http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/Paganism, the green man, solitary witchcraft, spells and festivals.... plus just about anything else that crops up along the way!I have written a book, 'Seeking the Green' about my personal pagan path, which was published by Capall Bann last year (2008) Their website is at : http://www.capallbann.co.uk/(copy and past into your browser window). This year they have also published another book of mine, 'The Magical Properties of Plants and how to find them.' I am a regular speaker at the Witchfests run by the CHildren of Artemis. You can find out more about these events by checking out the Children of Artemis main website.en-EUhttp://backend.userland.com/rss092http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/http://data5.blog.de/design/preview/80/c66946c565c4c47d2c63c2552d4cca_160x200.jpg <p>Well, I've not been blogging as much as I would have liked recently, but this is partly because I'm getting ready for Witchfest International on Saturday. I'm going to be a busy girl - doing a talk (on reclaiming our Herbal Heritage), giving a workshop (on the use of plants for magical protection), conducting the opening Blessing Ceremony and also sitting on stage with several other speakers as part of a 'Meet the Witches' event. </p> <p>Oh, and I have a book signing too... because at long last, after much nail chewing - my book is out! The Magical Properties of Plants.... and how to find them is finally a reality, all 426 pages of it! I haven't seen it yet, but I'm so excited. It was a labour of love, dedicated to the memory of my father, and I can truthfully say I felt I was born to write this book. </p> <p>From the proofs I know that Capall Bann have done a beautiful job (as always) with the layout. And they've told me they're very pleased with the cover (which I based on the idea of a Book of Hours type of illustration.) Here, take a peek, this is my original artwork: </p> <p><a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/cover_illustration/4075969" title="cover illustration"><img src="http://data6.blog.de/media/969/4075969_4e58d78234_m.jpg" alt="cover illustration"></a></p> <p>I think I shall just tootle off and have a well earned glass of sherry - care to join me?</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/11/04/the-book-is-out-at-last-7306332/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/11/04/the-book-is-out-at-last-7306332/Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:26:59 +0100 <p>Artemis Toxia used to blog here a few years ago. She used to write about history in the ancient world, the ancient Egyptians and Greeks, and about ancient warfare. </p> <p>I am still honoured to keep her on my blogfriends list even though she hasn't blogged in ages, and we've kept in touch. And tomorrow is her birthday.</p> <p>I want to dedicate this post to a very brave girl who has battled with ill health for about ten years now, but never given up. Who never complains, never asks for favours or special treatment, never even asks for extra energy to be sent her way. She just gets on with things. </p> <p>About two years ago, when she stopped blogging here, things began to come together for her.... only life being what it is, there were a few more huge hurdles ahead that nobody anticipated. She kept going. </p> <p>If you meet her, she is the most quiet, unassuming, lovely girl you could meet. People who know her naturally gravitate towards her. They appreciate her quiet good sense. She is an exceelent person to have at your side in a crisis.</p> <p>And although I miss her blogging, I accept she has moved on with her life and wish her all the very best. Especially tomorrow, which is her birthday. </p> <p>Penblwydd Hapus, Artemis Toxia! May life be good to you!</p> <p>Brightest blessings<br> Tylluan Penry </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/11/03/does-anyone-here-remember-artemis-toxia-7297391/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/11/03/does-anyone-here-remember-artemis-toxia-7297391/Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:02:31 +0100 <p>There's a full moon tonight and there's something in the air...of course, it's Halloween! A wonderful time of year - I've lit one candle already, and some incense, and now I'm off to light some more. </p> <p>Brightest blessings<br> Tylluan </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/10/31/halloween-samhain-greetings-7282653/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/10/31/halloween-samhain-greetings-7282653/Sat, 31 Oct 2009 21:38:49 +0100 <p>Make no mistake, I love this time of year. And it always saddens me when it seems to turn into the Silly Season when vicars, ministers and those who write in Church Magazines start harping on about how it is all connected with devil worship. This is then seized on by the media... who aren't quite sure whose side they're on anyway, because Halloween helps them sell their newspapers just like any other festival.</p> <p>Halloween has nothing to do with the Devil. The devil is a Christian construct, made up of part of pagans gods, some of whome had horns (Cernunnos) or the legs of a goat (Pan). The whole idea of good versus evil is very complex in Pagan myth and legend, where even trickster deities such as Loki (in the NOrth), or vengeful ones such as Juno (in the ROman Empire) were also capable of acts of kindness. And conversely, 'good' deities were capable of great cruelty, such as when Apollo and Artemis murdered Niobe's children. They may have felt they were being insulted, but their argument was with Niobe, not the children. </p> <p>So the idea that celebrating Halloween, which in the north at least was often known as Samhain, is in some way to worship the Christian Devil is total nonsense. But it still goes on.</p> <p>And what makes it worse is that people who really should know better, Head Teachers and their like, seem to get carried away with this. </p> <p>Well I'm rather sick of this 'Either you're for us or against us' dichotomy. I love Halloween. I celebrate Halloween. Halloween is not all about trick or treating - although some people do seem to emphasise this aspect. But nobody went trick or treating when I was young - that's a commercial aspect of the festival, pushed, I suspect, by the makers of Halloween sweets and decorations.</p> <p>The thing to remember about Halloween is that the Church never managed to appropriate it. Other festivals became more or less successfully Christianised... Christmas was turned into Yule, even though there is no way there shepherds were out guarding their flocks in late December. The Spring Equinox was turned into Easter... but they never managed to do away with its association with hares and eggs. Imbolc, on February 1st was turned into Candlemas - with virtually all the same symbolism. The greenery of the spring festivals morphed into Palm Sunday. The list goes on and on...</p> <p>Halloween remains a sticking point. To be fair, the Christian Church did try. They appointed November the first as All Saints Day (the Hallows of Halloween). And for good measure the 2nd November became All Souls Day... but Halloween remained, stubbornly engrained into our psyche. The great fire festival. And of course, the Gunpowder Plot, celebrated as Bonfire Night on November 5th helped keep Halloween vaguely respectable. There was now a good, patriotic excuse for lighting bonfires.</p> <p>So - siding with the devil? Not at all. Halloween is a very sacred time when we remember family and friends who have passed on. For some Pagans the Oak or Sun King 'dies' at this time of year, to be reborn at Yule, the winter solstice. Just as the Holly King or Dark Lord dies at Beltan (May 1st) and is reborn on the summer solstice. The Dark Lord is not the devil. He is a necessary balance to the harmony of the year.</p> <p>However you decide to celebrate Halloween, remember it's an ancient festival the last of the harvest celebrations for this year. 'All is safely gathered in,' to borrow the words of a well-known Christian hymn. Even the least psychic of people often senses 'something' at this time of year. And it's not something to be afraid of either, this thinning of the veil between this world and the next. It's a comforting reminder that we never really lose those we love. They remain close because the Other World is not really that far away.</p> <p>Halloween - with all its traditions - is almost here. Enjoy it! <img src="/img/smilies/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/10/20/halloween-and-the-silly-season-7205959/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/10/20/halloween-and-the-silly-season-7205959/Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:49:17 +0200 <p>This was recommended to me by one of my daughters... it's the Ukraine's Got Talent Winner.... do check it out, it's so beautiful: </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/10/19/something-beautiful-7201300/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/10/19/something-beautiful-7201300/Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:05:54 +0200 <p>Well, I haven't blogged much lately, but Samhain (or Halloween) is fast approaching. As a solitary pagan I have to ask myself what this means to me and how I will celebrate it. One of the 'problems' with being a solitary is that there is no set ritual, you have to start from scratch and build it up for yourself. But it's only a problem if you make it so - view it as an interesting exercise, a challenge even, and you see it in quite a different light.</p> <p>I love this time of year, there is something very special about it. You can feel the changes in the air. A week or so ago everything still had a golden sheen, now it's darkened, like copal varnish on an old painting. THe original colours are still there somewhere, but they're harder to see now.</p> <p>So how to approach Samhain? Divination tends to be easier - or at least different - at this time of year. That's because the veil thins out between this world and the other worlds that seem to co-exist around us. All sorts of possibilities open up, if only we are brave enough to look for them.</p> <p>Apples are cheap and plentiful. Many of the Halloween games of my childhood seemed to involve them. Bobbing for apples, ducking for apples, toffee apples... and yet apples also signify the masculine life force (and pears symbolise the feminine.) At this time of year many Pagans believe that the Sun god - or god of light (or Oak King) finally dies, to be reborn at Yule (the Winter Solstice). Conversely, on the opposite side of the year, Beltane (May 1st) the Dark Lord, or Holly King dies, to be reborn at the Summer Solstice.</p> <p>At this time of year, when the long dark winter nights are fast approaching, it pays to remember that the long bright summer evenings are just half a year's cycle away.</p> <p>My world is all about finding the balance in life. I may not always succeed, but I'm always trying. <img src="/img/smilies/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" class="middle" border="0"> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/10/18/samhain-and-halloween-7192021/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/10/18/samhain-and-halloween-7192021/Sun, 18 Oct 2009 09:03:38 +0200 <p>My name is Tylluan and I will NO longer tolerate online stalkers.</p> <p>I will not feed their fire by responding to their comments or posts except in <del>three </del> four ways:</p> <p>1. I will choose to delete their offending comment if I can<br> 2. I will ignore their comments/posts on another blog<br> 3. And then, I will move on.<br> 4. And if they still persist, I WILL hex them.</p> <p>I will not give them blogging space or another thought for there are many other people here that deserve my energy and attention.</p> <p>May this blogging community regain its blogging spirit and take back this community from stalkers and claim it as their own. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/10/16/my-blogging-pledge-slightly-amended-7184439/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/10/16/my-blogging-pledge-slightly-amended-7184439/Fri, 16 Oct 2009 22:20:45 +0200 <p>For the past week or so my inbox has been regularly bombarded with reminders about Blog Action Day and doing our bit for climate change.</p> <p>Am I the only one who finds it just a bit<del> hypocritical </del> weird that this co-incides with large adverts for BMW all over the BCUK's home page???</p> <p>Clearly a case of 'Do as I say,' not 'Do as I do' I think.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/10/15/blog-action-day-yeah-right-7173022/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/10/15/blog-action-day-yeah-right-7173022/Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:15:00 +0200 <p>The problem with noticing the seasons is that for most of us we are far removed from the natural world where such changes would be most obvious. Or are we? Give nature half a chance and she's there, nudging us half awake, urging us to remember our own heritage before it's lost forever under a sea of concrete. </p> <p>Strange things happen around equinoxes. THe last one was only a short time ago, the 21st September, but you can still feel its effects, like ripples in a pond. The world becomes restless. Open your eyes and look around... there are things for us all to see, if only we look.</p> <p>For example, have you noticed dogs becoming restless at this time of year, maybe barking at thin air? That happens around the equinox. </p> <p>A friend in the US told me that he notices that snakes become very edgy too, hissing at.... nothing. What do they see? What do they know?</p> <p>House brownies and creatures from the other worlds become very active too. A few nights ago every single clock in the house stopped. All properly wound. And no reason for them to stop. But they did. And I believe that too, is evidence of the very strong energies around at this time of year.</p> <p>But now we need not only to notice, but to look forward. To Halloween/Samhain. That great festival of the dead when the veil between worlds thins out. This is the time of year when you can when you can experience things you may not expect... may not even believe in! </p> <p>Look out for the leaves. By the end of this month, they will be dancing. I mean it. Look how they fall in small piles, and then the wind makes them dance in a way that doesn't happen at any other time of year. Almost as though they are being <em>driven</em>... and who knows? Perhaps they are.</p> <p>There is something about, the unique spirit of this time of year. Start looking out for it and you will notice things....animals behaving differently, the birds, the leaves.... aim not only to look but to listen. </p> <p>Taking notice of how the year impacts on us isn't just an interesting thing to do, it helps empower us too. Every season has its own unique offerings. We have passed the half-way house of Autumn with its brilliant golds and russets. Now the world darkens slightly, gathering speed towards the end of October, with Samhain/Halloween the last of the three harvest festivals (the other two fall at the beginning of August and the autumn Equinox). </p> <p>Even though I'm not a farmer, I feel the need to gather in my own harvest, my writing, my research, all those things that are vital to me as a person. I gather them in and keep them safe against the coming winter.</p> <p>All you have to do, is look out for those dancing leaves.... </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/10/06/magical-autumn-7108732/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/10/06/magical-autumn-7108732/Tue, 06 Oct 2009 09:25:17 +0200 <p>Just a quick update on my latest book. My publishers, Capall Bann have informed me that the proofs are already winging their way to me and should be hear by tomorrow! </p> <p>So that's the next few days taken care of... sitting over a hot desk, with a pencil, tape recorder and magnifying glass, looking for mistakes. </p> <p>It's very important when you send your manuscript to your chosen publisher to make sure that it's as clean as possible, i.e. that you've checked it for mistakes and typos, because when you get to the proof checking stage you are faced with a double challenge:<br> 1. To make the finished manuscript as perfect as possible<br> 2. To make as few alterations as possible.</p> <p>The reason why you want to make as few alterations as possible at this stage is because it can drastically change the layout and page numbering - and can be expensive to put right.</p> <p>So, to all you budding writers... remember, get it right <em>before</em> you send your manuscript off. That way, when the proofs come back, you will keep your work to a minimum.</p> <p>Actually, I'm rather looking forward to the proof reading. Like meeting an old friend again... besides, Capall Bann produce such lovely books, it'll be interesting to see how my book has been set out. </p> <p>Shall keep you informed! </p> <p>The </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/09/29/the-book-is-almost-ready-7065787/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/09/29/the-book-is-almost-ready-7065787/Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:30:34 +0200 <p>I've just had a message that our blogfriend Jollyweez is presently in hospital. </p> <p>I know I don't have to ask those who know her to send some healing energies her way, and wishes for a speedy recovery. </p> <p>I shall light some incense for her first thing tomorrow morning. </p> <p>Brightest blessings, Jollyweez, get well soon!</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/09/24/healing-energies-for-jollyweez-7034621/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/09/24/healing-energies-for-jollyweez-7034621/Thu, 24 Sep 2009 23:15:07 +0200 <p>I'm a great believer in keeping things simple. Nice clear rune shapes, a plain white casting cloth and a simple three-rune spread. I know sometimes people like much more complicated layouts, but I believe that since there are only 24 runes in a set (well, 24 in the Elder Futhark, 30 or 31 in the Anglo Saxon runesets) you have a better reading with fewer runes. </p> <p>I also make it a point never to ask what the question is about. I don't want to know. I find that way that people are free to ask what's really in their hearts, without worrying whether or not I'm going to sit there judging them. It gives them privacy especially if they're accompanied by a friend or relative. </p> <p>And the funny thing is that my readings seem to work better this way. Without knowing the question, I can get to grips with the runes in a way that I couldn't if I was looking for certain trends. I just read the runes and leave it to the querent to decide whether or not it answers their question. If they're still not sure, I ask them to pull out another rune and ask for clarification.</p> <p>Is this the way the runes were read years ago? Who knows. Personally I don't think it matters. The Runes have adapted to many different languages, many different situations. They have been used for writing, for riddles, for charms and for divination. </p> <p>The very best runes are those you make yourself, preferably from natural materials such as stone or wood. The rune symbols can be engraved, carved, scratched, burned or painted. Some even say you should colour the runes with your own blood. Certainly it's a good idea to cleanse and empower them every so often, otherwise they begin to feel 'stale' and unpleasant to handle.</p> <p>But the most important thing to do with your runes is to <em>use</em> them. Little by little, day by day, you coax them to give up their secrets, remembering that the lessons they bring to you could well be quite different from the lessons they bring to me.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/09/24/a-few-thoughts-on-rune-readings-7032904/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/09/24/a-few-thoughts-on-rune-readings-7032904/Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:49:23 +0200 <p>This weekend I am travelling westwards for the Pagan Federations Summer Camp where I shall be giving a rune workshop on Sunday. I'm really looking forward to it. </p> <p>The runes are a brilliant method of divination, although people tend not to find them as attractive as the Tarot. I believe this is partly because with the Tarot (depending on which deck you use) you have something recognisable to look at: the magician, the moon, the hermit etc., whereas the runes are completely abstract.</p> <p>And yet there's a freedom with the runes that you don't get with the Tarot. The runes work on your subconscious if you allow them too. They are tricksy, mischievous things, rather like the Norse trickster god, Loki. No wonder they were used for codes and riddles!</p> <p>As I get older, I am drawn more and more towards the Anglo Saxon Runes. I'm not quite sure why... I spent an entire summer brushing up on my Anglo Saxon just to be able to get to grips with the Anglo Saxon Rune Poem. A year ago I sat in the garden reading the Leechbook of Bald and the Lacnunga (Anglo Saxon Herbals). There is just something about the Anglo Saxons, in my opinion they are sadly neglected when it comes to magic.</p> <p>Part of the problem, of course, is that much of the literature we have by them has a distinct Christian gloss to it. Many pagans find this a bit off putting. But often if you dig just that little deeper, if you go the extra mile, the door opens and you're back in a world of feasting, swords, ogres and gods that throw hammers! </p> <p>For anyone interested in learning more about ancient languages, I can recommend the Tiger of the Stripe website at www.tigerof the stripe.co.uk You need to have a real browse around it to find all the treasures hidden there, but I had my Anglo Saxon dictionary from them at a fraction of the price elsewhere! </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/09/17/the-anglo-saxon-runes-6982042/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/09/17/the-anglo-saxon-runes-6982042/Thu, 17 Sep 2009 09:25:25 +0200 <p>Harvests can take many forms. Although for me they still bring back memories of watching people riding on the back of hay carts stacked with bales of hay, a harvest can be more personal: the harvest of long study can be passing an exam, the harvest of sickness can be recovery.... Just because we personally don't get to drink cider as we work in the fields doesn't mean we don't have a harvest - we do. </p> <p>Years ago the success of the local harvest literally meant the different between life and death and many rituals and celebrations developed to try and magically ensure that the harvest was a good one. </p> <p>For many Pagans the year has three harvest festivals: 1st August, 21st September and the 31st October. These take account of the different types of food to be gathered, since there is no single date when ALL the crops and harvests will be ready at the same time.</p> <p>One of the most interesting traditions is the corn dolly which was either made from the last sheaf of the harvest, or the sheaf itself. Around the UK it had a number of different names, including the Hag, the Mare, the Harvest Queen, Corn Dolly, and even Mell Doll.The important thing, I think, is that these were all female - perhaps a forgotten reference to a pagan mother goddess.</p> <p>If you read Frazer's 'Golden Bough' you will see that this could be a very bloodthirsty ritual in some parts of the world, with a human being sacrificed so that his blood enriched and empower the next year's crops. </p> <p>In the UK as far as we know, the sheaf (or doll) was decorated with flowers and ribbons and taken back to the farm on a waggon (in Anglo Saxon magic 'following a wagon' was often associated with fertility rites.) The Corn Dolly was then kept safe (usually for a year) but was ritually burned before the next harvest and its ashes ploughed back into the soil as an offering (possibly a symbolic re-enactment of a human sacrifice?).</p> <p>It's just a beautiful time of year. I think we all deserve our own harvest festival, don't you? <img src="/img/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif" alt=":D" class="middle" border="0"> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/09/15/harvests-and-sacrificial-corn-dollies-6966007/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/09/15/harvests-and-sacrificial-corn-dollies-6966007/Tue, 15 Sep 2009 08:18:23 +0200 <p>So much for a barbecue summer. Though we have had a few good days, and maybe the last few could even be described as a brief 'Blackberry Summer.' I love seeing blackberries, dark and jewel-like hanging in the hedges. Unlike my neighbours, the ever vigilant Mrs Anubis Evans and Mr Sarcophagus Jones, I like a bit of wilderness in my garden. Mr Penry calls it 'benign neglect'.</p> <p>In Wales it was traditional to leave a small patch of wilderness (especially nettles) which was said to be for 'the devil.' I suspect this is evidence of later Christianisation, and that originally the ground was left sacred to a pagan deity or earth spirit. </p> <p>But if you want to pick your blackberries, you have to hurry. For in October (especially around the 10th) it will be Devil's Blackberry Day, and after this date it was traditionally considered unsafe to eat blackberries. Actually, if you look closely, you will see that around this time of year the bramble bushes become covered in small spider's webs, and the fruit themselves are often long past their best, and a bit 'wormy.' </p> <p>When I was young my father always made blackberry cordial for us to stave off coughs and colds. I loved it, and also elderflower cordial, another rich, heavy syrup. </p> <p>It's hard to remember that there was a time, not all that many years ago when oranges were strictly seasonal in the shops and hard to come by at certain times of the year. We used to make syrup from rose hips - my father said they had to be picked after the <em>second</em> frost of the year... if you picked them sooner they would be too hard, and if you picked them too late they would be too soft! </p> <p>Whatever your spiritual path, it's worth noticing the Equinox. At the moment it's a bit like cycling uphill... and just about to go over the crest of the hill. No wonder so many of us feel a distinct unease (a word very closely linked to <em>dis</em>ease ) at this time of year. The balance is quite literally changing as the year shifts gears. Soon the nights will draw in and the shadows will lengthen. </p> <p>This is the time of year when spiders start to take up residence indoors... and you will notice more of them out in the garden too. When storms approach, spiders get busy in their webs, tightening them up so they will survive the wind. An old saying ran:</p> <p><em>If you wish to live and thrive<br> Let the spider run alive</em></p> <p>[In my next post I hope to tell you a little bit about the corn dolly traditions...] </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/09/14/the-autumn-equinox-blackberries-and-oranges-6959218/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/09/14/the-autumn-equinox-blackberries-and-oranges-6959218/Mon, 14 Sep 2009 08:43:11 +0200 <p>I've been away from Blogland for ages, I know. Sometimes there simply aren't enough hours in the day and I am desperately playing catch up. And also, I don't like posting entries on the blog that simply say 'I'm soooo bored' (I never am) or 'I'm soooo tired' (by the time I reach that stage I've usually nodded off anyway.)</p> <p>So, what have I been doing? Well, I've been working on two books, and also on my forthcoming talks : the Pagan Fed's summer camp ( a workshop on RUnes), THe Hay on Fire Festival at Samhain/Halloween, and Witchfest International (plants and anglo saxon charms and magic - probably.) </p> <p>I write quickly, but obviously not quickly enough. <img src="/img/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif" alt=":roll:" class="middle" border="0"> And of course, there's more to life than writing. There's shopping, cooking, cleaning, all the things I would normally be doing anyway. </p> <p>We're now approaching a very interesting festival. The autumn equinox. It doesn't have the same fun element as Beltane/May Day, or Samhain/Halloween... it hasn't been commercialised like Ostara/Easter or Yule/Christmas. But it's still an incredible time of year. And the reason we know this is because the early Christian Church tried (and largely succeeded) in Christianising it as Michaelmas. The feast of St Michael, the Archangel, usually held on 29th September. </p> <p>Revels, fairs and wakes were held throughout the period of gathering home the harvest and often it was difficult to tell where one festival ended and another began. I think it was Henry VIII who finally tried to put a stop to the endless rounds of entertainment and feasting which passed along from village to village. </p> <p>And the choice of Michaelmas is interesting too. St Michael was no ordinary saint, he was an archangel who helped defeat Lucifer and various assorted dragons. </p> <p>Now the connection of Lucifer and dragons is an interesting one. Many ancient sites have their traditions of serpents and dragons who lived nearby and some peope believe these names were actually euphemisms for power, in particular earth currents. Others claim they represented the old pagan religions. By defeated the dragon or serpent, therefore, St Michael was defeating the old pagan religions and destroying their powers.</p> <p>Certainly a number of interesting sites have been dedicated to the saint. The chapel on top of Glastonbury Tor. St Michael's Mount in Cornwall, and Mont St Michel off the northern coast of France. </p> <p>This is a very interesting link if you want to read some more:</p> <p><a href="http://www.sacredsites.com/europe/england/stmichaels_mount.html">http://www.sacredsites.com/europe/england/stmichaels_mount.html</a></p> <p>Personally I think the festival deserves a much higher profile than it has nowadays. We might as well make the most of the three harvest celebrations of Lammas (1st August) the Equinox (21st September) and Halloween (31st October) because after that we have the long nights of winter, the frost, the rain and winds. </p> <p>A good old fashioned feast is just what we need! <img src="/img/smilies/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" class="middle" border="0"> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/09/09/a-quick-update-and-the-autumn-equinox-6928415/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/09/09/a-quick-update-and-the-autumn-equinox-6928415/Wed, 09 Sep 2009 08:51:07 +0200 <p>I was really hoping to be back blogging again more often, but alas, the best laid plans of mice and men...</p> <p>At the moment I'm working on a rune workshop ready for the Pagan Federations summer camp in September. Workshops are rather different from talks because they're more hands-on, but they're great fun and you get a lot of feedback from the people there, which is always very interesting. I always say I learn far more from my readers and my audiences than they do from me! </p> <p>I am also finishing another book and working on the first draft of yet another. Some people might say I ought to be concentrating on the one book, but I find it's often easier to move between the two... it keeps my mind more alert somehow. (At least, that's the plan.)</p> <p>So apologies for not being around much... shall try to catch up on your blogs in the next few days! </p> <p>Brightest blessings<br> Tylluan </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/08/31/back-again-6862923/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/08/31/back-again-6862923/Mon, 31 Aug 2009 20:49:32 +0200 <p><a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/new_moon/3806609" title="new moon"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/609/3806609_98a47bc9e7_m.jpg" alt="new moon"></a></p> <p>I really have no idea of the date of this poem to the New Moon; I only know that it is a traditional Scottish folk prayer, originally written in Gaelic. I hope you like it:</p> <p>Greeting to you, new moon, kindly jewel of guidance! I bend my knees to you, I offer you my love.</p> <p>I bend my knees to you, I raise my hands to you, I life up my eye to you, new moon of the seasons.</p> <p>Greeting to you, new moon, darling of my love! Greeting to you, new moon, darling of graces.</p> <p>You journey on your course, you steer the flood-tides, you light up your face for us, new moon of the seasons.</p> <p>Queen of guidance, queen of good luck, queen of my love, new moon of the seasons! </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/08/20/an-old-poem-to-the-new-moon-6767315/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/08/20/an-old-poem-to-the-new-moon-6767315/Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:49:36 +0200 <p>Knowing how much Wendlane enjoys things that remind her of Wales, I have tried - for the first time, I might add - to post something for her that I found on Youtube:</p> <p>Get well soon, Wendlane! Your friends here all miss you! </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/08/18/get-well-soon-wendlane-6752012/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/08/18/get-well-soon-wendlane-6752012/Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:22:36 +0200 <p>As you begin looking - really looking - at the world around you, you realise that there is a lot going on that might pass you by. Sometimes nature seems to be putting on a show especially for you. </p> <p>Recognising and learning from these signs isn't really all that difficult. Part of the problem is that we have forgotten the raw pleasure that being in the open air can bring us. I know that since I've had a number of health problems in the last few years, I really have learned to appreciate just getting out into the garden and watching - and listening - to the world around me.</p> <p>For example, yesterday I spotted two white butterflies flying together, swirling, looping the loop, it was as intricate as any <em>pas de deux</em> in a ballet. I stood and watched, entranced. It may have lasted barely two minutes before they flew off over the roof, but it was quite, quite magical. </p> <p>And you see, I have the feeling that it was <em>intended</em> for me to see it. Why? I don't know. But I came away feeling highly privileged and somehow uplifted.</p> <p>Last night, sitting in the kitchen doing some writing, I heard the owls out in the garden at the back of the house. They were persistent, eerie. Homer shuddered and snuggled deeper into his bed. In Wales it was said that when an owl cried out in the night, a young maiden was losing her innocence. </p> <p>Be that as it may, there is something quite otherworldly about the sound of an owl. They don't just hoot, they cry, and shriek - all at a time when the night is otherwise silent. It's a magical sound.</p> <p>What does any of this have to do with magical journeying? Well, there's a very famous text called 'The Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistus'. You will often hear a quote from it : <em>As above, so below.</em> </p> <p>Basically what it means is that in magic, or indeed in magical worlds, there is an echo of what is in our real, day to day world. By recognising magic in this world, we make it easier to find and sometimes cross into other magical worlds. Each is a reflection of the other.</p> <p>And - as I hope to show in my next post - quite often we can begin our magical journeys here, in the everyday world! </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/08/18/magical-journeying-part-6749580/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/08/18/magical-journeying-part-6749580/Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:13:44 +0200 <p>Those of you brave, hardy souls who visit my blog regularly will know by now that when I write on magical or pagan topics I'm writing about my own experiences, my own ideas. So here today are a few ideas about things we can do when we fancy giving Magical Journeying a try. </p> <p>Now magical journeying is one of those things you either love or you loathe. Many people would like to try it, but find it's too difficult. Or they're put off by others who say you must always have 'someone experienced' with you, whenever you take off into the wild blue yonder. </p> <p>So here are a few thoughts I've cobbled together down the years that you might find useful...</p> <p>First of all, you need to get to know the world around you. The trees, the sort of stones you find lying around, the birds, insects and plants - all things that will stand you in very good stead when you're starting off. </p> <p>Don’t panic – you don’t have to turn into a botanist overnight. You can notice without knowing… it’s a very important magical concept… to notice something even though you don’t know exactly what it is or how it works. I do it every day with electricity – no idea how it works, but I use it all the same. </p> <p>So start looking – really looking – and see what you can find. You might know the names of some things… daisies, dandelions… hawthorn trees… that sort of thing. And look for the insects and birds too. Get into this habit and keep it up for weeks, months even, as the seasons slowly change and our world turns golden with autumn. </p> <p>My father taught me a lot about plants, and he always used to carry this battered field guide with him. He’d say you’d never be able to remember the plants when you got home and if you had a reference book with you then you could look them up then and there. And of course, the more you learn, the less you need your field guide. This frees up your pockets for important supplies such as polo mints… </p> <p>Learn to expect the unexpected too…. Mr Penry and one of my daughters were up a mountain a few months ago and reckoned they’d seen a golden eagle. Now there are no golden eagles in my part of Wales. Not one. Not even on a Saturday night. But their description of the bird fitted, they described how it flew, what it sounded like… very convincing. But it couldn’t be a golden eagle. Except…. </p> <p>About a fortnight later, the headlines in our local paper said that police investigating the traffic in illegal birds had raided a house about two miles away from the mountain and found – amongst other things –a golden eagle. </p> <p>So… my husband and my daughter had really had a treat – they’d seen a golden eagle flying over the mountain for the first time in - well, it must have been centuries. </p> <p>I'll post some more tomorrow.... </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/08/15/a-few-practical-preparations-for-magical-journeying-6728671/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/08/15/a-few-practical-preparations-for-magical-journeying-6728671/Sat, 15 Aug 2009 11:11:02 +0200 <p>Just a brief digression from Anglo Saxon magic today. But I hope you find it interesting all the same.</p> <p>A great deal of magical practice seems to cross cultural boundaries, so that certain words, numbers, gestures and methods seem to crop up time and again. </p> <p>Some of them have been around for so long that they seem to have built up a power all their own. The most famous of all magic words, <em>abracadabra</em> was used in ancient times and in its earliest written form is written as an inverted triangle:</p> <p class="center">ABRACADABRA<br> ABRACADABR<br> ABRACADAB<br> ABRACADA<br> ABRACAD<br> ABRACA<br> ABRAC<br> ABRA<br> ABR<br> AB<br> A</p> <p>Although nowadays we tend to associate this word with stage conjurors who produce rabbits from top hats, as late as the eighteenth century Defoe described people using this charm to cure them of plague. </p> <p>It was popular all over Europe, sometimes to make things disappear (in the written form above you will see that the words appear to ‘shrink’) while Aleister Crowley wrote the word as <em>‘Abrahadabra’</em> and regarded it as extremely powerful. It’s up to you of course, whether you want to use it or not, but you never know, one day it may come in handy!</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/08/13/the-magic-word-abracadabra-6714567/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/08/13/the-magic-word-abracadabra-6714567/Thu, 13 Aug 2009 09:12:02 +0200 <p><a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/anglo_saxon_brooch_from_norfolk/3777186" title="anglo saxon brooch from norfolk"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/186/3777186_f9219ece9d_m.jpg" alt="anglo saxon brooch from norfolk"></a></p> <p>Would you like to see what an Anglo Saxon charm actually looked like? </p> <p>Well, here's one:<br> __<br> +T+p+T+N+ω+T+m+N+ ωA</p> <p>This is a protection charm from an Anglo Saxon book of Leechcraft or healing called the Lacnunga. Either the patient or his leech (which was another word for a physician or healer) were supposed to write these letters along the patient’s arms. And before you ask – nobody has any idea what they mean! </p> <p>So – how were these charms constructed? What was the thinking behind them? </p> <p>Actually Anglo Saxon Magic follows similar patters to ancient magic right across Europe. One of the first things you notice is something called ‘The narrative introduction.’ Although you don’t often find them in modern spells they do crop up all over the ancient world. </p> <p>Here I should digress a bit and mention that along with our more obscene swear words which all come from the Anglo Saxon, the word 'spell' also comes from that language. It's original meaning was a story, legend or history. So this idea of a narrative in the charm is very old indeed and you can’t get rid of it without radically changing the whole structure. </p> <p>But what did a narrative introduction do, and why was it used? The idea was to set out deeds that had already been performed by a god or great hero. These deeds usually have some bearing on the purpose of the charm. They set the scene. And the thinking behind this is ‘You’ve already shown you can free someone in this situation… please do it again – this time for me.’ </p> <p>We eventually find the actual spell formular right at the end of the spell, or sometimes at the end of each verse if it is a very long spell. So you find commands such as ‘slip from the shackles, escape from the foe!’ or even 'Out little spear! Out!'</p> <p>Here's a good example from the Merseburger Incantations - it's a spell for treating dislocated joins and sprains. </p> <p>It starts off by telling a story of how Woden (the Anglo Saxon name for Odin) is out riding when his companion’s horse sprains its leg. Then three goddesses try but fail to cure the horse. </p> <p><strong><em>Then Woden charmed it, who could charm it well:</em></strong> (This is the turning point of the spell – the end of the narrative, and the beginning of the spell formula which is: )</p> <p><em><strong>Leg luxation, and blood luxation, and limb luxation,<br> Bone to bone, blood to blood,<br> Limb to limb as they were glued together.'</strong></em></p> <p>Although the original charm was used by Woden in this form it can be used by humans – calling on Woden to help heal all types of sprains.</p> <p>This combination of narrative and magical command might seem a bit strange to us nowadays, but they still work. The trick is finding the right story or setting to use. For that, it's often a good idea to look back at Saxon myth and folklore, although strictly speaking you could adapt it to just about any circumstances that take your fancy. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/08/11/artemis-gathering-anglo-saxon-magic-part-6699616/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/08/11/artemis-gathering-anglo-saxon-magic-part-6699616/Tue, 11 Aug 2009 16:13:20 +0200 <p>This is a subject that has fascinated me for many years, ever since the day I rescued an Anglo Saxon dictionary out of my school’s dustbin in the library. To read the old Anglo Saxon charms, sitting out in countryside, is to reach back into the past, to an almost long forgotten magical tradition. </p> <p>So… First of all, who were the Anglo Saxons? Well, it’s a collective term for the Germanic tribes – mostly from northern Germany and southern Scandinavia who began invading England in the fifth century. The Anglo Saxon kingdoms lasted a good five hundred years and we have a wealth of evidence about their magical practices. </p> <p>Their spells came in all shapes and sizes. Some were chanted or sung, some involved potions, and some had to be written down either on parchment, metal or bone. Some charms were even worn as amulets. An amulet is basically protective or healing; a talisman is more like a lucky charm. </p> <p>In Anglo Saxon the word galan means to sing or chant. The word galdor or gealdor meant a charm, a means of controlling and directing the power of the healing materials (which could be almost anything, including herbs, stones, bones etc.) </p> <p>One thing you find in Anglo Saxon magic is a tremendous number of charms against magical beings – especially elves and dwarves - who seem to have spent most of their time attacking humankind, and ended up being blamed for just about everything. Including hiccups! </p> <p>So – how do Anglo Saxon charms work? Basically they all contained at least one of the following 4 features: </p> <p>1. A magic ritual on its own.</p> <p>2. A magic ritual together with a charm that had to be chanted, spoken or sung aloud. Sometimes there are specific instructions for singing these charms over the wound, or in the left ear, or at a particular time of day or moonphase. </p> <p>3. Some sort of recipte for a potion, the sort of thing that tells you to ‘Take betony, bishopwort, lupin…’ etc. There were three very important Anglo Saxon herbals: the <em>Herbarium,</em> the <em>Lacnunga</em> and the <em>Leechbook of Bald. </em>• Leech was the Anglo-Saxon word for a doctor or healer. </p> <p>4. And lastly, there was a written formula which was often tied onto a wound to help it heal. </p> <p>In the next instalment I'm going to show you the basics of how Anglo-Saxon spells were constructed. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/08/10/the-artemis-gathering-2009-my-talk-on-anglo-saxon-magic-6692881/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/08/10/the-artemis-gathering-2009-my-talk-on-anglo-saxon-magic-6692881/Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:18:01 +0200 <p>Well, I never made it to the Artemis Gathering because of the scarlet fever. However, I thought I would blog a little from the talks I had intended to give there - which would have been on the subjects of THought Forms and also on Anglo Saxon Magic. </p> <p>Hopefully I shall be back later on today with a post on the topic of thought forms.</p> <p>Hope to catch up with you then! <img src="/img/smilies/icon_wave.gif" alt=":wave:" class="middle" border="0"> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/08/09/talks-for-the-artemis-gathering-online-6683311/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/08/09/talks-for-the-artemis-gathering-online-6683311/Sun, 09 Aug 2009 08:49:51 +0200 <p>Sorry to have been away from blogland for so long. Firstly thank you all for your lovely birthday wishes, these were all very much cherished. I am still up to my eyeballs in writing and falling further behind with every hour. <img src="/img/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif" alt=":roll:" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p>I hope to catch up with your blogs as soon as possible! </p> <p>Brightest blessings<br> Tylluan <img src="/img/smilies/icon_wink.gif" alt=";)" class="middle" border="0"> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/08/01/back-again-6629220/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/08/01/back-again-6629220/Sat, 01 Aug 2009 09:21:16 +0200 <p>As I am so fond of saying, life with Mr Penry is never dull. He just doesn't see the world through the same spectacles as the rest of us. In return I never, ever, take him shopping for clothes with me. He doesn't even go shopping for clothes for himself... I have to buy them, take them home and then beg him to try them on. </p> <p>So you could say that when it comes to buying a birthday present, he doesn't really know all that much about my tastes in material goods. He knows about my taste in poetry, films, music and probably food. He is not entirely sure about the rest of it. He knows I like books, of course, but leaves it up to me to buy the ones I want. He would not have a clue about buying me clothes, shoes or underwear, and I would never expect it of him. </p> <p>He does, however, like buying presents. I regard this with a certain amount of trepidation, since what constitutes a brilliant present in his eyes might be less than brilliant in mine. However, I try to be understanding in this - it is, after all, the thought that counts.</p> <p>Fast forward to yesterday, when Mr Penry wandered off, a big smile on his face, announcing he had found what he wanted to buy me for my birthday. I cajoled, I wheedled (and I'm a good wheedler <img src="/img/smilies/icon_wink.gif" alt=";)" class="middle" border="0">) but no, he wasn't going to tell. It was, he said mysteriously, <em>a suprise.</em></p> <p>I began to get alarmed when I saw him staggering back through our gate, a few hours later. Had he been hurt by a wandering coal truck or something? </p> <p>No. It was my present. Words failed me. (And that doesn't happen very often, I can tell you!) Here it is:</p> <p><a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/ball_and_chain2009_07_22_15_05_45/3714998" title="ball and chain2009-07-22_15-05-45"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/998/3714998_89db97a22f_m.jpg" alt="ball and chain2009-07-22_15-05-45"></a> </p> <p>Yes, folks, a genuined ball and chain. 'You don't see too many of those,' he grinned. Bless him, he was so pleased with himself, I didn't have the heart to say anything. </p> <p>Do you think he's trying to tell me something? </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/07/23/mr-penry-buys-me-a-birthday-present-6573829/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/07/23/mr-penry-buys-me-a-birthday-present-6573829/Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:50:28 +0200 <p>No, this is not an attempt to boost my stats by having a suggestive title for this post. Nor is it a reference to some great Witch Party I'm going to attend. </p> <p>No... this is a piece of history. Years ago, people believed that Witch Balls helped avert curses and the 'evil eye.' It's difficult to get a sense of scale with these photos, but these glass balls easily average nine inches in diameter. They remind me of gigantic Christmas decorations. </p> <p>Mr Penry and I have collected them for years. And the red Witches Ball is particular rare - the only one we've ever seen!</p> <p><a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/witch_balls_12009_07_22_15_04_14/3707898" title="witch balls 12009-07-22_15-04-14"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/898/3707898_a9eeb46178_m.jpg" alt="witch balls 12009-07-22_15-04-14"></a><a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/witch_balls_22009_07_22_15_04_24/3707899" title="witch balls 22009-07-22_15-04-24"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/899/3707899_dbc9ed763e_m.jpg" alt="witch balls 22009-07-22_15-04-24"></a></p> <p>Each is easily c.1850 or before. A little glimpse of witchy history! </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/07/21/witches-balls-6560609/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/07/21/witches-balls-6560609/Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:22:03 +0200 <p>I was offline yesterday and part of the day before because of computer problems... so I caught up with sorting out some of my photographs. I've mentioned before that Mr Penry makes some great magic wands and thought that maybe you would like to see a few...</p> <p><a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/bath2009_05_09_18_18_18/3696192" title="bath2009-05-09_18-18-18"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/192/3696192_71b610190e_m.jpg" alt="bath2009-05-09_18-18-18"></a><a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/bath2009_05_09_18_21_05/3696193" title="bath2009-05-09_18-21-05"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/193/3696193_13eb972299_m.jpg" alt="bath2009-05-09_18-21-05"></a><a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/bath2009_05_09_18_23_00/3696194" title="bath2009-05-09_18-23-00"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/194/3696194_a7df5a0386_m.jpg" alt="bath2009-05-09_18-23-00"></a><a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/bath2009_05_09_18_30_30/3696195" title="bath2009-05-09_18-30-30"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/195/3696195_9ad0b4f4d3_m.jpg" alt="bath2009-05-09_18-30-30"></a><a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/bath2009_05_24_20_08_06/3696196" title="bath2009-05-24_20-08-06"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/196/3696196_c2e31e23c2_m.jpg" alt="bath2009-05-24_20-08-06"></a><a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/bath2009_05_24_20_10_30/3696197" title="bath2009-05-24_20-10-30"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/197/3696197_190f7120d2_m.jpg" alt="bath2009-05-24_20-10-30"></a></p> <p>Aren't they lovely? </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/07/17/mr-penry-s-magic-wands-6535651/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/07/17/mr-penry-s-magic-wands-6535651/Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:51:18 +0200 <p>Within the last two minutes I have just seen a UFO that appears to be flying over the mountains near here. It was pure white and flying at quite a speed, which we could just because also in the sky was a plane and it's speed was nowhere near the speed of this white light. </p> <p>The sky was clear but dark and visibility was good. Wish I'd had my camera with me, but by the time I got back into the house it had gone. </p> <p>Whether it had little green men in it of course I can't say - only that it really was an unidentified flying object. I shall do my best to see what it might have been over the coming days.</p> <p>Phew!! </p> <p><strong>UPDATE:</strong><br> I've just checked out the weather satellites on NASA's site and whatever I saw tonight, it wasn't that.... </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/07/08/i-ve-just-seen-a-ufo-again-6475165/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://tylluanpenry.blog.co.uk/2009/07/08/i-ve-just-seen-a-ufo-again-6475165/Wed, 08 Jul 2009 22:35:16 +0200