'A' in Granny Bonnets' Alphabet of Witches

Aurelia Ainsworthy

Have you been lucky enough to see Auriel? She is very shy and gentle: a protective witch. She roams in the quiet of forest and field with her rare and enchanting Golden Oriels.

Both she and her exotic feathered friends favour secluded Poplar groves where hidden together in the dapple of leaves, they can make uplifting magic undisturbed.

Auriel Ainsworthy

Rarely you may glimpse Aurelia walking waist-deep in meadow buttercups and sometimes she hovers wherever children hold the shining golden cups beneath each others' chins.

'Do you like butter?' they will ask.

If there is a golden reflection, the answer of course, is 'yes!'

*Buttercup appears to have some medical uses but results are uncertain and we are advised not to treat our ailments with them in case of blistering of the skin.

**According to the Druids. Poplars symbolized old age because some varieties have white hairs on or beneath the leaves which appear silver in the light. Though these trees stand at the edge of the afterlife, they are also associated with hope and the promise of revival.

Aurelia is the first witch available in Granny Bonnet's Alphabet of Witches Poster series. You can get one here!

Halloween or All Hallows Eve...

Granny Bonnet and the witch head she made for Halloween.

So, the shops are full of cheap Halloween goodies and the children are planning their outfits for Trick or Treat, that recent import from America. It is all a very long way from where the tradition began, being more concerned with witches and pumpkins than actual history; seen as a bit of innocent fun to lighten those creeping dark days of winter. Afterwards, we can step inside our cosy homes with electric lights, heating, well-stocked larders and other entertainments, and forget the original meaning of the festival that is almost as old as time.

Imagine then that you are a lowly Celtic peasant who by the end of Summer has cropped anything that can be harvested from mean little fields and hedgerows. There is no surplus to feed any large animals throughout the bleak coming months, so you hoard anything sustaining, slaughter surplus beasts and preserve of both what you can. A 'bonefire' is lit on the last day of October to mark this important transition from Summer to Winter. There is feasting and drinking but also an acute awareness that this is the closing of the productive year, marking a time between plenty and famine, and when the veil between life and death is at its thinnest.

Whilst our forebears were happy to celebrate their dead, they also imagined that evil roamed the land in the form of wicked witches, fairies, elves, goblins and the unsettled recently deceased, so lanterns were carved from turnips or pumpkins to scare them off. So terrified were they of recognition by those spirits that they smeared their faces with ash and otherwise disguised themselves. So, masked or 'guised', they were free to join the celebrations, revealing themselves only to any friendly ghost they recognised.

Samhain, (Summer's End) was the name of the Celtic festival our ancestors celebrated, while the new Christian religion that largely supplanted it renamed it All Hallows Eve, the night before All Hallows Day, (also called All Saints Day) on November 1st, which venerated all men and women canonised by the Catholic Church.

The following day, November 2nd in Christianity is All Souls Day and is an extension of the observance of All Saints' Day, remembering departed men and women of faith who were suffering in purgatory until cleansed of their sins before entering heaven.

So many cultures across the world share these sentiments and celebrate in different ways. It seems to me that honouring those who went before is no bad thing if undertaken in a spirit of love, gratitude and understanding.

Happy Halloween from Granny and Hubby entering into the spirit of things!

Granny is rather fond of witches and has designed her own set of posters for you to collect.

There is an alphabetical selection and one or two more available at https://www.kittywitchcurios.co.uk

The Wise Old Crone by Granny Bonnet

'B' in Granny Bonnet's Alphabet of Witches.

Bertha Bracegirdle

As you can see, Bertha is a jolly and friendly woman, a witch whose presence cannot possibly go unnoticed! This is intentional on her part. She cannot hide who she is, (neither does she want to), so she positively radiates colourful self-assurance and charm.

Witchcraft, as practiced by Bertha and her daemon Ozzy, turns sorrow to joy, rejection to acceptance. Her choice of spell would most probably be wrapped in a funny anecdote or the telling of a joke.

Laughter, Bertha knows instinctively, makes it easier to cope with difficult situations. It also relieves loneliness as you connect with other people. Her advice is, 'be yourself and dance often, as happiness rebounds!'

Ozzy is Bertha's Daemon helper.

Bertha understands of course that a good sense of humour can't cure all ailments, but data is mounting about the positive things laughter can do. Negative thoughts manifest into chemical reactions that can affect your body by bringing more stress into your system and decreasing your immunity. On the other hand, positive thinking can actually release neuropeptides that help fight stress and potentially more-serious illnesses.

So go on! Enjoy a good old belly-laugh to stimulate your heart, lungs and muscles, and increase endorphins released by your brain. When you finish giggling, your heart rate and blood pressure will subside and you will be left with a good, relaxed feeling. Call it witch-craft or common-sense. It's your choice entirely...