JourneybyCE

Once upon a time there was a little girl, much loved by her close family. There was no wicked stepmother. Life intervened instead.

The little girl was very clever.

So as a teenager she discovered booze and boys, failed all her exams, and never got close to making it to university.

Now she is a single mum with two children, no other career, a rented house which is falling down around her ears as we speak (well, they say age catches up with us all!)

The little girl was, and still is, me.

And I am a witch.

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My daughter is eight, and even more precocious than I. Opinionated, loud and a bossy-boots, I have no choice but to respect her, being as she is almost a carbon copy of yours truly. My son is almost two. In his dark eyes I can see eternity. When he loses his temper he is just like me - short, sharp, fiery. As to how to cope with these events, well, your suggestions on a postcard would be most appreciated (no barbecueing, please!)

I am a single mother by choice, not necessity as such. Both of my consorts at the time loved me as best they could but could not hold me the way they needed to. They were each, in many ways, far more restricting than motherhood could ever be, or has turned out to be. So I chose to go it alone, with few peoples' blessing. They words in this book are for those absent fathers, so they may understand that when I said it wasn't their fault entirely, it was true. These words are for the countless mothers who toil lifelong, yet crave for something more. And of course this whole book is for those of you that seek - I hope you shall find. Welcome, ladies and gentlemen.

So - the word "WITCH" on the front cover caught your attention, did it? Nice to see how these little ploys work so successfully! Now I have your full attention I can rattle on to you for as long as I can keep you interested! Very pleased, supreme achievement, writing seems to be quite satisfying these days…

Everyone has times in their life when they wonder what the hell it's all about. I know I do, and for a long time I read books I hoped would be like this one. I usually felt once removed from the subject matter, as if it wasn't quite real. Do you think this book holds all the answers? WRONG - think again. I truly believe it is in our own hands only to change our lives around. No Supreme Being has the time to pull each and every one of us out of the mire ( think how many millions live on this planet - would you want the job? ) My life has been plagued by crisis and disaster for at least forever, or at least it has from where I've been sitting. In this life I am now on the brink of great change, in fact it has already begun. In order to evaluate what I have learned so far, I must share it, and with it the conclusions I have drawn. I want my misfortunes to shed light on your own. I want you to join me on a journey…

This is indeed a "How-to-be-a-Witch" handbook, but with no real instructions! The only skills you need are a sense of humour and the ability to look at your life, see it for what it is, and love it for all it quirks and minor disasters. By seeing some of the things I've done and laughing your socks off at me, you may then be able to laugh till your sides split, at yourself! I hope you can, a sense of humour is vital in witchery, as I will show you later. If things have been grim, you're possibly shaking your head and muttering "Impossible!" at this point. Actually, you are probably not far wrong. But "impossible" says to me "no options", and we can't be having that, now can we? That does not qualify as much of a choice as far as I'm concerned, so I suggest that we create some choices together. Let's milk that full-on learning experience called life for all that it's worth! I cannot hope to know what kind of hand you have been dealt so far, but I know your voyage of discovery has begun. From one human to another, though, I hope you have less screw-ups than I have (so far!) If things look worse, don't despair, just wander along with me. You can feel sorry for me at the appropriate time, laugh uproariously when I get it wrong, and learn a little of the witches' skill along the way. You won't be qualified in anything, but the magic can start to work in your own life at once. You'll notice I'm a glutton for punishment, I never seem to learn by my mistakes, and at times I don't even notice. Sound human to you? At times this writing becomes a catharsis for me, a chance to purge myself of the mistakes of the last years. To go forward I must let go of these mistakes, try and learn my lessons, and follow my natural way of helping and nurturing others. I give my past wings by sharing it with you.

I still smile…

Why not get to know me better? I am a healer of sorts though never properly qualified at anything much. I love bodies of all shapes and sizes, and think they are a technical masterpiece, but I'm not much good at healing them. I channel energy and my dreams are not dreams but travels elsewhere. My day job is healing souls, or rather, helping them to heal themselves. By night, when I get the chance, I am the seductive enchantress, opened on all levels to the arts and joys of love. I feel no shame and approach everything with a whole heart. Someone titled me once as "Soul Midwife" and it seems to have stuck. Well, if the cap fits, wear it.

So they say.

I try, even if it falls off occasionally. It's not a perfect fit, but then I'm not surprised since, as you will soon find out, I never really fitted into a category of anything much.

I'd like to tell you about some of the things that are important to me, something of healing myself, and the innate ability to heal others, encouraging their souls to be reborn into a new awareness. Not necessarily a whole new religious or spiritual path (although it has been known), but to achieve that shift in the perception that makes each day worth living again. To make life feel joyful / useful / satisfying / rewarding / any of the above, tick as appropriate! And to be able to love all around with a whole heart. I want to show you how the ordinary can be non-ordinary , even special. And how the greatest pain can lead you to knowledge, understanding, and an even greater inner strength. I can do this by example, by showing you what I have done, what I learnt, how I got there. How to love, how to hurt, then how to escape, find your healing and return in one piece.

I can be midwife to you, I want you to feel the joy of a rebirth into understanding.

I don't have all the answers (if any at all), but I think you'll enjoy the trip. For the first time I get to wash my dirty laundry in public, who can resist a peep?

Are you ready then? I suggest you pay a visit to the little girl's (or boy's) room first, and pack a sandwich or two, we may be some time.

Step this way, I have a few things I would like to share with you…

Something to do with a fairytale.