Beltane blessings, my friends! I know I am late with the greeting, but the season extends well into May as far as Iām concerned. Beltane is about new beginnings, new life and vibrancy.
Beltane Blessings
Belated Beltane Blessings!
I took my daughters and their friend, along with grandparents and the dog, to a local Wakes at the weekend. It was basically a village fete, with a fun dog show (we didnāt win), funfair rides, games, jumble sales, a duck race on the river, and the Maypole. We loved watching a group of local school children perform the Maypole dance, twisting the colourful ribbons around and about.
Later in May it will be our town celebrating as we have our local Rose Fete. My daughters will join the parade with their dance school, perform in the arena, and enjoy the funfair and stalls. This is a beautiful, colourful time of year!
LGBT fantasy novel set in Manchester, England. “Return of the Vampire Hunter” by Catherine Green.
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Ha ha, what a funny name to give oneself, donāt you think? I heard this on the radio last week, and it caught my attention.
Apparently, more people in the UK are working as self-employed āslashies.ā It means that we no longer follow the traditional working pattern of taking one job and sticking with it.
#MummyMonday I’m a Slashie!
Iām a Slashie!
We are now far more likely to have multiple jobs at any one time. For example: writer/shop worker/dog walker/child wrangler/housewife (thatās me!).
I cannot earn a regular wage as a writer because the work is too unpredictable, and I am still exploring the possibilities. So when I was offered a couple of casual jobs for a few hours a week, I took them up quite happily. It gives me a steady income and leaves time to devote to my career of choice. And I love the jobs that I do, so itās a win-win situation.
How about you? Are you a slashie? Or do you prefer the old-fashioned single job situation?
SpookyMrsGreen Book Signing Event
Download your FREE copy of LGBT fantasy short story Itās Complicated (The Redcliffe Novels) and meet the werewolves of Cornwall, England. Click here.
For the past two weeks I have been in a very strange mood. I couldnāt work out what was bothering me. I was happy because I had finally achieved the 2nd Degree reiki certification that I worked hard for. I felt at peace because all the family house moves were finally sorted.
There is nothing important that I need to deal with right now. Well, except for my husbandās soon to expire job when he is made redundant at the end of Mayā¦
Devils Demons and Werewolves Short Story Anthology featuring vampire writer Catherine Hargreaves aka LGBT Fantasy Book Writer Catherine Green
Remembering Who I Used to Be
And my shortfall of income to support our family. You see, my mum raised me to be an independent woman. I didnāt need a man in my life. Then I fell in love, and you know what happened next. I fell into the classic trap, but I was happy to do so. I knew what I was doing. My career wasnāt exactly flourishing when I married my husband and got pregnant with our first child. I felt like I might as well try out the housewife role for a bit. But I got bored of that, and very frustrated. I need to work for my own peace of mind, and my own income. I need to do this so I can provide an inspirational role model for my daughters. I also need to be there for my children, and to nurture my family. There is not enough time in the day to fit everything in.
All of this feels like a jumble of thoughts, spilling out of my overactive mind. I decided to update my CV on some job hunt websites, and I went in search of a couple of certificates to add. I still canāt find one of them, but I know I saw it when we moved house. I did find one from 2008, presented to Catherine Hargreaves. She seems like a ghost these days. I have been Mrs Green for nine years, but it feels like forever. Indeed, Miss Hargreaves was a completely different person. She was still finding her way. She didnāt have the courage to write her stories and publish a novel. Mrs Green just went right ahead and did it, with a baby attached to her most of the time. I feel nostalgic when I think of the woman I used to be. I feel happy as the woman I have become. I suppose we havenāt done too badly so far. And there are many more adventures to come.
LGBT fantasy novel set in Manchester, England. “Return of the Vampire Hunter” by Catherine Green.
Did you enjoy this article? Download your FREE copy of LGBT fantasy short story Itās Complicated (The Redcliffe Novels) and meet the werewolves of Cornwall, England.Ā Ā Click here.Ā
I celebrated one very special achievement last week: I obtained my certificate for Okuden Reiki 2nd Degree, following a long period of time to study and complete coursework requirements.
It means that I may now practice as a professional reiki therapist if I should choose. I am still not ready for that leap, but it will develop naturally I am sure.
I’m a Reiki Practitioner with Goldstone Reiki
Iām a Reiki Practitioner!
My main reason for studying Reiki energy healing was for myself. I began meditating and practising affirmations approximately fifteen years ago, when I discovered Louise L Hayās famous book, You Can Heal Your Life. Since then I dedicated my spare time to practicing self-care. It has not been easy, as I am sure you can imagine. We are raised to believe that we should always put other peopleās needs before our own, but I have learned that sometimes that is simply not practical. We cannot care for other people if we have not cared properly for ourselves. And that is where reiki energy healing comes into its own. We can harness the natural energy of the world and use it to heal our bodies from within. If we open our minds and hearts, we can begin to break down old habits and patterns of behaviour and remove mental and emotional blocks that might be manifesting as physical disorders.
Reiki energy healing does not simply cure all of your ailments. Far from it. Sometimes you might experience a very powerful reiki healing session (as I did last week with my study group), and it will manifest as a short illness or unusual sensations. This means that your body is working hard to remove something toxic from within, and you must allow time to rest and recuperate as appropriate. I am currently experiencing the symptoms of a cold and a painful sore throat, which I believe came about as a combination of the reiki healing session, and my poorly five-year-old daughter. Darn kids and their germs! I am using directed reiki healing to ease my discomfort, but mostly I will allow the virus to run its course, and I will feel a lot better once it has passed and taken away whatever I was holding onto internally. Have you experienced the healing wonder of reiki? What do you think about it?
LGBT fantasy novel set in Manchester, England. “Return of the Vampire Hunter” by Catherine Green.
Did you enjoy this article? Download your FREE copy of LGBT fantasy short story Itās Complicated (The Redcliffe Novels) and meet the werewolves of Cornwall, England.Ā Ā Click here.Ā
Life has settled down after several years of drama and challenges. I canāt remember life before children, but since we had them, it feels like we have been constantly on the move. I donāt mean physically, I simply mean moving along with the rhythm of life and children.
During the past eight years we have experienced births, deaths, career development, personal tragedy, moving house, money worries and all the other nuances of modern life. We are just an average family trying to get by. But inwardly I have changed. I am still changing. And now I can feel the shift.
#WitchyWednesday Something is Shifting
My Spiritual Journey: Something is Shifting
You might understand what I mean by that. We all experience mood swings, many of us are familiar with mental health challenges in all their forms. Sometimes we feel settled and happy in our lives, other times we feel restless, bored or even angry with our situation. I have experienced all of that during the past fifteen years, and now I am ready for a break.
I am very proud to report that I have now completed my coursework requirements to qualify as a reiki practitioner. I will be certified in Okuden 2nd Degree reiki, with Japanese lineage. I have worked very hard to develop my connection to Source energy, and I continue to do so. Reiki isnāt something you pick up for a session and then put away until next time. Once we are connected, we will always feel the energy. What we do with that connection is up to the individual, and I intend to continue my work and progress along my spiritual journey.
My life is changing for the better
My life has changed again recently, and this time definitely for the better. I feel settled, more in control, and more understanding about the way events have unfolded. I feel I have centred myself and am finally a part of the world I inhabit, rather than being an outsider. Does that make sense to you? It is hard to explain, but I feel that perhaps I never really settled on the Earth plane until I developed my meditation practice. Gradually I learned to ground myself, and now I finally feel a real connection to my place, both physically and spiritually. I will continue to practice reiki and see where the journey leads next. But first, I will enjoy my current place in the world. It is a very happy place!
LGBT fantasy novel set in Northern England. “Vampire of Blackpool” by Catherine Green.
Did you enjoy this article? Download your FREE copy of LGBT fantasy short story Itās Complicated (The Redcliffe Novels) and meet the werewolves of Cornwall, England. Click here.
Today we celebrate Spring Equinox, and what a long-awaited time it has been.
Our winter seems to have gone on forever, and yet we didnāt really experience a prolonged cold spell. It was just grotty, and dull, and miserable.
#WitchyWednesday Lazy Spring Walks
Welcome, Spring!
We had a bizarre week in February where the temperature leaped, and we had sunshine. Indeed, it felt more like a British summer than winter, but it soon passed, and we were straight back into the storms. And boy, those storms were intense. I had to retrieve our bins when they got blown about the garden, and one hit my car a couple of times, but that was about the extent of it. We donāt really experience extreme weather here in Cheshire. Itās quite boring by comparison.
And now we welcome Spring. There are buds on the trees, some of the cherry blossom is already blooming, and there are daffodils everywhere that look very cheerful on dull days. It is much nicer to walk the dogs when the sun is shining, or at least when the temperature is warmer. I am now looking forward to Easter, a break from school, and the start of festival season. Let the parties commence!
LGBT fantasy novel set in Manchester, England. “Return of the Vampire Hunter” by Catherine Green.
Did you enjoy this article? Download your FREE copy of LGBT fantasy short story Itās Complicated (The Redcliffe Novels) and meet the werewolves of Cornwall, England.Ā Ā Click here.Ā
There is a lot to learn about energy healing. When I first began to explore holistic health and mindfulness about fifteen years ago, I found energy healing practitioners with all sorts of specialist systems.
Some had developed their techniques using reiki practices combined with psychic guidance. Others developed more scientific methods, utilizing crystal technology, computer software, and machinery that responded to metallic frequencies.
I cannot explain much of it because I do not have a scientific mind. But I do know what I feel, and I trust my instincts.
Energy healing with Reiki
What is Reiki?
Reiki healing is basically working with natural energy. We as humans accept that we breathe air in order to survive. We can explain it in all sorts of practical and scientific ways, but we still canāt physically see it. We just know that it is there, and that we need it. This is where energy comes in. We use the energy of air to keep our human bodies alive and functioning, along with the energy of water and the nutrients we extract from food. But somewhere along the line, we forgot to treat our mind and spirit as a being that must be cared for. We ignored our emotions, we fought to hide them, we tried to be strong.
Being strong is not about hiding your emotions or working at full pelt every day of your life. In my experience, to be strong is to accept when you are weak, and to care for yourself. As I recently completed the coursework to achieve my Reiki Okuden 2nd Degree accreditation, I realised that I needed a rest. I needed some time out. I am busy being Mother, Wife, author, carer, supporter, and sometimes I just need to be me. If that means I come home from the school run and I sit down for half an hour without doing a job, so be it. That is what my body needs. I need to be quiet, to rest, and to meditate.
Since embracing the practise of reiki energy healing, I have become peaceful, accepting of my situation, and happy that I am simply a human being. Isnāt that what we all need, deep down?
A Reiki Healing Crisis
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āMummy, you canāt go out to work,ā my daughters cried in horror, āWe need you!ā
International Women’s Day with Paranormal Author Catherine Green
Torn Between my Children and my Career
So began a recent conversation with my children, aged 8 and 5, when I tentatively suggested that I might have to go out to work soon and they might have to be collected from school by somebody else. My husband will be redundant in a couple of months, and so both of us are working hard to keep the family finances safe. Unfortunately, my freelance work has all but dried up, and my books are not selling. That is another story. Suffice to say, I might have to sacrifice some writing time and do another job, away from home, just to earn some money when we need it.
Last week we celebrated International Womenās Day, and I came across an infograph on a tweet. It explained that women have made good improvements with their position in the workplace since 1980, but we still have a long way to go. That makes complete sense to me. For starters, I want our culture to start appreciating the more nurturing and essential jobs in society. Iām talking housewives (thatās me), nursery workers, preschool assistants, early years carers. These are generally dismissed as basic, unimportant jobs, and in my experience, jobs that women can do but men are far too important to take on. That is my lived experience, as a 30-something woman from North Staffordshire.
Women in the workplace
What do you think about this idea of women in the workplace? I want to be paid for the work that I do, important work that involves caring for my family and our home, so that it frees up my husband to do his very important work in the waste management industry. But I want to be paid as a writer too, and a decent wage. That is my career, a job that I know I am good at, but one where I am struggling to battle past gatekeepers, industry snobs, and social mobility factors. I am stuck in a cycle of not being good enough, but I donāt know who decreed that fact, or even what makes them better than me. Perhaps there simply arenāt enough decent jobs in the UK? Or perhaps I have an over-inflated ego, and I should accept my place in the world and be grateful.
All I know is that I want to be here for my children while they grow, I want to be available and present in their lives, and I want to help them grow into independent, confident, articulate women so that they may follow their dreams and see them realised. Isnāt that what we all want, at the end of the day?
LGBT fantasy novel set in Manchester, England. “Return of the Vampire Hunter” by Catherine Green.
Download your FREE copy of LGBT fantasy short story Itās Complicated (The Redcliffe Novels) and meet the werewolves of Cornwall, England. Click here.
It has been twelve months since our eldest daughter almost died. She caught an ear infection one weekend, got sent home from school, received some ear drops from the doctor, and we thought she would recover in a couple of days. We were wrong.
Just twenty-four hours after our visit to the GP, her face swelled up and she complained that her jaw was hurting. It got so bad that she couldnāt swallow and refused to eat. My husband and I inspected the red, swollen lump at the side of her face, and her high temperature, and we began to suspect she had contracted meningitis.
#MummyMonday Alder Hey Children’s Hospital – My daughter’s near-death experience
The Day Our Daughter Nearly Died
Returning to our GP the next morning, we were quickly referred to the nearby hospital as an emergency admission. Our doctor was very efficient and very calm, but we could see he was worried when he examined her. She and I spent another twenty-four hours at Leighton Hospital while they carried out tests and did an MRI scan to diagnose her illness. On the Friday evening we were informed that she needed emergency surgery and it could only be done by a specialist team at Alder Hey Childrenās Hospital in Liverpool, about an hourās drive away from home. That was a terrifying prospect, but we got her there and tried to remain calm.
Our daughter had contracted mastoiditis in her middle ear, which is a common infection that usually clears up naturally with a treatment of ear drops. Unfortunately for my daughter, the infection somehow found its way into her cheek cavity, where it began to rot away her jaw bone. The doctors called it a Group A Streptococcal infection I believe, but my memory of the technical details is very hazy. The memory of that whole weekend will remain with me forever. My daughter and I stayed in hospital for almost a week, and she made a miraculous recovery. The doctors believed that she might be left with life-changing damage from this infection, but she hasnāt. She quickly recovered full use of her jaw, a course of antibiotic medicine cleared the remains of the infection, and now all she has to show for it is a tiny scar near her ear.
My husband and I remain eternally grateful and thankful to the medical teams at Oaklands Medical Centre in Middlewich, Leighton Hospital ENT and Childrenās Ward in Crewe, and of course, the MacsFacs team and the high dependency ward at Alder Hey Childrenās Hospital. Without these doctors and nurses, our daughter certainly would not be with us today. Thank you.
LGBT fantasy novel set in Manchester, England. “Return of the Vampire Hunter” by Catherine Green.
Did you enjoy this article? Download your FREE copy of LGBT fantasy short story Itās Complicated (The Redcliffe Novels) and meet the werewolves of Cornwall, England.Ā Ā Click here.Ā
I had a scary dream earlier this week where I was chased by a demon in the garden of my home.
Devils Demons and Werewolves Short Story Anthology featuring vampire writer Catherine Hargreaves aka LGBT Fantasy Book Writer Catherine Green
Seeking Ghosts and Chasing Demons with the Winchester Brothers
It most likely came about after I watched a few episodes of “Supernatural” season 1, which Iām currently enjoying on Amazon Prime. I find myself musing about the story and the Winchester brothers, and wondering if I could ever be that kind of ghost hunter. I know that I couldnāt. I love attending organised ghost hunts with groups of people, but I would never enter an abandoned building by myself.
I would hunt with another person, but never solo, because I know there is a whole other world out there, and we must treat it with respect. But I am bored of seeking ghosts in safe places. You know what I mean: talking to them at home (although my new house is completely empty of Spirit), finding them in various places that I visit, going on events that are designed to offer light entertainment.
Last weekend I visited Beeston Castle with my family, and we did a little shopping on our way back to the car. There is a fantastic discount on selected products, and my daughters got new toys for just a few pounds each. I found the best bargain: a brand-new hardback book of ghost stories! I have seen it featured on the English Heritage website, and it was already on my to-read list. I do wonder how I missed the submission window for this anthology, unless it was already agreed by agent selection. I will investigate my options for a potential future collaborationā¦ in the meantime, I will indulge in reading ghost stories and watching my favourite paranormal TV shows. And I will try not to have scary dreams afterwards!
LGBT werewolf fantasy story “It’s Complicated (The Redcliffe Novels)” by Catherine Green
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