Business and Eurovision

Happy Saturday everyone, although, Happy Weekend is more appropriate!

Well, this week has been a bit crap, I must say, but Tuesday was AWESOME. Myself, RH and MB went to Glastonbury and had an amazing time. Okay, I will admit it was mostly through retail therapy. I purchased some gorgeous incense from The Goddess and the Green Man and some rather sexual books from The Speaking Tree. I also found me a lump of Amethyst from Crystals that looks and feels AMAZING.

So, it's Saturday and the Eurovision song contest is on. I do enjoy the contest, it makes me feel closer to our European cousins more than usual. I feel a connection to the other humans on our continent. We are in it together, I feel, and I dread the day that the UK gets its referendum on EU membership. I worry we will make a bad choice.

We mostly know that we are better as one but some people have this strange thought that we should just go it alone. That makes no sense to me. We SHOULD be able to support ourselves with food, clothing etc but I fear we have too many people now for the land we have. Let's hope we think about that on referendum day.

So, business?! Okay, It's not always my favourite subject! However, I have recently been wondering if an on-line presence for magical sales in general would be needed? I'm thinking about it. Hunting down the best items and selling them on. I don't want to take business from other traders? But Taunton has so few shops of this type. What do you all think?

Have a great weekend, in the garden, allotment or whatever,

DB

xx

Faery Being - Drawing

Saturday greetings to you.

I have attempted my first drawing of a faery or similar being, I initially sat down to draw something but I didn't know what. After a few moments I found myself (prepare yourselves) touching my face (He's lost it), As if comparing it to another. 

It started with the upper lip, following by the base of a pair of ears and a rather pointy chin. Allowing my imagination and these feelings of what was correct I completed the picture. I then decided to colour it in, I felt that I should. Still making my choices in as natural a way as I could. It was as it the colours I chose were correct, until I got to the eye colour. I was heading for green, at which point I slipped and two pencils came flying out and a third, blue, rested in my hands sticking out from the packet. So I knew his eyes were blue. I looked to the floor and found that the two colours that had rather unexpectedly left the pack were the orange I had used for his hair and the magenta of his lips. 

Okay okay, I am a questioner too. I try to be open minded and aware of the more scientific explanation of things as well as any spiritual or mystical stuff. The pencils that flew out, well they were at one end of the pack as they had just been put back in, so they were probably more likely to fall out. The drawing whilst using my own face as a guide, well, was I just drawing my face? I feel that I wasn't but hey, you touch a face with a pencil in your hand your either going to draw a face or poke yourself in the eye. I personally am open minded to it, maybe this is what the being in my life looks like, maybe its an imagining of the being I want to be in my life. Who knows. It's nice to wonder though.

Here he is. You'll notice he also has stubble. I hope he has a big bushy beard one day.

For now, have a fantastic weekend,

DB

 

Green Fingers

Hello and Happy Friday to all.

This past week has been a strange one, blazing sunshine followed by rather heavy rain to finish the week. Typical as I was starting to feel my gardening buzz coming for this weekend. It has, unfortunately, been vacant for about 7 weeks now. It's to do with the stopping smoking thing, I initially avoided the garden and also have found that as I don't pop out there every hour or so any more, I'm not doing the little jobs that add up so well. 

It is a shame, Here I am pursuing my connections with nature through my reading on Paganism and it's the first year I haven't got on very well. It's not too late, the rain is softening the vegetable bed ready for sowing direct. RH, the lovely man that he is, dug over the bed a couple of months ago and I have been in there with the hoe and rake a few times keeping it nice.

This years crops are likely to be French Beans, Chard, Tomatoes, Courgettes, Lettuce leaves and Carrots. I have a few herbs as well.

I'm hopeful the weather will revert back to sunshine and showers asap to allow sowing to occur. Better get the bean poles out!

DB

Moving to Blogger, Introducing.... thedirtybadger

Okay, I have made the move to Blogger. I did attempt to copy over my posts from some rival site... but I fear I have failed miserably.*

I am the dirtybadger. Really, I am Marc. I am (currently) 25, from Somerset in England. It is frankly quite beautiful here. I am on a bit of a personal journey into Paganism. I'm also not alone, there is MB and RH (Is that, Mrs Badger and Randy Hedgehog?).

I am no expert, infact I am an an absolute beginner. I think that is what has made me want to blog. I want to share this experence of finding a new ... faith? path? with the world. Plus my day to day experiences that may be noteworthy. (Finding a new flavour of tea is ALWAYS noteworthy. A bad day at work is not).

Me and RH are also nearly at buying our own home stage, which will be an important and exciting thing coming up too.

So, yes, that is my introduction to the world of me, thedirtybadger17 and my shenanigans.

D.B.

*I have since found out I didn't fail and you may read my past three posts at your leisure you lucky things.

Faery Tale

Hello, same day, different post. I had to cut the last one short when I got to faeries as I thought it deserved a new, fresh post.

I have recently been reading a book called Faery Tale by Signe Pike, an American journalist. I picked this book up in a bookshop in Totnes. It spoke to me.. well, it looked beautiful with a cover worthy of wall mounting and a blurb that was exactly what I have been looking for. Someone's own journey, trying to find something to believe in once more. Well, as you can imagine that caught my eye. I've been deeply troubled by my severe lack of direction and faith over the past ten years or so. When God left my life (at 11) I was left with two options, believe that there was something, or that there was nothing.

I chose nothing. And that has been harsh. I stopped believing in so much, just because Christianity didn't speak to me. I was Gay of course, that didn't help. All I had heard was that Christians and Gays didn't quite mingle freely. They had serious issues. So I was looking, aimlessly, for a new direction. My first encounter with Paganism was a book called 'Hedgewitch' by Rae Beth. It was at my friends house, henceforth and forever more called MB that I found said book. I was like a nudge. A little nudge nudge, wink wink. I knew then that something was afoot.

So, years passed and I find myself visiting Glastonbury, with MB and my partner RH. Every time, I am more open to this wonderful world I have discovered. The world around me. I have always been a nature lover. I took Geography and Environmental Science and College. I still only know I did it for the love of the Earth. So, books are purchased and consumed. Witchcraft, Paganism, Druidry.

I finally know where I fit in, as I mentioned in my previous blog, I'm a pagan. And here we go, after months, years of searching. Much reading and learning. I pick up my copy of Faery Tale. I haven't finished it yet, I am on page 191 in fact.

Boom.

I felt what I can only describe as a presence. In my room, a few nights ago. I felt it so strong that I had to go into my generic state of ... fear. Yep, I got into bed, turned the lights off and kept my eyes closed. I apologised, to my empty room, for being such a complete scaredey-cat and went to sleep.

The following day I felt, different, I knew that I had to wander at lunchtime. I went looking for a musical soundtrack I fancied and upon failing miserably, I found myself in Goodlands Gardens. (That's near the new road bridge in Taunton, if ya wondered. It's not as peaceful as it used to be). Anyway, after finding myself in Goodlands Gardens for the first time in ten years of working at my pharmacy I decide to take the new bridge past Taunton Castle.

I find myself in the midst of a flurry of Bluebells. There's whitebells and daffs too. I haven't felt this close to nature for so long, it's like I have returned. Memories of Thurlbear woods appear in my mind. That childlike enthusiasm and enjoyment of those blue flowers reignites. I stop, take it in. I honestly felt like I had been lead there.

Since that moment, I have been noticing the good things so much more. Usually, you notice the bad things, skipping over the good events in your day. Well, I am well on the way to reversing that trend. I have felt this coming for a while now. It feels great. I have my crystals on me most of the day of course, I think this adds a sort of mental focus. It reminds me, 'think of the good points too, you know they are there'. They are.

My final little thing to add today happened not half an hour ago. My perfectly well attached poster (detailing every Pokemon no less) that has been in position on my wall for months fell down. It did it quite obviously, no fussing. Every corner of blue-tac detached from the wall and with a convincing crunch folded down to the carpet. Now, I know this is 100% a natural occurance, Blue-tac fails spectacularly ALL THE TIME. I expect atmospheric conditions regulate its adhesive qualities. But. It happened. I was actually in the room. Thinking about the Fae. Ta da. So, you see, I can't be sure either way. 

Please do comment, It would mean so much. And do read Faery Tale if you have the chance. At least to page 191. It's worth the money.

I wish you good luck and happiness,

DirtyBadger

Cigarettes and Faery Tales

I have a blog! You know that, you are reading it, I kind of, well, forgot.

So, I followed the dirty badgers lead and GAVE UP SMOKING.  Well.. I had some when I was on holiday because life is there to do stupid things and regret them later. Anyway, I have now, pretty much done it. It feels.. good, weird and liberating. I have time. Time on my tea breaks to pursue my greatest interest in beverages, TEA.

I have a renewed sense of taste and smell. It's astonishing. Earl Grey. OH. Earl RAINBOW IN MY MOUTH. I have purchased Rose Tea. It's really a mixture of twenty plus blossoms and is sexual to say the least. Apparently it is a Chinese thing. Well, bring it on, it smells like a Rose Turkish Delight but tastes like flowers. My goodness, you need this in your life. (Holland and Barrett if you are wondering).

So yes, Herbal. This is my thing. Herbology? Very Harry Potter I hear you say. Well, yes, I have even seen me a mandrake root within the past week (Cornwall excursion, yes, shoulda blogged...).  I can't explain it. I've always been nature biased. A bit of a nature loving hippy. But now, I feel rather more... in it.

I will happily declare this, I am Pagan. It's been a few months of hard thought, reading and feeling. I haven't being performing rituals or spells really. I have acknowledged Beltain. (A pagan festival). So, Pagan. Does that mean Wiccan? No, it doesn't. Nor Druidry. A Wiccan and a Druid are generally Pagan, but a pagan is more the ... overall term. You would be forgiven for thinking a pagan was a peasant wandering around before Christianity appeared on the planet. They were certainly there. But Pagans are all around you, I know that now. And I'm pleased.

Wow, so what else can I add to this blog? Well. Faeries. I shall leave that for another blog. It deserves its own.

Well, that's it for today. I kind of wish I had blogged this journey as it happened, rather than this very confused summary in one big explosion of words.

TTFN (Tata for now) and speak soon.

Hello and welcome to thedirtybadger blog. The Dirty Badger is this fine puppet creature you see here (he's given up the cigarettes.) After much thought I have decided to set up a blog, not to talk as a woodland creature as might be assumed but to give my thoughts on a few subjects and events I see. I do apologise if the variance is somewhat ridiculous, I hope you enjoy a little read (enjoyment is always increased if you disagree so feel free) and please remember, the Badger made me do it.