Mrs Darley on Kindle

The first 3 Mrs Darley books are now available on Amazon Kindle - Mrs Darley's Pagan Whispers, Mrs Darley's Moon Mysteries & Mrs Darley's Pagan Elements.
These three books explore my initial journey into the realms of Paganism and magick when I lived on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall, guided as ever by the delightful & charismatic Mrs Darley.

Today marks the festival of Twelfth Night, the time when all decorations of the festive season should be taken down and the period of Wassailing begins. Twelfth Night is often confused with Epiphany on the 6th January, but they are very different things. Epiphany was originally the feast of St John the Baptist, but later became the date upon which the arrival of the three wise men visited the new born Christ child. Wassailing, is the time when, in the apple growing areas of the country, the apple trees are danced around and cider poured on their roots in the hope that they will provide a good harvest later in the year. If you've never been to a Wassail celebration they are well worth seeing. Visit Jubilee Gardens in Bewdley Worcestershire this Saturday 11th January from 2pm to see what a great Wassail should be!
Read more: 'Mrs Darley's Pagan Whispers'

There will be Beltane celebrations a plenty this week throughout the world and according to where you are and what greenery is available the old custom of garlnd making is always a lovely thing to do, to hang on your or someone else's door on the 1st May.
You should however take care as to what greenery you choose for some plants carry a specific message.
Always use plum for those who are glum
Always choose pear for those who are fair
Always use gorse for those who are coarse
Always choose vine for those who are fine
And so it goes on....
Enjoy your garland making and the deeper meanings behind them.
Blessed Beltane
Read more 'Mrs darley's Pagan Whispers'

The Roman Festival of Lupercalia

The Romans saw the month of February as a month of cleansing, hence its name 'februa' meaning purification. The festival of Lupercalia, held on 15 February, saw the priests of Pan racing through the streets and whipping women with goat skin thongs as an act of purification and fertility.
This  is a great time of year to spring clean, whether it's your home, your body or your thoughts.

May Lupercalia bring you a whisper of spring.
Read more 'Mrs Darley's Pagan Whispers'

The Snow Maiden

In the darkness I come
And wrap myself around you,
Assured that when you wake
You will gaze in wonder at my virginal beauty.

Lose yourself in my softness,
Feel me yield beneath your touch,
Will me to stay,
Yet know it cannot be
For the warmth of your embrace
Will lead to my eternal sacrifice
And in an instant I will be gone,

Possessed only by myself.

From 'Mrs Darley's Pagan Whispers' - 'The Snow Maiden'

Sacred Samhain

Tonight the veil is thin. Tonight we remember those who have gone before. Tonight the Goddess takes on a duel aspect, on the one hand She is the expectant mother who will give birth at the next festival of the Winter Solstice and on the other She is the Dark Mother - the Wise Woman. This is the Crone who asks us to journey within to explore our shadow selves and to give that aspect as much reverence as the sunnier side of our nature which is more often the aspect we portray to the world.
It matters not which face of the Goddess turns to face us, Her other aspects are always there and just because they may not be visible to the naked eye does not mean they fail to exist.

'In the marriage bed
Your Goddess lies,
Her youthful eyes
Still shine behind an ageing veil......'

From 'The Mermaid' - Mrs Darley's Pagan Whispers

Samhain & the Full Blood Moon

The full blood moon graces our skies as Samhain approaches and for the Celts this signified a time of feasting, fires, honouring the ancestors & sacrifice.
The Gods were thought to draw near to the earth plane under this moon and kings would gather their tribes in order to make a human sacrifice to appease the Gods & keep everyone safe through the harsh winter to come. On occasions the sacrificial victim may be a beggar, whilsr on others an elderly king would give up his life.
Today gentler alternatives are preferred such as sacrificing a habit which no longer serves us or sacrificing the clothes which hang unworn in our wardrobes by giving them to a deserving cause. Afterall what better time to make new resolutions & clear out the clutter than at the beginning of the celtic new Year?
Read more 'Mrs Darley's pagan whispers'

Golden October

October is a month of contrasts, beautifully warm days with a dusting of frost to begin and end. The month begins with green leaves and ends with the forest floor covered in a blanket of gold. Christmas goods may be in the shops but for those who follow the seasonal wheel, the most important event in the Pagan calendar happens this month- that of Samhain. Here the end of the old and the beginning of the new is celebrated and those who have gone before are honoured and remembered as remnants of their wisdom are recalled in the flames of the Samhain fire.
In the heavens this month we have a treasure trove of meteor showers, beginning with the Draconids on the 8th and 9th in the North West after midnight. It is a sparse shower however with around 10 meteors per hour. On the 21 and 22 the Orinoids shower us with around 20 meteors per hour of yellow and green fireballs and is best viewed in the east after midnight. On the 29 Uranus is at its closest approach to earth and can be seen all night due south.
For more information on the festivals Read 'Mrs Darley's Pagan Whispers', visit 'Mrs Darley's Herbal' shop in Bewdley Museum, Worcestershire, or visit www.arcanus.co.uk for courses and workshops.

September Skies

This month is somewhat quieter across the heavens although Jupiter, Mars and Venus are all visible at certain points.
The planetary positions however promise sexual tension and jealousy before the new moon on the 16th, followed by a time of power, of driving things forward and of seizing the moment. For those who do take advantage of this exciting time, this could be a life changing.
Just before my Mum died, in a rare monment of clarity, she told me to 'take a risk' and never have those words been more appropriate than on the 22nd, when the autumn equinox coincides with the first quarter waxing moon. Be brave, take a chance and the results might just be priceless.
For more information on the Moon and Her effects or the turning of the seasopal wheel read 'Mrs Darley's Moon Mysteries' & 'Mrs Darley's Pagan Whispers'.

Wassailing on Old Twelfth Night

The exact date of old Twelfth Night is the 17 January, but became the 5th of January after the calendar reforms of the C17. Today's celebrations however can be held any time between the two dates and this weekend sees many Wassailing celebrations nationwide. (check on line to see what's available in your area)
The word 'wassail' was first recorded during the early C14 and derives from the Saxon 'waes hael' meaning 'be whole'. Wassail was shouted as a toast whilst the drink known as lambswool was consumed which consisted of mulled ale, herbs and honey. A large goblet was filled with the drink and passed from person to person and accepted each time with a kiss.
In the middle Ages songs were written to accompany the drinking ritual;
'Wassail wassail all over the town, the toast it is white and the ale it is brown.'
So if January seems a little flat, why not celebrate and wassail with honeyed ale and song and may you all 'be whole' in the year ahead.

From 'Mrs darley's Pagan whispers