The Long Road Ahead..............

So we begin our long road to health and wellness................. Let's look at some of the superfoods.

Blackcurrants. They are the new Blueberries or Goji Berries. They are being hailed as the ultimate superfruit. Tiny little blighters that they are, they could possibly help fight cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer's (providing you don't boil them up in an aluminium pan!!! Allegedly). Researchers at The Scottish Crop Research Institute have concluded in their study that blackcurrant contained more vitamins, minerals and antioxidants than the 20 other fruits tested. They also said that compounds in the berry called anthocyanins can help prevent a vast number of ailments, including diabetes and infection from MRSA bacterium. Enjoy Blackcurrants by way of a delicious autumn preserve or pile high on top of a flan case with lots of other gorgeous burgundy and red berries, whip up a tub of Quark fat free cheese with a touch of honey and plop on the top, to finish sprinkle with Cinnamon and eat!

As a nice cocktail, vodka and blackcurrant is a nice alternative. (Alcohol should always be drunk responsibly, so do not exceed the recommended amount) In order to lessen the vodka required you could always chuck in loads of ice, then the blackcurrant juice, then spray a little soda in too and you will have halved the room left for vodka, thus, lessening the quantity in each drink. (unless you are using a pint glass that is!!!) Finally top off with a slice of cucumber and float a few blackcurrants on top. Sip slowly for maximum taste explosion.

Until next time...thanks.

Samhain, Halloween, All Hallows Eve, All Saints or Summers End.........

SAMHAIN........................HALLOWEEN
Samhain............(pronounced Sew-in) is the most important celebration of the year in the Wiccan/Pagan calendar. It originated from the Celtic New Year and is a time for Spiritual Observance for Witches, for the rest of us it is a time when the nights are drawing in, the last harvest is brought in, the autumnal fruit preserves are made and packed into the larder to see us through the long winter months. Mother Nature offers us an abundance of vegetables before she prepares for her winter hibernation and her preparations for new beginnings. We enter into a new phase of colour and textures , colours that offer warmth and comfort in the chilly times to come...........

Wicca is the largest of the Neopagan religions. It's core belief lies in Mother Earth, her offerings, the Goddess and her escort the Horned God and the phases of the Moon and how they effect our being. Wicca forbades harm to all people including yourself so whilst we will look at rituals, spells and magic, if it is not for the higher good then I am afraid we will not be covering it here and you need to be looking elsewhere for your advice.

This brings me to the main reason for my blog, to look holistically at our lives, look at what is relevant to us and the way we live our lives. How to nuture ourselves. It is fine to say we need to go to the gym 3 times a week for an hour each session in order to be healthy. That may be so, I am not contesting the sound advice to exercise, yes, we all need to do that, but I believe wellness initially comes from within. Once our insides, including our mind and soul are feeling good then the exercise can come, and probably will come as we find ourselves with more energy and inspiration.

Let's look at the more commercial traditions that we engage in at this time of the year and why. For example, masks, in ancient times it was believed that Spirits came back to the earthly world on Halloween because it was at this time of the year that the veil that separates our world from theirs is at it's most penetrable, so people wore scary masks to try and trick the ghosts into believing that they were fellow spirits, thus protected! As for the Jack O'Lantern, a hollowed out pumpkin was actually a turnip in origin. The old Irish fable tells it like this......Old Stingy Jack tricked the Devil into climbing an Apple tree and once he was at the top Jack carved crosses into the base of the tree so the Devil was trapped, he only let the Devil down when he promised not to take Jack's soul to Hell. When Jack's time came he found that he was not allowed into Heaven because of the mean, stingy life that he had led, but he also was not allowed into Hell either, all he had was an ember of fire from Hell that the Devil had flicked at him, he put this ember into a stolen turnip and cut out shapes to allow the beam to light his way. Jack's soul wandered for eternity in the void between Heaven and Hell , hence the hollowed out pumpkin, which, incidentally was introduced from the Irish Amercans as pumpkin carved more easily, a lighted candle is now used to ward off evil spirits. To carve your own authentic Jack O' Lantern follow the tips below.....................

• Choose a large pumpkin and use a sharp serrated knife to cut off the crown.
• Using a large serving spoon, scoop our the seeds and fibres and discard. Then remove some of the flesh.
• With a marker pen draw a simple outline of a face on the pumpkin, with triangular eyes, nose and a jagged mouth with square shaped teeth, use a small serrated knife to cut out the features, always cut away from you incase the knife slips.
• Put a tea light candle inside the pumpkin, light it and replace the crown.

Never leave a lighted candle unattended.

Why a positive outlook is essential...........

Our first rule must be belief in ourselves and what we are doing. Without this we have nothing to build upon. We must be positive.

That is our key..

Once we have found this within ourselves no one can touch us. We are all equipped with the tools required to accomplish anything that we choose. It may be that we choose to continue eating junk food and feeling like we wouldn't want to be us or we could use that energy to finally take control and responsibility for ourselves, reclaiming our power and using our inner wisdom to turn our lives around once and for all.

That's great isn't it? It is easy to say 'be positive' but how do we become positive in a negative environment? Well let's narrow it down a bit, forget the environment (for now that is) and consider yourself for a moment. One way, and you may scoff, is to use affirmations to re-establish your self worth (this is assuming you need a boost and let's face it, most of us do).

Try this one for size, or use your own....

'I deserve ultimate health and vitality and I am achieving this now'.

You can say this out loud to yourself in the mirror as many times as you like or if you feel self conscious you can re-affirm this with your inner voice during quiet times of the day.

We do know that every action we make was once a thought, therefore it stands to reason that what we think manifests in our reality, so why waste this power? This gives us infinite possibilities.

We use the same amount of energy whether we think positively or negatively, so surely it is obvious that by affirming the positive in our lives we can manifest whatever we wish. As I said earlier, every thing we need is within us or can come to us. How often have you heard someone say 'they brought it upon themself!'

So, our first lesson concludes here with the affirmation 'I BELIEVE'. As it happens this is also the key words for all those Aquarians out there! Next time we will talk about food and the effect (apart from the obvious!!) it has on us, nutritionally, emotionally, physically and sexually. Chocolate is, for me, the drug of choice, along, of course with coffee, so what a great place to begin. This also leads me to mention a great foodie buddie of mine who happens to have a great voice too. Check out her 'all things vintage' blog at thesingingcakemaker.blogspot.com. You will love it!

Equilibrium!

I have been thinking all week of the format that I am hoping that my blog will take.

Initially I wanted to include everything in one go, (impulsive nature creeping in again!) but having thought abit more about it I decided to cover one area at a time with a snippet of stuff from other areas, like an herb of the blog plus whether the moon is waxing or waning and whether you need to eat a dark chocolate brownie whilst standing on your head or feet? Obviously the most important part being the chocolate!!!!

I want to ramble on about why I believe these areas of well-being pay an integral part of our quest for the ultimate being.

There is nothing new here, apart from my strong belief and commitment to pass on the stuff that I have learnt over the years!!

It is possible to achieve fantastic health and with this 'being-well' attitude will come a burst of energy that you only remember from childhood, great agility, suddenly you will be able to bend down quickly to pick up that pen rolling away from you! To achieve balance in your life is the desired state whereby all else will slot nicely into place.

Common belief of 'being on the up' is a good thing but when we are talking of the yo-yo dieting syndrome it is definately a no-no. So...energy, agility and positivity will be yours. Yes! With a boost to your ego and self esteem you will re-discover a positive vibe which may well have been buried under a mound of toxic waste that has been clogging up your creativity.

Next we will look at this positive outlook and discuss why it is so important to our being.

Who is this witchy woman?

Welcome to the world of wellness, witchy stuff and hopefully some wisdom along the way!!

Disclaimer.

The information presented herein by The Wellness Witchy is intended for recreational and educational purposes only. These statements have not been evaluated by the FSA or any other official body and are not intended to diagnose, cure, treat or prevent dis-ease. Individual results may vary and it is advisable to consult with your G.P before using any supplements or herbal remedies. That said, I hope you will find this fun and informative!

When I was little I had 4 things I wanted to do when I became big. They included being an air hostess, an actress, social worker or a journalist.

Then I grew up. (to some degree, although I am still hobbit-like, without the hairy feet). One of the first books that I bought that started my life long passion was entitled 'Is there a book inside you?' Well, yes there most certainly was, and finally here is where it may finally be born!!

Of course being an impulsive soul I wanted to research, write and publish my book all within 3 weeks. Eagerly following my first lesson it told me that in the first instance I needed to write about something that I knew about. Here also came my first experience of writers' block!! I was 15 years old for goodness sake, I didn't know about anything!!! So, here we are, finally, over 30 years later and I can finally get past go..........just! Whether what I now know is correct, well that is up for debate, but I can assure you it was correct at going to press!!

I have taken over 30 years to research my subject matter. I have fridge tested probably every weight loss idea going and still I am not skinny, honest but not skinny, but along the way I have devoured with relish all the information available on well-being and I have regurgitated the ineffective and digested the tasty bits. As an Holistic Therapist and through my studies in Herbalism and a devout foodist I have a strong theory on how we can achieve fantastic health. My ten pronged approach will provide all the tools necessary to achieve this......holistically.

I have taken the best from the rest, added my own spoonful of wisdom and boiled it all up in my witchy cauldron! No rats included!

We have all heard of the journeying books that reveal mystical secrets about our inner selves, or which planet we are on at any one time in our lives, or just how to look like the airbrushed models that we see every Sunday in our shiny paper supplements. There is no mystery, it is basic common sense combined with helpful hints and tips to make you feel as special as you are. Hopefully, you will gain more real knowledge of the wacky kind from my ramblings and finally wellness will be yours for the taking.

So again, I welcome you to my world where, together, we can explore, discuss, dissect and completely blow out the water, myths, truths and downright lies about the world of wellness, diet, nutrition and anything else that may crop up along the way.

Bon Appetite!