make the connection between us stronger, you could throw some dried orange peel on a open fire too as these smell rather nice. Decorate your home with some Holly & Ivy and invite the Yule faeries and their major Queen into your home.

Yule Blessings my faery friends
© Rachel Curtis/The Faery Enchantress 2011
Article written for "Silent Voices" Magazine