Hedge Witch: Into the Wilds…
Let me take you on a journey through the wilds of nature and back to the roots and bones of witchcraft, a natural witchcraft that works with the seasons and all the natural items that Mother Nature provides drawing on magical folk lore with a dash of hedge witch and gypsy magic too.
Labyrinths
Labyrinths
The dictionary definition of a labyrinth is:
‘a complicated irregular network of passages or paths in which it is difficult to find one’s way; a maze’ which sounds very dry and uninteresting but I think they are fascinating and can be walked for very spiritual reasons. There are labyrinths across the globe and some of them are ancient.
A labyrinth can be walked as a meditative journey, you follow the path as it takes you to the centre allowing your mind to be still and your body to do the movement without thinking about it. Once in the centre you can sit and release your thoughts, desires, emotions or negative energy and then walk back out of the labyrinth with a more positive outlook.
Entering the labyrinth is symbolic of the desire to cleanse, release and let go. The centre is the divine, the sweet spot where you find yourself or connect with a higher power (or both). The journey back out is the new refreshed you taking the positive energy with you. You can choose to walk the labyrinth on your own or you can share the journey with others.
I once saw a young lady dance her way around a labyrinth doing cartwheels and complicated gymnastic moves…I have not tried this due to fear of injury…but the choice is yours as to how you move yourself around the pathway.
You may find there is a labyrinth in your area or there might be a maze locally. If you don’t have one, then they are fairly straightforward to make on an open space of ground. You can draw out the labyrinth pathway on a large sheet of fabric or you can mark it out with pebbles, tea lights or natural items such as sticks and leaves (not on a windy day obviously).
It is a nice activity to get a group involved in from the creation of the labyrinth to walking it together.
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How easy a design is to make depends a lot on how big it is - the more circles there are, the harder it gets, and the more material you need. My first one didn't work because i under-estimated the material needed and the time it would take, but with practice and some extra hands I can now build a 12 circle labyrinth in under an hour. it's a wonderful thing to do and i can entirely recommend it, but it is a lot of work - it took me a weekend to learn my labyrinth so that i can make it from memory.