PrintPlease, come in and welcome! I could feel you were arriving as the wind whispered your name into the air and the leaves dusted with rust and gold danced on the path to my front door. I’ve just been simmering some Mexican Hot Chocolate and Chocolate Tea for us to drink before we start our long journey.
I see you sniffing the air with the expression of delight on your face. That’s our gingerbread warming in the oven and when it’s done, we’ll have generous slices served with creamy clouds of whipped cream. You say you wanted a little more potion in your drinks? Please, by all means, take a closer look and then we’ll mix and stir a little bit of this and a little bit of that to add that extra flavor of magic to our drinks. Because we’re friends, I’ll gladly share my magickal ingredients with you. They’re from my mother’s Book of Shadows that she passed onto me. You’ll be meeting her soon as well as some of my other female ancestors that want to greet you and bring you in as an honored member of our family.
Aren’t the cauldron cups just wickedly fun? With their own sense of humour they can amuse us by the hour as we sit drinking with them. But, we musn’t tarry too long inside, because the Moon will be waking up soon and then it will be time to make our way into the velvet night walking the path of moonlight to my special cemetary. What is Miss Bella playing with now? You know how cats are! Always wanting to be stirring up some type of trouble…Ahhh, now I know what she wants.
Come closer so I can show you this odd looking little silver ball that holds the magic of the Norse Goddesses and reigns in the winds. My mother went to Norway, before she passed on to The Summerland and brought me back this little necklace you see me holding.
Let me tell you the story about this talisman. The women on my mother’s side all came from Norway and one of them, my great-great-great-great grandmother, Bergita Benickdotter was a Sami woman and she was reported to be a Medicine Woman.
So she passed on her knowledge to her daughters and she passed the story on to her daughter etc…until my mother had inherited the wisdom and lore. This particular necklace didn’t belong to one of my ancestors, but the origins of it are this…When the Vikings ruled the oceans, they believed it was bad luck to have any women on their ships, EXCEPT for a Medicine Woman from the Sami Tribe. With a necklace just like this one, the medicine woman would be able to foretell the coming weather and divert the storms that threatened the Viking Ships by holding it up in the air as the little rings moved and swayed with the wind. And so one of these has landed in my possession. If you look very closely, you can see elven-like writing on it. I don’t speak Norwegian or the language of the Sami, so if you do, please let me know what it says.
I think it’s time to wrap up ourselves warmly so that we can walk down to the graveyard where we’ll meet more of my family. You can leave your kitty familiar if you want at my house while we go on our adventure. Miss Bella and Sele will take good care of them and they can teach each other what it means to be a proper witch’s familiar. Do you feel the magic vibrating in the air? Do you see the shimmering forms that are beckoning to us? Do you smell the fresh earth, smoky and full of secrets? Don’t be frightened, there’s an angel watching over us as we come closer to our destination.
She watches over the dead and wakens them when a loved one dreams of them. She’ll protect us from any spirit that wants to cause us harm or grief. Do you see how beautiful she is under the moonlight. Listen to her soft voice full of love and longing. Let us take a walk around and see who is here to talk to us.
I see Mr. Bonejangle’s and his family hanging around. They’re always full of good stories and will give us the latest dirt….from the graveyard. Do you see that light beckoning to us? That is my mother, Nina. She loves this time of the year the most and strokes my hair softly singing me lullabies that she sung to me as a baby. She always loves to meet my friends and I know she’ll like you! Let’s go see her.
Born in July, she was a child of the Moon and knew how to speak to owls, how to evoke the old enchantment that all of us wise women seek and was blessed with a creative muse who gave her the language of poetry and prose. She asks you, what is it that you want awakened in your spirit? What gifts of your ancestors lays waiting for you tucked away inside. If you feel like sharing your answer with me, I would be very honored. My mother is now one of my guardian angels and I never feel alone anymore.
Are you ready to leave? I’m so glad you came with me to meet my mother and see the beautiful magic that runs through my veins from my female ancestors. You’ll be meeting my mother’s mother at another blog party and I look forward to you introducing me to your ancestors. Let us walk hand in hand back to my house because I have an exciting giveaway for one of you who have joined me tonight. Come, let’s go and you can have another cup of the hot chocolate or chocolate tea.
This beautiful doll longs to be with one of you. She is called, “The Consoling Ancestor” and wishes for a home where she’ll be loved and talked to. Many people might be frightened of her, but she is another angel only meant to be a bridge between you and your loved ones behind the veil. I found her at a wonderful little Etsy shop and she told me that she needed to be with the right person who would be visiting me tonight.
Oh wait, there’s a few more goodies included. Look!
There’s a witch’s tea blend for flying (drink and fly with caution!), there’s a lovely perfume roll on called, “Witch’s Tea Party” (how perfect, isn’t it?) a magickal candle when lit calls up the Goddess Hekate, and a small heart soap that will wash away weariness and tears.
If you would like the chance to win this giveaway, here are the rules:
1) Leave a comment telling me where your ancestors are from and something magickal you think you’ve inherited from them.
And for extra entries, you can:
A) Blog about this giveaway and then please leave a separate comment with a link to your blog post.
B) Twitter about my giveaway.
The giveaway winner will be announced a week from now on; Saturday October 30 with your last chance to enter at 11:00 P.M. Pacific Standard Time.
Thank you so much for coming to drink tea and chocolate with me and meeting my family. I can’t wait to come over to your house and sit with you for a while as we get to know each other better.
Please visit the other tea party participants here and a big thank you to Anna for her generosity and wisdom in hosting this party.
© 2010, Wendy S.. All rights reserved.
Related Posts :
Print 
May 16, 2012: Momma told us there’d be days like this…
May 10, 2012: My guilty pleasures
May 4, 2012: Turn and Face the Strange Changes
April 18, 2012: The Uncertainty of Life
Hi Wendy — Fabulous post! I loved hearing about your Mom and your Sami GGGGrandmother. But best of all was that fascinating ringed talisman necklace!
Debra She Who Seeks recently posted..World-Wide Labyrinth Locator
So many wonderful things in this post… wow. Love it all.. .especially that sweet little cat you have there. Reminds me of my cat.
Hi there Wendy, OmiGoddess I love your post. This is amazing thanks for sharing your ancestors with us, and the cemetery is too cool.Love it.
What Have i inherited, well a keen sense of intuition, and the gift of dreaming, it doesn’t quite work as well as Alison’s on Medium but close enough to explain, dead people love my family (especially our own) and they hang around and give advice, warnings and such whenever we are willing to listen, sometimes they are just there for the fun of it, to watch over us, and be reminded of being alive.
Thanks so much for sharing this is awesome
BN
Hi Wendy
I’ll pass on the chocolate tea – does sound interesting tho.
I too enjoyed reading about your mum – you must miss her! And about your Sami GGGGdrandmother plus the necklace. Excellent!
The Consoling Ancestor is way too scary for me.
I’m new to twitter & facebook so have to go learn how to tweet you. – Sooo much to learn!
I am adopted & believe you choose your family for a reason (aka Louise Hay) My adopted Grandmother was awesome to me & tucked me under her wing & gave me lots of love. I loved staying at her home & she taught me folklore, reading tea leaves, introduced me to mediums & spirts – (Doris Stokes she was a big fan of). In my home it was not encouraged so when I went to grandmothers house I loved it. I have fond memories of her taking me to an event & all the ladies forming a long line waiting for my grandmother to read their tea leaves. She was a right character. Wish I could ask her soo much now.
Leanne NZ recently posted..Saturday 23rd Octtober
I love your posting.
I am of Mexican ancestory on my father’s side and we celebrate Dia de Los Muertos and my mother’s people were from the British Isles, so celtic.
I am a solitary crone. My daughter and grands participate with me in the esbats and sabbats. So on Nov. 1 combining the two we will have a “dumb dinner” and ask our relatives to dine with us in silence.
I would love to be included in your giveaway. It is so generous. Thanks so much, The Olde Bagg, Linda
Oooh Wendy you are right this is just the last straw! Your chocolate delights look amazing, now I must try them! I loved your post, we will have to visit at some point! Your right we get so much from our past and our ancestors. I am a little bit of everything really, furthest back I am a direct ancestor of the ancient scottish tribe the Picts (they are the ones that kicked the Romans out of Briton). I am also part native american and I have gained from that my ability to communicate with my totem. I can interprate animals sent to me as messangers and I have a strong connection to my power totems and the other protector and helper animals in my life. This for me is very magical. Thanks for stopping by my post, Ill be back soon!
Faerie Sage recently posted..Triple Blog Award!
This is an amazing post Wendy and thank you for sharing your family with me. The necklace is stunning – I’ve never seen anything like it before.
I’m not sure about chocolate tea either but you can count me in for hot chocolate any day
Lyn recently posted..Tea Party In The Tower & Under The Halloween Moon
Thank you so much for visiting my tea party! Yours is just wonderful! I love love love it!
Thank you also for the info on the teas on etsy, I will be checking them out! Wonderful!
Blessed Be
Kelli
oh do I smell chocolate ? I flew in just to say thanks for popping in to see me. Did you get a cake? oh this hot chocolate is wonderful and mmm it has a kick to it.. well i had better get going more parties to go to oh yes your giveaway my family are from england and my granfather was from Wales the land of dragons so I think I got the gift to look ahead and see the good in people.. have a blessed evening HUG & boos wendy
What an amazing post! Great story about your ggg-grandmother and such a beautiful necklace, too. Thank you for sharing.
Beautiful post! I loved all your photos! Thank you for the Mexican Hot Chocolate (It’s my favorite!) Happy Halloween!
~Celina
forevervampress@aol.com
http://scrapvamp.blogspot.com
I’m so honored to have been able to meet your mother and hear about the wisdom and magic passed through the family to you. I’ve never seen nor heard of that sort of necklace before, I’m happy to have been able to see it and learn about it from you.
As for my ancestors, I’m a highly mingled mixed bag of heritage, especially on my mother’s side. I’ve asked her and my grandmother several times where their lineage originated and have yet to receive an answer. My father’s parents were both fresh off the boat in the states, his mother 100% Irish, his father 100% Ukrainian. Unfortunately, my grandfather passed away long before I was born and my grandmother lived thousands of miles away and I was only able to see her twice before she passed on so I never knew either one of them.
If I had to take a stab at what my ancestors may have passed down to me, it is most likely my love of misty mornings, my odd fascination with folklore and my gypsy wanderlust.
D.Suplicki recently posted..Full Moon Tea
Wendy, a beautiful post to your ancestors. It’s so important to remember where we come from.
My ancestors come from Harlem, Upstate New York,
Georgia and Virgin Islands. Going further back from the West coast of Africa.
From my mom, I inherited my strong intuition and my respect and love for the dreamworld. I like to say The Force runs strong in my family.
Shell recently posted..Hunter Moon
Super gorgeous post…dazzling..magical and so lovely a read..very beautiful…awesome!!! hugs!
Wishing you much magic and joy! thanks for visiting me!
Victoria~
Thanks for visiting my tea party.
The thought of chocolate tea sounds Devine.
My ancestors are native American.
Take good care.
Michele
Nook & cranny recently posted..TEA PARTY-Under A Halloween Moon
Did someone say chocolate tea? I’m there! Thank you for a most intriguing tea post. I’m not all that sure about anything magical about my ancestry. I’m mostly of Portuguese descent – but I have come to find that the region my family came from has Celt blood. Now my hubby’s ancestry is way more interesting – his clan actually got kicked out of Scotland. LOL Such rabble rousers (apparently, it was handed down through the years). Thanks for dropping my my little tea offering – the owls appreciated your appearance.
Theresa
wonderful party… yummy goodies and the gingerbread… so warm….
My mother came from Germany. My great grandmother was a said to be a teller of fortunes and had the ability of second sight.
My father’s side is Scotch Irish and goes back to the Celts. It is definately where my love for the fae comes from and also the longing for the green hills and moors
I am new on my path, and would so love to have these goodies, I’d also love to be learning from you.
That was a wonderful tea party. your Mother was very pretty and that is a very interesting talisman. Thank you for sharing:)
I am sure it is the Native American in me that has given me the gift of occasional visions, forcasting dreams, and the ability to read people so well. I know how to read a regular deck of cards that was taught to me, by a friend’s Italian Grandmother when I was 16, she said she saw the
gift” in me. I have many ancesteral homes…France, Germany, Scotland-Ireland, Holland, England and Native American. France is the largest and I get it from both parent’s families.
I will put you giveaway high on my side bar.
Peace,
Susan
come visit:
http://piecesoffatesusan.blogspot.com/
I am a follower and a subscriber.
Susan G recently posted..MY Full Moon Tea Party!!
Hi Wendy! I love the serene look on your Mother’s face in the photograph.. My Mother’s side of the family hails from Belize, and are an eclectic mix of Scottish, German, French, Native Central American, African, and a rumour of Chinese. From this side of the family, I received an acceptance of the spiritual in everyday life as a matter of course. My grandmother also had prophetic dreams and visions.
My father’s side of the family is Scotch-Irish and English. Despite a rocky relationship, I believe that he gave me an appreciation for English/Celtic Pagan traditions, and he also had clairvoyant dreams.
From both sides of my heritage, I’ve had an early affinity for the “occult” – dream meanings, astrology, clairsentience, as well as a strong faith in the natural order of the universe.
Hi Wendy…
What a lovely blog and tea party. So very nice to spend some time and meet your ancestresses. Your Mother is very beautiful and I greatly enjoyed learning about them. And chocolate tea….well I’ve already told you how I feel about Chocolate…yum.
As for my ancestors…My Father’s side were reportedly Vikings from Norway. And my Mother is of Scotch-Irish Decent. I feel my inherited gifts are that of a strong intuition, strong determination, a positive outlook, and the wonderful gifts of creativity and imagination.
Hope you enjoyed the full moon! :o)
Namaste,
Wendy
What a great tea party! I love that photo frame btw, ingenious!
MJ recently posted..Halloweening – Costumes – Princess Leia
Oh my… I really felt a strong connection with the other side of the veil when I started reading this magickal post… First I felt chilled and then I felt my tears dropping from my eyes. This is so special and magickal… I absolutely loved it and you touched my heart!
About my ancestors… well, I feel strongly that I come from a priestess sisterhood… a druidic line. I feel the roots in Europe, but from many places. I cannot trace my ancestry by my family history, because it is lost… somewhere in a near past we loose trace from our origins. But is my heart it is all registred
The priestess and the druid became alive in me not long ago, but when they emerged, they did it strongly! I feel them so much alive in me… I am them more than anything else and now I feel a much more complete being!
I am definitely your subscriber now!!!
I so happy that you´ve found me sister! I`m twitting you!
Blessed be,
Ana
http://faeryrealmcreations.blogspot.com
Ana Lopes recently posted..Spirit of Samhuinn
Brilliant post and love your pictures, your cat is devine.
My ancestors all hail from the Mercian area of England except for one strand that came from Ireland. So far I have traced my ancestors back to the late 1600′s. Merica is an area in the centre of England that was one of the last to fully convert to christianity from their pagan beliefs, held by the celts, romans,saxons,danes and norse through out it’s early history. University DNA studies have shown that most of the people belonging to these areas have links to the people of the north of Europe.
Jane recently posted..A Moonlit Party
An amazing post!! You are so lucky to be a part of your magical lineage! Thank you for sharing the pictures of your ancestors and their stories. I’m sure they appreciated being honored this way.
Aine recently posted..Dress Up
This was such a wonderful post…I love mexican hot chocolate, my mom used to make it as soon as it got cold, I still like it, but it’s not been the same since she passed.
She had a healing power and people would cme visit her for a cup of her tea or just to touch her hand…
I love this party you had…never had chocolate tea, but i’d try it for sure…
have a great day…turning in now…it’s 7 am!!!
goodnight
I am completely enchanted by my visit here. I thought I was the only one who knew of or drank Chocolate Tea. I love it!! my Mom used to get ours at a tea house in Greenwich Village NY back in the 70′s when I was a child.
I wish I could give you some information about my ancestors but I have very little knowledge but I will certainly blog about your Giveaway and Tweet it as well. Thank you so much for this wonderful trip and I look forward of more to come.
Jennifer recently posted..Tea Party Under A Halloween Moon
Pingback: Tweets that mention Drinking Tea with the Ancestors | The Year of the Cats -- Topsy.com
What a great post! Your mother was a beauty! What a rich ancentry you have.
My mother’s family is from Eastern Europe – Germany, Poland and the Ukraine. On her father’s side, waaaay back, they were very wealthy Lords and landowners, but not very good with money. By the time my great-grandfather was having to provide for his family, their wealth had been lost, and he lived his life as a hustler.
Thankfully, that is NOT something I inherited! (Although the wealth would have been helpful.)
I would say I inherited my father’s mother’s green thumb. Which I’m very happy with!
Cheers!
Hi My ancestors are from Mexico and England. My Mexican (Aztec) ancestors give me strength and an eye for art. My English roots give me a sense of adventure and exploration.
I would love to win this gorgeous ancestor doll, and goodies please enter me in the drawing.
Thank you,
Sylvia
sylvia@anaboocreations.com
Sylvia Smiser recently posted..And The Winners Are
I love your story about your grandmother. Love your blog as well.
My grandparents are Polish on my mother’s side, with possibly some Austrian in there. And Polish and Ukrainian on my father’s side, again there may be some Austrian mixed in there. I don’t know for sure what if anything my ancestors passed down to me, though there is a rumor my grandmother did a candle wax reading for me when I was just born. So my guess would be something in the field of Divination and perhaps a strong intuition. My father’s mother had an uncanny knack for sensing things, and when I didn’t heed her warnings I always got a “why didn’t you listen to me?”. I miss her dearly.
What a magical post, Wendy! You have such a rich family history. Sadly, I don’t know much about my ancestry, your post has me truly realizing that. I’m half Palestinian and the rest is a mix of Eastern Europe. Both of my Grandfather’s were skilled at drawing (one was an engineer), and I think I’ve inherited that gift from them.
I love the ancestor doll, she reminds me of the Victorian mourning dolls.
What a great and touching post! I do something similar for Halloween ofr my daughter, my Nana, my Grandma and my Mother.in.law, all who have passed. So sorry I’m late! I hope you’ll drop by, I’ve kept the kettle hot! Happy Halloween & Pumpkin Blessings!
Jo recently posted..Join Me For Tea Under The Full Moon
I have a wonderful time at your party. I so love Mexican Hot Chocolate. Your little kitty looks just like my little Stormy. She’s all curled up with me enjoying your party too!
Wendy this is one of the most beautiful parties I have visited. I can truly feel the love surrounding you and the connection between you and your ancestors. It was an honor to meet your mom, she is beautiful. I have to say that even if I’m having a tea party I can’t pass up a warm cup of Mexican Hot Chocolate which I adore! Thank you for sharing with us and for adding your magic to my Autumn tea. Oh and I LOVE your tea mugs
♥Anna
Anna @ Frosted Petunias recently posted..a tea party under a halloween moon
I have ancestors from Ireland and Mexico. I believe that I have inherited my ability to see beyond what is really there and my sensitivity towards people’s thoughts and emotions.
Angelica Macklin recently posted..Sugar Free
Tweeted about it
http://twitter.com/#!/ZombieQueenie/status/28804816326
Angelica Macklin recently posted..Sugar Free
For the most part my family is Christian.
Jaimie- Lyn Oldfield recently posted.. OMGWTF ZOMBIES DOWNTOWN
However I think somewhere along the lines I have inherited The gift of foresight. Often I will predict things just before they happen. And I have an amazing Intuition. I think this was probably handed down to me from pagan ancestry. My family is from Scotland for the most part. And I cannot see them being Christian way back then.
For the most part my family is Christian.
However I think somewhere along the lines I have inherited The gift of foresight. Often I will predict things just before they happen. And I have an amazing Intuition. I think this was probably handed down to me from pagan ancestry. My family is from Scotland for the most part. And I cannot see them being Christian way back then. :).
Jaimie- Lyn Oldfield recently posted.. OMGWTF ZOMBIES DOWNTOWN
Tweeted your contest
http://twitter.com/#!/Jaimielyno
eccentriclrg@hotmail.com
Jaimie- Lyn Oldfield recently posted.. OMGWTF ZOMBIES DOWNTOWN
WOnderful giveaway!
SOme of my ancestors from my dad’s side came from Portugal and one of them from Ireland (that explain my dad’s brother red hair), and form my mom’s side, we’re all Brazilian rfom the begining with a touch of gypsy in the far past.
My mom’s family is very intuitive, so I guess that’s where I get mine from, although no witches before, me, alas…
Kisses from Nydia.02
Nydia recently posted..Day 26 at Mrs. B.’s Halloween Party
Lovely post and you are one very lucky girl to have such detailed knowledge of your ancestors.That was an Interesting piece about the talisman and it’s connection in your ancestor’s history.Your mom, Bella very beautiful.Adore your banner and find it funny too.
My ancestors come from mostly Italy ( Belluno, Genova, Naples and Calabria.) My grandfather was born In Beunos Aires, Argentina.
Not sure about the magic….wish I had some thou.
I spoke about a kitty in my tea party post so if you do get a chance do drop in. Having a draw as well this Halloween 31st.
http://thewoodbeyondtheworld.blogspot.com/
Annabelle ~^..^~
Annabelle recently posted.. A Gothic Church and A Mysterious Black Cat
That was really a lot of fun! Enjoyed the adventure.
Finally catching up on all the Enchanting Full Moon Tea Parties. Love your beautiful blog & all your PICs. October 23 was my third Blogoversary, so October is a spooktacular Celebration month.
On your silver ball the K was worn off on the middle word AUTOKEINO… Kautokeino is Norwegian & is a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Guovdageaidnu/Kautokeino. The municipality was part of the old Kistrand municipality until 1851. I can’t make out the other letters because some of them have been worn off as well. Hope that information helps you. But the 925 S is a Hallmark & stands for sterling silver, which means this is a 20th century piece.
My ancestry is Russian, Polish & English. I believe my magickal inheritances are: Intuition (ESP & dream interpretation), Art (painting), Music (playing the piano), Cooking, Herb Gardening, Love For Earth & Animals, Perfectionism In All I Do (which can be a drag)…
Please fly by for my giveaways too…
Hauntingly Yours, Lyndy
My Haunted Halloween Party Link:
http://bit.ly/dho880
TODAYSGOLD
http://todaysgold.blogspot.com/
I like the comforting ancestor doll a lot. I’m Norwegian in ancestry too!! How cool!! But you have one up on me with the Sami connection. Very cool.
James recently posted..Groups Offers 10k to Dispprove Claim that Marijuana is Safer than Alcohol
I am Italian, Irish, german,and a 100 other things.
I had a aunt that was very good at reading playing cards.
I never thought I had much of that at all. I think as I get older though, I am aware of how much I did inherit.
marie recently posted..Playing with my food again-episode 5- part 3
Thank you so much for such a wonderful contest Wendy! Finally getting in here to enter. ^_^;
Let’s see….I know of several places my heritage comes from.
Between my parents I’m about 1/2 german, though neither of them is full-blooded. I don’t have much connection to this part of my heritage.
There’s also French, Norwegian, English, and a wee bit of Irish (like 1/32). Yep, I’m a bonafide American mutt! (no Native blood though–not a drop).
I think I resonate most with my Irish and Norwegian heritages; more the Irish that the Norwegian, though i do read runes so…
I follow Celtic and Norse pantheons mostly. I guess my heritage does show a bit! ^_^
Leathra recently posted..So Ive been abandoned
Blessed Samhain to you! My ancestors were predominantly from Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales and Norway. As far as inheriting any special trait, my mother and her mother both knew when someone close to them would die. It would come to them in a waking dream. In January 1975, I had a dream that my father would die, and within a week he did. I also “saw” my mother’s death a few days before she passed. I have other traits/skills dealing with death which have been somewhat frightening. I don’t fear death, just that I would miss my daughters’ lives.
Thank you for allowing us into your life’s journey and your inspiring ancestors’ altar. Your mother was beautiful. Blessings to you and yours, Dianne