Public - Newsletter

Welcome to our December 2024 Kitchen Witch newsletter.

Hello! Welcome to our last newsletter of the year. As we look back at 2024, there were a few changes at KWHQ. Change happens, whether we like it or not and change can give us a different perspective. The Universe decided to throw a few curve balls this year but boy! we have had a blast! We have been to some amazing festivals - Rachel doing her fabulous talks and Heather and I thrown out of our comfort zones with running rituals and helping/being let loose with workshops. We launched the Triad Readings which has been amazing to do. Rachel has had a lot of her fantastic books published (I don't know how she finds the time) and we also launched the Emporium, which again has been successful. It has been a whirlwind of a year and we took some time out to spend some time in Dartmoor in the early autumn. We have more workshops and festivals booked for 2025 and have a read below for a 'newsletter subscribers only' first peek at details for our online rituals for 2025.

Wishing you a peaceful and happy Yule and Christmas.

Ness xx

What's Going on in Nature this Month from Ness  

As I sit typing this, it is raining. We still have the mild weather and it has confused the flowers no end. I have Cowslip and Osteospermums flowering and daffodil shoots have already made an appearance in my garden troughs. But this afternoon, winter will finally make it's way across the UK. Snow has already fallen in the North of the country and temperatures where I am in the South are set to plummet to half of what they have been - a very chilly 6 degree C. Leaves are falling very quickly now from the trees, leaving carpets of browns and oranges across the footpaths and scattered over the fields. The night frosts will kill off any remaining summer flowers. The hedgerows are looking sparse and it is muddy underfoot in places of nature. I like to think that nature is finally preparing for her winter sleep, but I feel that it has come at a later time this year, so she might just have to settle for a snooze!

Flower of the Month by Heather

Narcissus is a spring flowering perennial plant of the amaryllis family with common names including daffodil, narcissus (plural narcissi), and jonquil.

Narcissus have flowers with six petal-like petals surmounted by a cup or trumpet-shaped crown. The flowers are generally white and yellow, although there are also orange or pink garden varieties. They have a sweet and musky fragrance.

Narcissus Meanings and Symbolism

The name Narcissus is derived from the Greek mythological character Narcissus, a young man who fell in love with his own reflection. The flowers have a drooping manner that reflects the way Narcissus would bend over to stare at his own beauty.

In Victorian times, the gift of a narcissus meant you were the only one.

A bouquet is a way to express pure or unconditional love.

Since it can be made to bloom mid-winter, it is sometimes associated with the Chinese Lunar New Year.

Due to its fragrance, Narcissus have been used in making perfumes. However, all parts of the plant are poisonous, with the bulb itself being the most toxic.

There are a couple of ways to grow Narcissus in winter -

Making great indoor plants during the winter months, here is how to force the bulbs -

Fill any small pot about 3/4 full of potting mix or the soil provided in a kit.

Place the bulbs on top of the soil. You can place bulbs fairly close together.

Press about a quarter inch of potting mix to the tops of the bulbs, it is better to leave the tops exposed.

Add enough water so that the soil is moist and soaked through but not soggy.

Another method is using a glass vase and adding pretty stones or gravel instead of soil. Add a couple of cups of stones, then place the bulbs on the stones. Add a few more stones for stability. Add water up to the base of the bulb. The roots will grow to the water.

Once planted, place containers in a sunny location, such as a windowsill. Keep the water up to the bulb’s base and moist, but not soggy. The flowers will grow in about one month.

You can plant bulbs in pots at two-week intervals to have a constant display of flowers throughout the winter.

Magical uses 

Luck, prosperity, love, new life, renewal, new beginnings, happiness, peace, purity, innocence, spirituality, self-reflection.

Sources and further reading –

A Kitchen Witch's World of Magical Plants & Herbs by Rachel Patterson

https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/

https://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Mortals/Narcissus/narcissus.html

https://www.petalrepublic.com/narcissus-flower-guide/

Foxy Gift by Heather

One of the lovely people we get to meet at our workshops in Wickham is Andrea.  She is fortunate to have access to ancient woodland, where she gathers wonderful items to make into creations, such as brooms and web catchers.

Knowing my love of nature, bones, blood and stones, she very kindly gifted me a fox skull she had found and cleaned.   Foxy and I have spent several weeks building a rapport, whilst she sat on my altar.   Suddenly today, whist we were in contact, she made it very clear she wanted to be up somewhere, to be able watch more of what was going on in the house.  As we continued to connect, I remembered a slice of wood my husband had prepared for me years ago to hang items on.  Not sure even if I still had this, looking into the first possible drawer there it was, and Foxy almost leapt off the altar, her joy palpable.

The picture shows Foxy, looking very happy, now placed in the centre of our home, where she can watch over everything that happens, but is still unobtrusive unless you look for her, just as she would be in her natural environment.

Magic of Fox

Creative, cunning, stealth, agility, courage, observation, mystery, resilience, patience, perseverance, survival, navigate the complexities of life, transformation, shapeshifting, adaptability, personal growth and evolution, a reminder that change is not something to be feared but embraced, self-discovery, wisdom, intuition, embracing the unknown or confronting your shadow self, invisibility, spiritual guidance, purity, passion, a fearless spirit.

You can see Andrea’s creations here - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61567252756093

Also, the page for Raw Eden Apothecary where Andrea sells some of her creations - https://www.facebook.com/rawedenbeautyskincare

Further reading –

Animal Magic by Rachel Patterson

Animal Speak: The Spiritual & Magical Powers of Creatures Great and Small by Ted Andrews

Myths of the Fox by Frederick H. Bolman

https://www.enotalone.com/article/religion-and-spirituality/fox-symbolism-spiritual-meanings-

https://www.theoldcraft.com/2018/03/27/keeper-flame-fox-spirit-animal-totem-animal-magick/

A Discovery - by Heather

Last month Rachel, Ness and I did a Candle Magic Workshop at Raw Eden Apothecary in Wickham.  As that is a bit of a journey for me, and I can never tell what the traffic will be like, I tend to arrive early to ensure I get there in time!

On this day I had a very smooth run down, getting there very early, which gave me a chance to explore the area, discovering a beautiful walk with both ancient and modern history.

What is now a small car park was the site of Wickham Station.   Part of the Meon Valley Railway that was a cross-country railway in Hampshire, that ran for 22 miles (36 km) between Alton and Fareham, following the course of the River Meon. At its northern (Alton) end, it joined with the Alton Line from London. It was created as an additional main line to the area around Gosport, and it was opened in 1903. It never fulfilled its planned potential and remained a local line through sparsely populated agricultural areas, closing to passenger services in 1955; some local goods services continued until total closure in 1962.

There is a bridge over the river on which can still be seen the tracks, see the picture above, as you walk along overgrown platforms can be found.  In all there are 11 miles of track which has become a nature and exercise route, ideal for walkers, cyclists and some beautiful horses with the riders.  It is not a circular walk, so if undertaking this be prepared that your trip will be 22 miles in total!

Along the length of this walk there is evidence of human habitation from 7000 years ago, right up to today.  There are Neolithic earthworks, Bronze age burial mounds and the remains of an Iron Age Hill Fort.  When the Romans invaded Wickham was a key military post on the road that linked Winchester and Chichester.

In the 5th century the Meonwarra tribe arrived from what is now Denmark, giving the valley its name and developing landscape, shaping the placement of villages because of the fertile land.  The path takes you past one of the best preserved Saxon churches in England at Corhampton.

In 1066 when the Normans invaded they also settled into this fertile area, further developing the agriculture, with an example of Norman architecture at St Marys & All Saints Church in Droxford.

I think this could well be a site for some of our Kitchen Witch Explorations in the future.

Rune of the month from Ness Armstrong

This months rune is Fehu ~ the first or last rune of the Elder Furthark depending how you look at it. This is the rune of wealth, of moveable wealth and of riches. We automatically associate this with monetary wealth, but Fehu can speak to us about the abundance of health, of family, knowledge, joy and happiness. This month, Fehu wants you to be conscious of your self worth. Putting a value on yourself. Know your self worth, don't put up with what no longer serves.