Looking back at 2024 and what is new for 2025, (Last BLOG of the year)

 Greetings all,

Merry Christmas Eve 🌲🔆🌟🔥

What a year 2024 has been!!

I was going to write about what a crap year it has been, but I didn't want to leave a whole bunch of negativity here, there is so much of it in the world these days that I don't want to encourage it here on this platform, so I have taken a "well needed" step back to reflect on the year that was, and found that there were a few things that threw the curve ball at us - like losing our beloved Rudy boy, ongoing health issues, work issues etc - but there were also good things as well, like enjoying nature, the garden and adopting our Mavis from the Animal Welfare League...

Mavis and I doing a selfie...

Whilst work has given me the absolute heebee-geebees (I cleaned that up pretty nicely!!!), I was blessed  to have a whole month off in September - part of my long service leave - and in that month we redecorated parts of the house, did some planting in the garden, relaxed and just enjoyed life.

My home life has been great, we have it good, and are very grateful for what we have as we know we are in a good position financially and do not want for anything in particular (we haven't always been there so we know it is a hell of a good place to be in) and what with my garden coming to life in spring and summer, good food and also benefitting from a daily witchcraft practice. 

We do all have our moments of depression or sadness, which has only been so predominantly around us since we have had the C Virus shots in 2022 (I know, I sound like a broken record - but honestly, if I knew then what I know now - I would NEVER have got them).  We all struggle on a daily basis - sometimes we feel good - other times we feel ill, and very, very exhausted (we can have a good night's sleep and wake up SO tired) but it's nothing you can put your finger on and honestly - the Doctors are no good in this situation because they do not know anything but taking a guess at what's wrong and loading you up with pharmaceutical drugs, which cause more harm than good - and we do not want to go down that Merry-Go-Round.  Most of the time we all suffer from varying issues - differing body aches and pains, headaches, earaches, itches, migraines, constipation, diarrhoea and just an overwhelming sadness that prevails even when things are going splendidly.  It feels as though your very soul is too heavy to carry around - Sometimes it is very hard just to get up of a morning...

We are trying to keep off of junk food, sugary items, salty items and cooking things with too many oils - eating healthier foods and getting adequate exercise and rest to see if we can combat these issues and bring in a change of good health.

To try to conquer these feelings -most mornings I light my candles on my altar, light some nice incense to cleanse my space and pull an oracle card for the day.  It has been very insightful, and has helped me gain a wee bit of confidence in my abilities as a witch.  It helps me focus for the day and gives me some sort of calmness before all the madness begins (especially my work day!)

I have also started to 'craft' things and was able to make a few witchy items for a friend that was moving interstate - I made her a goodie spell bag with lots of things in it, like a protection jar spell, a protection sigil, some herbal tea, some bath salts and soap (all crafted by me), some seeds for her garden when she gets established (Sunflower and Calendula from my garden) - she was so happy with it all....

I have been making more of a connection with my plants and insects in my garden too (yes I talk to them hahaha) - which shows as the garden is looking very lush and green

Looking through the portal....

I purchased a new greenhouse this year as my old one kind of got demolished in the very strong winds we have had this year (and continue to do so):

Gloomy's Greenhouse....

I will be doing a product review of the new greenhouse on my YouTube channel in 2025 - so stay tuned for that one if you are thinking of getting one of these types of greenhouses - (there have been many learning curves with this one) - so maybe you will learn some tips and tricks!!

Speaking of YouTube and my channel, I started uploading Gloomy's Garden Vlogs in 2024 - something I spent many years wanting to do but didn't have the courage, I thought I was too ugly, fat, old etc and could think up any excuse not to do videos.  Then one day I thought "why not", other people do it and they are just themselves, I could do that too... I have started out doing a VLOG every so often and am up to #9 at the moment.

I wish to keep doing more videos in 2025, but expanding the repertoire to not only do garden vlogs, but to do other things such as monthly herbalism posts, Q&A's, Product reviews, Herbal Remedies, Health Tips and Tea & Chat type scenarios.  So if you are interested in any of this - please hop over to my YouTube channel and Hit that SUBSCRIBE button and the bell notification so you are advised when I put a new video up - Hopefully I will get a few more followers, I think I have around 20 at the moment.  I have to wonder how people get hundreds of thousands of followers!!!???!!!

Gloomy's YouTube Channel

I will also be doing a book give away in late January 2025 - as I received a book from a relative for my birthday, but I already have it, so I thought a nice give away would be great.  I will advertise it on Instagram and YouTube - the proviso is that you have to like and subscribe to my YouTube channel to go into the draw.  After a month, I will do a video of the drawing of the name - hopefully with my trusty Super-Hubby sidekick, and then make someone feel good about themselves for getting a free book!  I will advise when I have that all organised so you can follow the links and put your name in if you want 😁

So there are a lot of plans for the future of my YouTube channel in  2025!!

In the meantime, I have two weeks annual leave and we still have around 7 days left in 2024 - Christmas Day is tomorrow - we will have our own little celebration as we are not Christians, so we will do something Witchy and make good food and just be together with our pupster Mavis.

What ever you are doing or celebrating, I hope you have a wonderful time and feel very blessed that you made it through another year, looking forward to the new year ahead.

Until next year my friends,

Blessings and Good Health to you all,

An Irish Blessing

Cheers,

Gloomy )O( xxx

Summer Solstice Roasted Nut Muesli

 Hello again and welcome back to my blog,

I thought today as it is still officially the Summer Solstice/LITHA weekend, I would do a bit of Kitchen Witchery and share my Summer Solstice Roasted Nut Muesli with you all - it has no artificial ingredients, no additional flavourings, colourings or preservatives, no chemical numbers etc., - just a whole lot of goodness, made from scratch by loving hands and Mother Earth.

My family love this when I make it (they can't get enough of it actually), so if you have a spare hour or so and you are looking for something to do - why not try making your own batch of Muesli.

WARNING: IF YOU ARE ALLERGIC TO NUTS - DO NOT MAKE THIS RECIPE!!!!

(I have to put a warning just in case - you never know, and I don't want to be blamed (or sued) because someone had a reaction or died from my muesli recipe, you would think it being called Roasted NUT Muesli that it would alert them to the fact that is has nuts in it - but some people are just plain NUTS!!)

INGREDIENTS:

3 Cups of Rolled Oats (you can use gluten free ones if you wish)

1 Cup of Cashews & 1 Cup of any nuts you like - you can even mix them up (Almond, peanut, pine, pecan, walnut for example).

1/2 Cup of Pumpkin Seeds

1/2 Cup of Sunflower Seeds

2 Tablespoons each of Flaxseed, Chia Seed, Sesame Seed - or any seeds you like.

1 Teaspoon of Cinnamon

2 Tablespoons of Coconut Oil

1/2 Cup Honey (sorry vegans - I suppose you could use Maple Syrup instead)

Remember - you can adapt this recipe to include the nuts and seeds that you like, so if you don't like cashews or sunflower seeds - then don't put them in, substitute it for some other nut and seed.

METHOD:

Combine all the dry ingredients in a big bowl and mix well, add in the coconut oil and honey - mix well again until all the dry ingredients are coated.  You can use this time to focus on your intentions for this muesli, I focused on my family's health, gut health, and a feeling of happiness when they consume it.

Spread half the mixture evenly onto a lined tray (I like to use those silicone liners), and press down.

Bake at 180 degrees Celsius (approximately 350 Fahrenheit) for 15 minutes on the middle shelf, then stir the muesli up and spread out again, bake for another five minutes - keep doing this until the muesli is a golden colour.

Allow to cool right down.

At this stage, if you wanted to - you could put in a cup of sultanas, raisins or your prefered dried fruit - mix it thoroughly in then put it into an airtight container - preferably glass.

I didn't put any fruit in mine because my family don't like it - so the total I made was 2 x 1000ml jars.

It should last up to a month in a cool pantry (If your family don't eat it first haha).

MAGICKAL ASPECTS:

(in no particular order......)

Pumpkin Seeds symbolise hope, growth and potential for a new beginning.

Sunflower Seeds because of their association with the sun, symbolise loyalty and adoration. enlightenment, resilience and personal growth.

Sesame Seeds are used for money drawing, wealth and prosperity, success and abundance, lust inducing, removes spiritual impurities and is used to curse and confuse trickster spirits.

Flaxseed symbolises purity, perseverance and rebirth - can be used to enhance mental powers, increasing the psychic visions and abilities.

Cashew Nuts are used for prosperity, love and communication.

Almond Nuts are used for mental clarity, abundance and healing.

Coconut Oil for confidence, strength and glamour.

Peanuts for stability, energy and manifestation.

Cinnamon is used for protection, to attract wealth and prosperity, to ward off negative influences and protect against harm.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and feel free to adapt it to your own tastes.

Solstice Blessings to you,

HAPPY LITHA

Gloomy )O( xxx

Copyright Gloomy's Garden (Gloomy the Garden Witch) 2024

Gloomy's Garden Vlog # 9 - The Summer Solstice - LITHA

Greetings my lovelies,

I have decided to share my latest video blog (or VLOG) on my website from now on - just in case you are interested in what I am doing in my garden.

Today we celebrate LITHA or the Summer Solstice here in Australia. It is a time to honour the Sun and the energy of the summer season. A time to connect with the natural world and to celebrate the beauty and diversity of life. It is also a time to reflect on personal growth and to set intentions for the year ahead. The colours of LITHA are red, gold and green (just like the Christian Christmas), so you can celebrate by decorating your house or space with these colours.... you could make wreaths from native plants and hang them on your door for prosperity - or any other intention you require. As we are in the fire-ban season, we are not allowed to have the usual bonfire (like Lithe in the Northern Hemisphere on June 21st), but you could use battery powered candles instead of normal candles if you are celebrating outside - you could also have a barbecue with your family and friends (which uses fire). Litha is a celebration of abundance, light, growth and joy. In the Celtic language LITHA means 'Light". Things you can do to celebrate at this time: Spend time outside under the sun. Get energised, feel renewed & be grateful to be alive. Reflect on peak moments of accomplishments and be proud of yourself. Embrace your Bad-Arse Awesome self (even if you do look hot and sweaty after being in the sun!!) To celebrate my LITHA, I am planting some climbing plants, that I bought yesterday, in my front garden (in the full sun). I embrace the shining light of the Sun for it will bring me vitality and beauty. Blessings to you all )O(

Gloomy