Tag: what is witchcraft

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Honouring July’s Buck Moon – Welsh Witch Explains

On Monday the 3rd of July, we will be blessed with a beautiful full supermoon characterised in July as the ‘Buck Moon’. Named, aptly so, after this time when antlers of male deer are at their peak growth during this month. Stags shed their antlers each year to grow a bigger, more impressive set the following year. Therefore, it will come as no surprise that this supermoon is used as a time of growth, transformation, and shedding negativity. We’re going to have a look at some of the best ways you could spend this day of lunar wonder.

Ways you can celebrate the Buck Moon

Since July’s moon is a supermoon (and the first one of 2023 at that!), meaning it orbits slightly closer to the Earth than normal, it will appear bigger and brighter in the night sky than a normal moon. This means it’ll be very hard to ignore the light and lunar energy radiating from the Buck Moon; get ready to use this time to supercharge your life this July. The other supermoons of the year will be happening in August (one on the 1st and one on the 31st) and on the 29th of September, so this summer is going to be filled with lots of beautiful feminine energy. There are lots of things you can do to honour the energy of a supermoon (or any full moon!), whatever you choose to do should feel right for you and remember to remain true to your authentic self.

Now, are you ready for some inspiration for what to do?

1. Plan a new dream, project or goal

This Buck Moon is often seen as a symbol of fertility – due to the full male antlers signifying mating season, but whether that means literally or symbolically is up to you! Characteristically full moons are seen as times to sit back and enjoy your hard work, but the masculine nature of the stags this time of year shows that now is the time to go for it! Use this fruitful time to start a new hobby, tick something off your bucketlist or cultivate a new friendship. Seeing your little seed grow into a greater plant in a few months’ time will be so rewarding if you put things into place during the Buck Moon. Nurturing is a very important process during this transformational lunar energy; what will you nurture this July?

2. Celebrate the moonlight

If it wasn’t obvious, the light from this Buck Moon is going to be pretty intense! You can honour this light by celebrating it however feels authentic to you. Perhaps meditate during the full moon with a guided visualisation, or practice gratitude while bathing yourself in the moonlight. If you’d prefer company, hold a supermoon ceremony or join in a women’s circle or witch’s circle. Use this time to honour the light, give thanks for mother nature and the cyclical events that give us life. If you’d like, use candles to make this celebration of light even more magical.

3. Shed anything that’s holding you back from growing

Just as the male deer would with their antlers each year, use this time as a metaphorical purge of your own antlers. What is holding you back from growing bigger and stronger? Use a journal or in your head think about what is keeping your from progressing further and becoming your best self. If you hold onto any negative emotions that are stopping you from healing, use this time to let these go too. Visualise yourself physically purging these emotions. Similarly, you could write them on a piece of paper and (safely!) set them alight in a controlled environment.

4. Connect with your feminine energy

While the moon’s counterpart the sun emanates masculine energy, the lunar energy is feminine, meaning this is a great time to tap into that feminine energy and honour this sacred time to nurture, venture inwards and reflect. Honour that feminine magic inside each and every one of us and use this time to welcome feelings of gratitude, compassion, and unconditional love for all. Spend time with loved ones or enjoy a self-care evening with all your favourite things; there is no right or wrong way to honour your feminine energy!

When you look up at the moon on Monday, remember how truly connected we all are. Each day is a magical opportunity! However you decide to enjoy the magical supermoon, we hope it is filled with magic, joy and comfort for your soul. May this be a time of calm amongst chaos and let it remind you how special your place is in this big, beautiful world of ours.

Love and light,

Welsh Witch HQ x

 

 

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Exploring What Witchcraft Really Means: How to Step Into Your Magic

meaning-of-witchcraft

Firstly, a wonderful warm welcome to the new year, a new season of life and a wide-open road filled with opportunities ahead. A lot of our focus this season is going to be on the fundamentals of witchcraft, what being a witch actually means and how to step into your magic and honour yourself. Witchcraft and witches themselves often get a lot of bad rep, and unjustly so; there has been negative connotations to both witches and ‘magic’ in media, literature and folklore for a very long time. We’re here to set the record straight, unpick what witchcraft really entails as well as inspiring those who are interested in practising as a witch, paganism, herbalism or anything similar. There are no rules here, no exclusivity or commitments; what’s important is doing what feels authentic and genuine for you. 

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Witchcraft isn’t just crystals, casting spells and stirring a cauldron

So, what actually is a witch?

 

A witch translates literally as a ‘wise woman’, a term that is often left out of modern knowledge of paganism and witchcraft. Witches are wise because they honour their inner guidance and practise things such as strengthening your intuition and showing up authentically, both of which we’ll talk about in this article and on this blog throughout the year. Popular media and society often defines the fundamentals of witchcraft and witches as an ‘evil’ being or surrounding dark magic; though that’s not necessarily true. It’s this rhetoric that puts people off or gives the wrong impression of paganism, occult and witchcraft in general, when actually it’s much less sinister and actually a lot about honouring nature, inner guidance and belief. Witches aren’t just an easy Halloween costume or pointy hats! We’re humans on a path to knowing ourselves and stepping into our magic every day. 

 

The Welsh Witch herself, Jade, is a strong believe in trusting yourself, extending kindness and being understanding with others to promote peace and harmony with your surroundings. Kindness is a staple of the witchcraft world, while spells, crystals, divination and herbs may be great, but without the foundations of love, presence and authenticity you won’t have a strong base to start from. Let’s learn together how to truly step into your magic and make 2023 a magical year from start to finish. 

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Jade, our Welsh Witch, the owner of Wild Moon

Spreading kindness from within

 

A large part of the philosophy of being a witch and creating a better world for ourselves, our neighbours, the generations that will succeed us, animals and nature, is to extend kindness in every situation. At the Wild Moon Distillery, we believe that, as well as the fundamentals of witchcraft, you should choose kindness from deep within in any situation. Especially in a world that can sometimes feel difficult and cruel, extending a hand of kindness can make anybody’s day better. Not knowing what other people are going through means that one small act of love can make a world of difference; mental health struggles are a global pandemic – life is too short not to be kind to others. 

 

More peace and understanding 

 

Even in the face of narcissism, hate and negativity, peace seems difficult and sometimes ridiculous. But we believe being a witch means honouring freedom of expression and being understanding of others, no matter how hard it feels. Life is too short to spend it being angry at the world, showing up everyday as somebody who makes decisions and exists in peace and understanding is more likely to be level-headed and in tune with the world.

Honouring your boundaries 

 

Being a witch entails protecting yourself when needed to avoid becoming drained, energetically, mentally and physically. Sometimes letting people overstep your boundaries can seem like the easier option than causing conflict in a circumstance. But, a knowing witch remembers to honour their needs and when to say no to an opportunity or situation. This could be as simple as cancelling a plan to rest, or something huge like knowing when a friendship is no longer serving you or a toxic family member needs to be cut off. There are many ways in order to show up for yourself and really learn to trust that you know best for yourself, we’ll explore some of those ways throughout the year through educational posts and guides. 

 

Showing up authentically

 

Learning to show up authentically in a world that tries to convince you to do anything but, is a hard skill that few master, but it is an important one to practise. A crucial part of being witch includes honouring your true self and showing up as that person. In situations and circumstances, it takes courage to address them authentically and trusting your intuition. An experienced witch has faith in themselves fully; this is done through deep practise and learning. Sometimes, witches use powerful divination tools such as tarot cards, pendulums or the like; these help a witch encourage guidance from spirit, the universe or whomever they ask, which then helps them to trust their judgement and make their own authentic decisions. However you choose to deepen your relationship with yourself if up to you, as long as you do so from a place of genuine curiosity and patience with yourself while you learn. 

 

Want to learn more about being an authentic witch? 

 

Throughout the year, we will be delving deeper into what it means to be a witch, honouring yourself and your needs and fabricating a connection with the universe and others around you to spread kindness and love. We hope you stick around to learn more about nurturing your inner witch and how to connect deeper with yourself and other like-minded individuals. In 2023 we hope to spread more witchy goodness to the masses by encouraging more kindness, more appreciation for the abundance of nature and celebration of the self, we hope you’ll join us! 

 

Of course, if you’re interested in witchcraft inspired and pagan inspired premium Welsh spirits, check out our award-winning tipples over on our shop. Our lunar cycle prepped, reiki infused, magically botanical Wheel of the Year spirits honour the Celtic pagan sabbats celebrated throughout the year, perfect for a baby witch or someone on an exciting spiritual journey.