The Strength and Stay of a Nation, the World

Isabella @TheWandCarver

Instagram: @iseabail_witchwriter

Sometime shortly after 6 pm… 6.30 pm to be exact, judging from my last text to my friend Liss where I had just gotten the word on BBC News as I was finishing my message to her.. where I could only say, “She is dead.” Little did I realise until later is that the clouds opened and a double rainbow arched over Buckingham Palace 20 minutes before the announcement of her death.

And then I howled. Long, guttural howls of grief. I am sure the same was going on at Liss’ house. And likely all over the country, the world even. Most of us have never known another Monarch in our lifetimes. Most of us stupidly thought we would have her around for at least a few more years. Her mother lived to be 101 years of age, so why not she herself? Even Prince Philip – who I might add, needed a lot of persistence from his good lady wife, the Queen – to kick the smoking habit, lived to be 99 years old.

WHY COULDN’T SHE!!! I screamed.

Sky Sports 08.09.2022

I sat with my head in my hands and realised… I am like a child chucking its toys out of the pram. Then I had the most stupid thought which made me laugh a little – Just who would send her a special card for her 100th anyway? Would she send herself one as she does to other people?

That helped. So, in quiet reflection, I realised that the Queen isn’t fussed about dying. She is a very spiritual woman. She knows she will be with her beloved husband and no telling how many pet Corgi’s she has lost to death over 70 years of her reign. In fact, I don’t doubt all the Corgi’s in the Divine Plane knock her down for pettings when she comes in… it’s a good job we are younger when we get there.

But mostly, it is that she is back with Prince Philip. You could tell by the way she looked at him how she adored him all through the years. And, like many married folk, they were not without their problems. But they worked those out as they went. And they stayed together where many would not. They were, in my opinion, the God and Goddess’s Emissaries on Earth. She showed us all, no matter who we are, how to live in grace. This goes for whatever walk of life we are from, whatever colour, whomever we love, whatever or whomever we believe in. She said, after Prince Philip’s death “He was my strength and my stay”.

And now, the Nation has lost its strength and stay. Not just the Nation, but the World. Elizabeth II, the World was a better place for having you in it. Your smile always made so many smile back. Your joy was our joy.. It will be hard to substitute the word Queen for King in the national anthem. But I can’t sing anyway so… I will simply raise a toast to King Charles III. The Queen is dead; Long live the King.

I’m crying again….

Thank you for reading and warmest blessings to all whom this way wander x

A few little Elizabethan facts [and some which aren’t but you might want to know]

Queen Elizabeth II had fifteen Prime Ministers over seventy years. Her first was Winston Churchill who was born in 1874. Her last was Liz Truss, born in 1975 – 101 years apart!

The Queen enjoyed a little flutter [bet] on the gee gees [horses]. She never looked happier than at the Royal Ascot with a winner.

Elizabeth II found it difficult to cry. It is why some thought her cold-hearted during circumstances of emotionally disturbing times. The truth is, she stayed away from some situations because of this and not wanting to appear cold. It was likely due to how she was raised to always keep a stiff upper lip.

Queen Elizabeth was my 13th cousin. But I never got an invite to the castle. Probably because she didn’t know. And before you think I’m just bragging, chances are you are a cousin of Elizabeth’s yourselves! Get to digging into your ancestry!

There will be a ten day period of mourning for Britain until the Queen’s interment.

It is rumoured that when the Queen died the code for her death would be “London Bridge has fallen”. This was set up in the 1960’s for Operation London Bridge.

Elizabeth III’s full name was Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor. She could have easily chosen Alexandra or Mary for her Monarchy name. Just as King Charles III has Charles Philip Arthur George he could choose from, but he is staying – so far – with Charles.

Talking of names – Elizabeth II had a lovely “nickname” from herself! She could not say Elizabeth when she was very small and it always sounded like “Lilibet”. Therefore, her father King George V always called her Lilibet. The only other person allowed to call her this later in life was her beloved husband, Philip.

The new line of succession:

King Charles III 2022 –

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, his son

Prince George, his son

Princess Charlotte, his daughter

Prince Louis, his son

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, his son

Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, his son

Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor, his daughter

Prince Andrew, Duke of York

Princess Beatrice, his daughter

Sienna Mapelli Mozzi, her daughter

Princess Eugenie, his daughter

August Brookbank, her son

Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex

James, Viscount Severn, his son

Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, his daughter

Anne, Princess Royal

Peter Phillips, her son

Savannah Phillips, her daughter

Isla Phillips, her daughter

Zara Phillips Tindall, her daughter

Mia Tindall, her daughter

Lena Tindall, her daughter

Lucas Tindall, her son

David Armstrong-Jones, Earl of Snowdon, nephew of Queen Elizabeth II

And no, you will never find me on this list!

Green Witchery and Mother Earth

By Isabella @TheWandCarver

Instagram:  @thewandcarver

We witches tend to label ourselves.  I’m a hedge witch, a solitary witch, cunning woman, and a green witch.  I’m fairly certain the labelling of witches in far off olden days was much different…you might be directed to a “healer” for physical ailments and for charms and amulets against evil and such in the medieval era.  Later days saw the term “cunning woman” [or man] for the one who could make all things come to pass or remove those which were in your way.  These days, there is a plethora of different names we give ourselves to denote to others what our speciality is in the ways of witchcraft. I think that in the current climate [no pun intended] of global warming/climate change, we are all becoming “green witches” in addition to our own specialities.  And, that is a good thing.

The green witch is a naturalist.  She or he or they harkens back to the old days of healing magick with herbs, spices, and such.  The green witch has studied labouriously all their witchy lives to know their flowers, herbs, woods, leaves, spices and how they are to be gathered and used. Much like the healers in medieval times.  But not only that, the green witch has always “worshipped” Mother Earth and has always been keen to preserve her and to show the utmost respect and kindness to her. Many are the green witches whom are intent upon not only being in communication with Mother Earth but also to bring others into this way of thinking.  No, I certainly do not mean that green witches go about trying to bring others into witchcraft per se, but he or she will try their best to influence others to be kind to Mother Earth, maybe more so than the average witch.  The green witch is a student, a healer, and a teacher all in one.  I can’t say it any better than this:

“To live the life of the Green Witch is to live with many different levels of understanding at once. I call this path Green Living. It means that what we see is a window to all worlds and that when we are asked to help lift life back into balance, we do so. It means that we heal with the knowledge that all beings are Raven’s children and deserve love and respect. Green Living means learning the sacred language of the beings around us, a language without words — the language of life.” — Suzan Stone Sierralupe, Copyright 2002, Path of the Green Witch

picture from Ecosia,org images

The green witch can show us all a way to maintain Mother Earth more effectively.  It is now a time of desperation, in a sense; still, it is a time of pushing forward with all the green ways we can.  I would like to think it is not too late, even though the melting ice at the Poles and horrific hurricanes, cyclones, fires and floods can surely make us think differently.  But I have never known a witch to say never.  And here is where I would like to try to be a service to all, if I can.  Whenever possible, I wish to share my knowledge with you via ideas or recipes or whatever I learn in order to help you treat Mother Earth more respectfully and, to save you money in the doing of it.  Below, I have listed my favourite recipes for earth-friendly household cleaners.  You may already have ones of your own and that is good!  Carry on, if you do.  This is mainly for those who do not know where to begin as I always try to write to.

Window and Mirror Cleaner

One half cup of white vinegar

One half cup of plain tap water

Two teaspoons of borax

Two or three drops of washing up liquid

Mix thoroughly to dissolve Borax.  Add washing up liquid after.  Pour into an old window cleaner spray bottle [you can buy a new one if you please, but I much prefer to use a repurposed spray bottle if I have one].

The most effective way to get the cleanest windows and mirrors ever is to spray, then wipe clean with bunched up newspaper.  You’re killing three birds with one stone – repurposing a plastic bottle what might otherwise end up in our tips or oceans, creating an environmentally friendly household cleanser that is most effective, and you’re not binning an old newspaper…at least, not straightaway.

**Ingredient amounts can be halved or doubled as you need.

Household Spray Cleaner

One Half cup white vinegar

One half cup plain tap water

Two tablespoons of borax

Two teaspoons of bicarb of soda

Several drops of either Lavender oil or Peppermint oil.

Mix the white vinegar and plain tap water, then add the bicarb only one teaspoon at a time.  Make sure you are mixing in a large bowl as once you add the bicarb it will fizz up and over the edges of small bowls.  Mix continuously with a wooden spoon to slow fizzing and to mix the bicarb sufficiently.  After the first teaspoon full has settled, add the second one, and continue mixing entire time to keep fizzing down.  Once the bicarb is sufficiently mixed in, add the two tablespoons of borax.  Mix well til dissolved.  Once you have the mixture dissolved as best you can [do try to get all dissolved to prevent clogging of spray head], add several drops of either Lavender oil or Peppermint oil.  Both have anti-bacterial properties.  Funnel into a repurposed household cleaner bottle.  This is a perfectly safe cleanser to use on any surface, countertops, bathroom and kitchen fixtures, cupboards, appliances.  Do not use inside of microwaves.  No kind of household cleaner is good to clean microwaves with.  There is a better, cheaper, and easier method:

How to Clean Your Microwave

One cup of plain tap water

One Lemon

Cut the lemon in half and squeeze juice into water.  If there is room in the cup without overflow, toss in the halves if you wish!  Sit cup in your microwave and set microwave “cooking” time for five minutes.  Carefully remove the cup of water because it will be boiling.  Using a clean sponge or clean dampened cloth, wipe down the inside of your microwave.  Old food and grease will come off a treat!  And, this is safer because you are not putting chemicals inside your microwave which may linger and get into your food.

Vegetable and Fruit Cleaner

One half cup of white vinegar

One half cup of plain tap water

Two teaspoons of bicarb

20 drops of Grapeseed Extract

Mix the white vinegar and plain tap water, then add the bicarb only one teaspoon at a time.  Make sure you are mixing in a large bowl as once you add the bicarb it will fizz up and over the edges of small bowls.  Mix continuously with a wooden spoon to slow fizzing and to mix the bicarb sufficiently.  After the first teaspoon full has settled, add the second one, and continue mixing entire time to keep fizzing down.  Once the bicarb is sufficiently mixed in, add the twenty drops of grapeseed extract.  It is crucial to add this ingredient as it helps to kill any and all bacteria left on your fruit and veg after normal cleaning.  Pour into a clean spray bottle never used for harsh household cleaners.  Here is a good time to purchase a new spray bottle but take care to always use it and not buy a new one each time.

**melon fruits must still be cleaned properly before cutting because although the inside is protected from pesticides and bacteria, the outer rind is not.  You can use this to clean it with before you cut it open as the knife can and will drag pesticides and bacteria into the fruit if you don’t.  The easiest way to clean small berries such as blueberries is to place them in a bowl and pour some of the cleaner over them, allow it to sit about five minutes and then pour into a colander / sieve and rinse thoroughly.

I hope this blog has been a help to you in some way.  Let’s all try to be proactive in doing everything, no matter how small, to help Mother Earth… and if we can save money in the doing of these things, so much the better!  I would love to ready your personal recipes if you wish to share in comments.  Many thanks for reading and warm blessings to those whom wander this way x

Cometh the Hour, Cometh the Witch – What Kind of Witch are You and Does it Matter?

By Isabella @TheWandCarver

Instagram:  @thewandcarver

[I wrote this originally in 2018 but as it seems to have stood the test of time, with a small number of changes, I am republishing it to the our new blog spot here]

If you don’t like confrontational subjects and wish to walk away now, I quite understand as things may get ugly here in the next few paragraphs.  Only because I feel very opinionated about things that I have been reading in my Google News briefings of late.  Most recently a Washington Post story [I’ll read anything, me] called “An Entire Generation is Losing Hope.  Enter the Witch”.  That doesn’t bother me.

This writer attributes the loss of hope people are feeling to the increase in witchly spiritualism.  Nothing wrong with that either.  He goes on to say that Witchcraft is “generally an occultism with a paganist bent, often with an emphasis on feminine power.” He then goes on to say, “The term can be used to describe anything from astrology to Wicca to older syncretic traditions such as VooDoo and Santeria.” Hang about!  NO! You cannot tar anything remotely Pagan with the same Witchcraft brush, you uninformed being!  Firstly, not ALL astrologers have any remote interest in Witchcraft so please don’t insult the ones who do not. And, all Wiccans are not Witches, either! Not only all of that but NOT ALL WITCHES ARE FEMININE!! Men are witches and they may work with feminine power, but they also work with masculine power… come to think on it, woman can do both as well. Apparently, Mr Ill-Informed has not read that Wicca is now a recognised religion although it is not set in stone into UK law just now, but in the US since 2015 some areas of the US and the US Army do recognise Wicca fully as a religion:

Military Courts of Justice in the U.S. have also found Wicca to be a valid religion, deserving of protection under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. In United States v. Phillips, (42 M.J. 346) in 1995) the concurring opinion by Judge Wiss stated: “First, Wicca is a socially recognized religion.  It is is acknowledged as such by the Army.  From Religious Tolerance

It is a religion, it is not necessarily Witchcraft,  although there are practitioners of the Wicca faith whom are Witches.

from Google images

Next, he goes on to say that Witches are an eclectic group – yes! He gets a biscuit for he is correct here.  We are very diverse and bring many things learned from many kinds of practise from all over the World to the Witchy table.  So, his next remarks threw me into fits of laughter and fits of anger at the same time and that is what you call a tempest in a tea pot, my friends! Mr Doesn’t Know He’s Born says, “There are even Christian Witches – a new tradition that seems to have cropped up within the past five years.”  How many years??  Only five??  Begging your arty pardon, sir, but my Nana was a Christian Witch… in the late 1800’s all the way to her death in 1977! No, of course he wouldn’t know my Nana – or the thousands of Witches like her who were called cunning women in their time.  When they gathered their herbs, they prayed over them. Intermingled with their spells were religious litanies.  And they went to church every Sunday…unless like my Nana, she got where she only went for Christmas, Easter, and Mothering Sunday.  And long before my Nana these are the same kind of Witches whom were dug out by the Witchfinder General and whomever the Witchfinder of American Witches was and then burned them at the stake, buried them alive, drowned them, and more insufferable acts performed upon them even though they all went to church every Sunday and most likely believed in God.  So how very dare he say that Christian Witches are a new thing?  Aren’t journalists taught to get all their facts straight before putting pen to paper or fingertips to keyboards?

Sigh.  Sorry, a little edgy after reading about all the sudden interest in all things witchy lately from not only this author but others as well.  The upsurge in Witchcraft interest is probably partially down to a new Sabrina film which interests me not, but more importantly, because men and women are losing hope in all else because of government, climate change disasters, and all kinds of mayhem in the world and getting no help from whomever is their God…or so they believe. One thing I have learned is, no matter who you believe in, the Divine do NOT wave a magick wand over the problem just like that.  It took time to get into the messes we’re in and it will take time to get out of them….and if we aren’t given some degree of hardship, how are we to appreciate the good when it comes?

This means, of course, everyone whom is feeling the pain of the world’s problems must bear the pain and do their bit to fix the problems, no matter how small.

But what good is magick if it doesn’t help capture the attention of a Higher Source for help? Or to make the Universe send that Abundance that so many say the Universe has for our asking?  Magick is not worth a tuppence.  Not worth a bean.  Never will be unless you make some changes first.  No, I am not talking about changing your wardrobe to a witchy one or anything superficial.  The changes must come from within…did your mum or your therapist ever tell you this?  Well, it is true.  The first and most important thing you must relinquish is your Ego.  Ego really has no place in magick or any other situation.  Ego is the part of you which makes you think you know everything when indeed you do not.  Ego is the thing which makes you become angry when you don’t get your way.  Ego also makes you give up if something doesn’t go your way.  I can’t spend a blog meant for something else explaining why so if you want to know what I mean, please see Eckhart Tolle. And, if you want to see an Ego on steroids, see this other fellow I shall not mention.

You also must have a healthy belief in your power.  We all have great power, believe it or not.  It is how we tap into it and own it that makes the difference.  There is much discipline to making your power work for you.  Oh yes, I know many whom have only begun as a Witch and their first spell worked.  Then, in a lot of cases they had a series of flops.  You can’t go into spell work with doubts or disbelief in yourself.  But you said I need to drop my Ego…yes, I did and Ego and belief in yourself and your abilities have nothing at all in common.  There is a huge difference between standing on your pedestal proclaiming yourself to be the greatest Witch in the World and simple trust in yourself.  It is all you need. And if the next spell doesn’t work, keep learning and experimenting until you find the way to create one that will.

Discipline, discipline, discipline!  Don’t cut corners.  Long ago, Witches/Cunning Folk grew all their own herbs or wild-gathered them, as many of us do now.  When they harvested them there was a time of day which corresponded to the planet which ruled the herb being harvested and so they only harvested during that herb’s planetary hours.  They also many times sang a religious litany or prayer during the harvest.  Whilst preparing the herb for a spell or for use in healing, there were many prayers said over it.  And this was carried out each time.  There were prayers and such, even chanting the Psalms, for every part of their craft.  Nowadays I’m sure many the Witch – or the neo-Witch – doesn’t care to spend hours preparing his/her/their herbs or other needs like tools in order to use them.  Still, it is important and a good discipline.  I can say from experience that my spell work in which I prepared for properly have all worked very well.   You don’t necessarily need to chant Biblical verses over your herbs and so forth unless you do this already, but you can find a way which works for you and discipline yourself to do so every time for best results.

Lastly, believe!  Not only in yourself but in the Higher Source[s] whom you put your faith into.  Trust this Source.  Trust the Universe.  Yes, I know…when things go wrong, people’s first reaction is often “the Universe is against me”.  I can assure you this is not true.  Try working with the Universe, no matter if it is good or bad and see what happens.  You must realise the bad things are not the Universe taking a dig at you, but a lesson to be learned.  Does anyone ever say “thank you” to the Universe when things go right or excellently?  No, didn’t think so…but you should do.  Whatever or whomever is the driving force of the Universe does enjoy appreciation.  Especially when things seem overwhelmingly bad.  Remembering the good things and saying thank you for them never goes amiss with the Universe.  Nor does thanking the Universe for the bad things if you can see your way to understanding that bad is not always the Universe’s fault but that we are truly masters of our own destiny and nine times out of ten it is ourselves who cause our own problems.  Obviously, that does not apply to every bad thing.  And don’t have my head on a plate because I say to be thankful for bad things, for particularly if a lesson is learned and adhered to in future, it is something to be grateful for.

I’m not trying to teach you to suck eggs…or in this case, to know how to be a Witch.  There are loads of books for that, and journalists who think they know everything there is to know about being a Witch or why one wishes to become a Witch.  I will be the first to hold my hand up and say unequivocally that I do not know everything about being a Witch even after some fifty-odd years and  having learned everything I know from my cunning woman Nana. But even at my age, I still love to learn.  And, I have learned that discipline, self-belief, trusting in the Divine Parents and Universe, being grateful, and letting go of my Ego have all made me a much better Witch and person.  A happier person…a more caring person.

Sabrina ~ from Google Images

So, what kind of Witch are you? And, does it matter? Of course, it does.  I don’t mean whether you are a Hedge Witch, a Solitary Witch, an Eclectic Witch…Are you a Witch who is grounded in his/her/their beliefs and puts faith into their Higher Source and in themselves? Are you a Witch who believes they already knows everything or a Witch whom is willing to learn all they can, no matter the age? And if you are one of the many “neo-Witches” whom have entered the realm of the occult, welcome.  We are happy to have you if you are doing so for the right reasons.  Upon entering any kind of belief system, we must not enter into unadvisedly or because we feel it is the only way.  And don’t enter believing you will suddenly be performing spells that will save the world.  Still, if one person could do, I will not hold them back! But to enter because you felt you identified with Sabrina or the Charmed Ones could possibly be a fading phase you will go through.  It would be unwise to purchase loads of Witchcraft items if this is the case.

If I ruffled a few feathers in this blog, then my job is well done.  I wrote this to get people thinking.  I want you to know, beyond a doubt, what you expect of Witchcraft as well as of yourself before you enter this door.  It is a beautiful world to live in and one in which you can bring much good about from, if you are ready.  I hope that if you do, you will take heed to my above advice.  It could save you from throwing in the wand so to speak in future.  Good luck and warmest blessings to your new future!

Please feel free to comment, I do answer to all. Many thanks for reading and warmest blessings to all whom this way wander x