The Crystal Forest and Faery House Mushroom Update of 2020: Spring time zest, honouring our Pagan roots and Faery Magick
The wisdom that winter brought us, encouraging a period of introspection and reflection, was certainly welcomed after a rather hectic summer of change! But I think its safe to say (for me as a Pagan anyway) that by honouring the flow of the seasons - a return of colour is in great need of a warm welcome!
If you read my previous blog post you will known that A Gift By Gaia explored building themed collections last year that honoured the well known Sabbats: Samhain & Yule. It definitely encouraged a burst of creative flow that I know was a rewarding hug from my ancestors. It really encouraged me to tune into sacred symbols used in Witchcraft and Paganism. It challenged me to fully sit with the seasons and notice the changes in colour, the emotions they evoked and where AGBG could mirror it all.
For Samhain we honoured the dead, we called in our ancestors. We channelled the final harvest before settling down for winter. And yes, there were plenty of well-received pumpkins, acorns, autumn leaves and witch hats!
Our Yule collection was a soothing sigh and highly charged cheer to welcome the end of darkness. It was the collection of the evergreens, the nature that survived winter's harshness, the light in the dark. It was Pan, the God of the Forest. It was winter berries and icy crystals.
I am so grateful for it all; the lessons it taught me about successfully launching a themed collection, the need to delve into my beloved witchcraft books and practice sacred ritual before a launch (more on that in the next post!).
But like any expressive form of art, one must welcome change, and the space where AGBG currently sits is a mixture of moving forward whilst returning to our roots.
Because whilst I am all of the above, AGBG was also started by a Faery woman who was deeply engaged with the beauty of Fae magick, Wild Woman Wisdom, the Inner Child and Celtic folklore. The elementals are my beings, they guide me through it all!
Childhood stories and Pagan magick
Ever since I was a child, I wrote letters to the Faeries and calmed myself through finding pockets of woodland nature in the centre of West London. A highly anxious child in need of Earthly soothing, my mum would often phone me after school (when she found I wasn't at home) to realise I was sitting alone in our local park under the big Plane Tree. I clung to nature's stones, my mother would have to pry open my hand every afternoon to see which piece of literal gravel I had carried around for the whole day without anybody knowing! With my toddler's lithsp, I would passionately exclaim 'Mummy look, sthtonesth!'.
Going to the sea was an absolute nightmare as you can imagine, because I took it upon myself to try and re-home every pebble on the beach! This charade reared its ugly head during one holiday to Greece where I was trying to lug a towel full of rocks back to our hotel. The collection I had gathered was probably double my body weight. It just wasn't possible, and despite my ensuing tantrum my mother had patience. Like with any angry child, she tried to understand the root of the matter and help me let go of it. That evening, she sat me on the shore as the tide rolled in and held space for me to have a conversation with the sea. I told the lapping waves that I thought the stones were lonely and would be safer with me. I felt they were all so beautiful and were just sitting there being ignored. Through my mother, the sea was able to say:
'My darling child, the stones belong to me, where I can take good care of them.Thank you so much for caring, I promise they are not alone. As a gift from me to you, why don't you choose just one?'
I was able to sleep better that night, and now when I visit the sea, I make sure to only take one stone home, if any at all!
Little did I realise, but all of this was part of my magickal practice as a budding Witch. Beginning to work with healing crystals in my early 20's felt like coming full circle in the most nourishing possible way.
Embodying the Fae encourages my love of nature. Through the earthy clothes that I wear on my back to the crystals round my neck. The books and ornaments that line my shelves, the paintings that decorate my wall and the Lavendar oil that sprinkles my pillow every night. Every aspect of your life can be lived in magick and ritual if you so wish.
Because whilst I am all of the above, AGBG was also started by a Faery woman who was deeply engaged with the beauty of Fae magick, Wild Woman Wisdom, the Inner Child and Celtic folklore. The elementals are my beings, they guide me through it all!
Childhood stories and Pagan magick
Ever since I was a child, I wrote letters to the Faeries and calmed myself through finding pockets of woodland nature in the centre of West London. A highly anxious child in need of Earthly soothing, my mum would often phone me after school (when she found I wasn't at home) to realise I was sitting alone in our local park under the big Plane Tree. I clung to nature's stones, my mother would have to pry open my hand every afternoon to see which piece of literal gravel I had carried around for the whole day without anybody knowing! With my toddler's lithsp, I would passionately exclaim 'Mummy look, sthtonesth!'.
Going to the sea was an absolute nightmare as you can imagine, because I took it upon myself to try and re-home every pebble on the beach! This charade reared its ugly head during one holiday to Greece where I was trying to lug a towel full of rocks back to our hotel. The collection I had gathered was probably double my body weight. It just wasn't possible, and despite my ensuing tantrum my mother had patience. Like with any angry child, she tried to understand the root of the matter and help me let go of it. That evening, she sat me on the shore as the tide rolled in and held space for me to have a conversation with the sea. I told the lapping waves that I thought the stones were lonely and would be safer with me. I felt they were all so beautiful and were just sitting there being ignored. Through my mother, the sea was able to say:
'My darling child, the stones belong to me, where I can take good care of them.Thank you so much for caring, I promise they are not alone. As a gift from me to you, why don't you choose just one?'
I was able to sleep better that night, and now when I visit the sea, I make sure to only take one stone home, if any at all!
Little did I realise, but all of this was part of my magickal practice as a budding Witch. Beginning to work with healing crystals in my early 20's felt like coming full circle in the most nourishing possible way.
Embodying the Fae encourages my love of nature. Through the earthy clothes that I wear on my back to the crystals round my neck. The books and ornaments that line my shelves, the paintings that decorate my wall and the Lavendar oil that sprinkles my pillow every night. Every aspect of your life can be lived in magick and ritual if you so wish.
(Me gathering summer Ferns for my first ever photo shoot!)
(Me in Devon trying to not step on any pixies!)
It might sound like a spiritual buzzword at times, but the Inner Child is an inherent part of us that most areas of modern living encourage us to forget. We unlearn so much of what makes us feel free in order to fit in to a fast-pace hectic life. I really struggled with this growing up and still do at times. So all of my designs are charged with an intention: To be reminded of what makes our eyes light up with pure joy, and of the comforting beauty that Mother Nature can soothe us with.
Like the incredibly playful, mischievous energy of the Faeries, our original Crystal Mushroom Faery House Pendants harness this energy:
Speaking of these, due to the help of my wonderful Instagram followers and cherished customers, this January I began gathering some survey answers. Did we want the next theme for the first collection of 2020, or did we want to return to our roots? The resounding answer was the latter. And I felt it too.
In fact, I asked people what drew them to my designs in the first place:
And so it was settled, we were in need of some juicy, zesty, playful Springtime energy, just in time for Imbolc!
And whilst this collection will not be titled Imbolc, it will be a replenished update of The Crystal Forest and Crystal Mushroom Collection. And this in turn, will honour the Sabbat, as it will remind us of the budding Spring when the Earth begins to wake again. Its only been a few days, and I'm already in love with the zesty colours that are pouring out of these pendants! I can just hear the Faeries giggling with joy!
This is just a sneak peak of whats to come, believe me there will be a lot more added to this update! So Earthlings, if you follow our Instagram, be sure to switch on your countdown reminders from our stories. If you don't, remember to pencil the 30th January 2020, at 19:00 GMT into those diaries! If you follow my news letter you can also get more sneak peaks of upcoming designs there! Just scroll to the bottom of this page and pop in your email address, I'd be thrilled to have you.
Wherever you are in the world, stay playful, embrace your magick and if you have time, try visiting a patch of nature somewhere and make an offering for those Pixies! I have a wonderful clairvoyant friend who once brought round some whiskey for them, the mini bottle sits nestled on my altar!
With love as always Earthlings,
Holly xx
A Gift By Gaia
(Me in Devon trying to not step on any pixies!)
It might sound like a spiritual buzzword at times, but the Inner Child is an inherent part of us that most areas of modern living encourage us to forget. We unlearn so much of what makes us feel free in order to fit in to a fast-pace hectic life. I really struggled with this growing up and still do at times. So all of my designs are charged with an intention: To be reminded of what makes our eyes light up with pure joy, and of the comforting beauty that Mother Nature can soothe us with.
Like the incredibly playful, mischievous energy of the Faeries, our original Crystal Mushroom Faery House Pendants harness this energy:
Speaking of these, due to the help of my wonderful Instagram followers and cherished customers, this January I began gathering some survey answers. Did we want the next theme for the first collection of 2020, or did we want to return to our roots? The resounding answer was the latter. And I felt it too.
In fact, I asked people what drew them to my designs in the first place:
And so it was settled, we were in need of some juicy, zesty, playful Springtime energy, just in time for Imbolc!
And whilst this collection will not be titled Imbolc, it will be a replenished update of The Crystal Forest and Crystal Mushroom Collection. And this in turn, will honour the Sabbat, as it will remind us of the budding Spring when the Earth begins to wake again. Its only been a few days, and I'm already in love with the zesty colours that are pouring out of these pendants! I can just hear the Faeries giggling with joy!
This is just a sneak peak of whats to come, believe me there will be a lot more added to this update! So Earthlings, if you follow our Instagram, be sure to switch on your countdown reminders from our stories. If you don't, remember to pencil the 30th January 2020, at 19:00 GMT into those diaries! If you follow my news letter you can also get more sneak peaks of upcoming designs there! Just scroll to the bottom of this page and pop in your email address, I'd be thrilled to have you.
Wherever you are in the world, stay playful, embrace your magick and if you have time, try visiting a patch of nature somewhere and make an offering for those Pixies! I have a wonderful clairvoyant friend who once brought round some whiskey for them, the mini bottle sits nestled on my altar!
With love as always Earthlings,
Holly xx
A Gift By Gaia