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Halo Quin

~ Author, storyteller, witch

Tag Archives: Pride

The end of a chapter

19 Saturday Feb 2022

Posted by Haloquin in Creative Process, Following Delight, Magic, Philosophy, Reflections, Storytelling

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

ADHD, Adventures, Author, Bardic, Celebration, Commitment, Completion, courage, Creation, Dancing in Wales, Diary of an Adventuress, disability, elemental magic, Empowerment, Enchantment, Faery philosoper, Festivals, freedom, goblin circus, goblins, gratitude, learn magic, learn witchcraft, Living Life, Love, online course, Pagan, PhD, Philosophy, Plants, Power, Pride, process, Self Empowerment, steampunk, Stories, Storytelling, Strangeness of Life, The Enchanted Academy, Wheel of the Year, Workshop, writing

And that’s it. This month, on Imbolc eve, I finished my PhD corrections and submitted the final FINAL version. This week I got confirmation that it has been accepted!

I’m officially Dr Halo!

The thesis! Yes, I have a theme… “The power of storytelling to re-enchant the world” fits it quite nicely, don’t you think?

I celebrated with a trip to the bookshop, hot chocolate with friends, dinner for one and a movie… Then cuddles from my fella the following night, of course!

I started by letting my brain decompress and dealing with those bits of life that now need dealing with, like clearing out some old books to make space for the new ones! And contemplating where I go from here… With a foxy companion for Imbolc reminding me that spring is emerging from the dark, just like me. 🥰

If you’re on my mailing list you’ll know that I’ve got a whole bunch of monthly discussion based classes that I’m offering through Patreon, or which you can sign up for individually if you’d rather, starting with an online elements of magic workshop next month, on 16th March at 7pm GMT. (And in April I’ll be kicking off a ten week course working with them too…)

Find out more here
Uncover your inner witch - magical workshops in 2023 with Halo Quin - background image of lit candle on a beach at night.

And the Goblin Masquerade is coming together! Last autumn I was chatting with fellow changeling poet Kate Garrett, and somehow got the inspiration to host a goblin market followed by a Masked fairy ball this spring. Everything is coming together and we have music, talks, dancing, and even the steampunk debut of an Ominous Folk of Hopeless Maine show. It’s going to be a lovely day of community and play, and I’m considering it my party for escaping studenthood with a Doctorate at last!

Flier for the Goblin Masquerade in Borth, Ceredigion, Wales, 12th March, from 1pm. Free afternoon market, evening ball £6. Click for more details.

I’ve also been researching ADHD and neurodivergences… There’s so little support for adults with ADHD and we can do amazing things with the right help! So I’m writing occasional thoughts on that over here… On the newsletter “Living with Squirrels” not sure where it’ll go but you’re welcome to sign up if you like.

Living with Squirrels

So I guess I do know where I’m going next… To play with the goblins and re-enchant the world!


PS: If you want to get workshops, extra posts, advance access to material, and more things as and when the goblins inspire me… And support my adventures so I can keep building the academy into something sustainable you can sign up to my Patreon here:

Patreonise me! 😉

Pride

24 Monday May 2021

Posted by Haloquin in Magic

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Feri, Iron Pentacle, Love, Magic, Pride, Queer

Next month is Pride month, a time where the LGBTQIA+ community around the world raises the rainbow flag and reminds everyone that we’re here, and we’re not going anywhere. 

Most people that know me have seen me in apparently straight relationships, but that’s not the whole story. That’s not even half of it. So here’s a little reminder that even those of us who don’t look queer to you very much can be, and no, we don’t owe anyone an elaboration. 

What does this have to do with magic? 

As witches and magicians we engage in practices that run counter to the mainstream, and so in our hearts we have to hold firm to who and what we are. We need to know our own nature, desires, drives, and loves so we may move with them and toward our True Wills. 

“Know thyself” is only part of the equation: to claim your magic, stand tall in yourself. Be proud of yourself.

Like the Peacock God of Feri, know your own worth, your own value, your own beauty and let your glory make the heaven and earth answer to your Truth. 

Pride, in Feri witchcraft, is part of our birthright.

Pride, which is neither arrogance nor false humility, but an honest recognition of our place as part of the world…

“You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.…”

~Desiderata, Max Ehrmann

… And they too have that same right. Knowing that, accepting that both are true, is part of pride.

Many of us are queer, and it can take a little longer to stand strong in a culture where that is considered lesser, but: when we embrace that in ourselves and stand with Pride in our Truth, knowing ourselves to be no more or less important and worthy of thriving than any other being in this wonderful world, we align ourselves with magic. 


Subscribe to my mailing list for future posts and an invitation to TEA (The Enchanted Academy), where we explore the magic in the world.

Red rose with text: Crimson Coven
Or check out the Crimson Coven Collective project for self love and honouring of your embodied divine nature through art and ritual.

Happy Solstice!

20 Saturday Jun 2020

Posted by Haloquin in Enchanted, Following Delight, Magic, Reflections

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Ceridwen, Community, Druidry, Fire Magic, Magic, Meditation, OBOD, Pagan, Patreon, Pride, Religion, Self Empowerment, Summer Solstice, Welsh Magic, witchcraft

I’ve just finished giving a talk based on my book, Gods and Goddesses of Wales, at an online moot for a group in South Wales, the sun is shimmering on the waters of the bay outside my window, and I’m filled with joy. I shared the tale of the Birth of Taliesin, about my philosophy for connecting with deities through stories, and about how we are our own authority in our relationships with the gods (just, y’know, don’t claim it is an independent truth if it’s a personal one!)

I’ve been so busy doing that I’ve not been updating here as much as I used to, but I’ve got some major projects in the works which I will share with you all very soon, so watch this space.

For today, however, I wanted to share a little meditation for the Solstice. Light a candle if you can, read the following, and then reflect. You can listen to the audio and sign up to support my work on Patreon here.

Today is the Solstice, where the sun stands still in the sky. In the Northern hemisphere we are bathed in light, and we can feel the sun strengthening our spirits. In the Southern Hemisphere it is the longest night, where the stars are held in the deep dark sky. There is a saying that every flame is part of the same fire, from the flame in your candle to the fire of the sun and the stars, so we are all connected in community together through the flame and the light.

The light casts a shadow, it illuminates and it obscures. In the darkness is the potential of all that could be, it is the belly of Ceridwen’s cauldron and the darkness of the fertile soil. We stand, bathed in light, whilst the world turns to head back into the darkness of potential and dreams. Even at the greatest point of light, darkness is, just as at the points of most darkness, light resides.

Place your hand on your heart and feel the sunlight fill it with golden light. Let that light grow with each breath. Spend some time reflecting on who you are when you are your biggest, brightest self. When do you feel most fully who you are in all your glory? When do you feel strongest, most powerful, most alive? Breathe in that feeling. Hold that feeling for a moment as you let yourself relax into this space. Feel the light of the sun filling your heart holding the light of your brightest self. Know that at any point you feel like you are struggling and the world is darkening, you can place your hand over your heart and remember this light, remember your strongest self. This is always a part of you, no matter what, so you can let it guide you through any darkness you encounter ahead.

Happy Solstice, lovely folk.

To listen on Patreon, click here.

And Happy Pride Month. For those that are still in the closet-shadows, and those that stand in the light, may we all be safely seen and accepted for who we are.

In Delight,

~Halo

IMG_20190627_161811_879

You can order my book on Amazon, or through your local bookshop! 

Pearl Pentacle – Law

14 Monday Mar 2011

Posted by Haloquin in All Posts, Magic, Pentacles, Reflections

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Balance, choice, Flow, Iron Pentacle, Law, Magic, musings, Pearl Pentacle, Pentacles, Pride, process, Tools

Pearl - Law
Balance and Flow
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change
the courage to change the things I can
and the wisdom to know the difference.
~ Reinhold Niebuhr*

 

The law of the land, natural law, rhythms, cause and effect.

When you know your place, your role in the world, you know your place in the flow of things…

Continue reading →

Iron pentacle – Pride

12 Saturday Feb 2011

Posted by Haloquin in All Posts, Magic, Pentacles

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Determination, Heart, Honesty, Imperfection, Iron Pentacle, Living Life, Magic, musings, Pride, Reclaiming, Tools

“We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?” ~ Marianne Williamson

The second point of the Iron pentacle, as we move through the body, from the top point, Sex, to the bottom right, is Pride.

Pride is a cardinal sin for the Christian foundation of our culture.

Pride comes before a fall… the meek shall inherit the earth… and so on…

We are warned against getting big-headed, or too big for our boots. We are chastened against pridefulness, for it leads, we are told, to tripping over our too-big feet.

In our world, today, pride is mistaken for arrogance.

The emphasis on false humility, on self-deprecation, on keeping ourselves small, is all so we do  not rock the boat. If we stand up tall, being as big and as bold and as beautiful as we can be, then we can rock the world! Staying small, denying our ability, denying the ways in which we are great, all this does is deny the world of the best of us.

Pride, right-sized pride, in which we acknowledge what we are and have done and are capable of as a good thing, as something to be proud of, comes alongside right-sized humility. When we recognise our own worth, we can recognise the worth of others.

We are special, we are important, we are unique. And so is everyone and everything else.

We all have our places, we all have things we can do like no-one else.

Be proud of yourself, like you would a child who had acheived something wonderful. Encouragement and self-recognition and acceptance is what will help us to be the best we can be, do the best we can do, and to change the world for the better.

Be proud of yourself, take pride in your work, be proud of the world. In doing this you are not being arrogant, instead you are recognising your worth and what you can do for the world. If you refuse to recognise and act on this then you are denying the world of what you could do for it.

Be proud of yourself, and recognise that others are equally as important to the world. If you place yourself over them, claiming to be more important than they, then this is arrogance. Knowing the ways in which you are better at specific things, and recognising that they have thier own skills and beauties, keeps us balanced. Support each other, praise each other, recognise that we all have value simply by existing.

Notice how you hold yourself in the world, how you value yourself and others. Notice if you are prone to self-deprecation, or to cutting others down. Notice when you belittle what you are proud of, or when you focus on what you feel you have done wrong in order to beat yourself up.

Notice these things and try to shift your language, in just one instance each day.

When someone compliments you, say thank you instead of downplaying it.

When someone does something well, offer praise in a positive way, instead of pointing out the ways in which it doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things anyway.

When you do something well, or something hard, don’t hide it away. Put a little comment somewhere on Facebook or Twitter, or say something to a friend about how you feel you did good. Notice where you get good feedback from, and if you get a negative response, consider not sharing the things you are proud of with that person or forum again.

Recognise your own value, and the value of all the beings in the world, and don’t settle for those that try to keep you small because of their own lack of pride.

Breathe. Every day you live through is a gift, and mistakes are worth noting and learning from, but it is not worth letting them define you.

Breathe and draw yourself up to your full height. Be proud.

“Your playing small does not serve the world.”

~ Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love

Knitting Socks

22 Thursday Jul 2010

Posted by Haloquin in Art Craft and Beauty, Creative Process, Following Delight

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Determination, Friends, gratitude, Imperfection, learning, Play, Pride, process

and lacey things…

I decided to teach myself to knit. I had somewhat of a headstart because relatives had shown me the basics when I was small, but having forgotten most of the details (apart from that it involved looping string through other loops until the long, thin, twisted fibres magically transformed themselves into something wide and flat and warm) I figured that it counted as teaching myself.

The basics were easy, though I was grateful for the fluffiness of the wool which hid some of the early inconsistencies (i.e.: holes and unintended increasing and decreasing).

I knitted bags full of squares using one stitch; knit. Knit knit knit. Turn. Knit knit knit.

I chose the most beautiful balls of colourful wool and knitted each whole ball into a colourful patch, though I had little clue what I would do with them. It was still fun. (These are now half a blanket, it needs resewing properly, but is really funky.)

I knitted scarves, similar principle, knit knit knit, turn, knit knit knit… until you have something long enough to wrap around you and fluffy enough to look pretty. (And done when you’ve made something longer than it is wide, an easily finished project is always a good place to start for me!)

And then I began to wonder what else I could do.

I bought a book. Stitch and Bitch.

Really rather useful. This taught me how to pearl! A new stitch! And it had instructions for picking up dropped stitches, and shared details on how this alchemical process of knitting works. I chose two patterns, bought some wool and spent 18 months knitting a rucksack and a hoody (without a hood, so I guess its just a jumper.)

And then…

I saw a friend knitting socks. I’d heard that they were difficult, she made them look easy. I imagined wearing warm, colourful creations on my feet… and I asked her how she made the heel work.

And then I forgot everything she’d told me. Darn.

Still determined, I found a heelless sock pattern, some chunky red wool, and I made my very own pair of socks!!!

My first Sock! Heelless!

They are too big, and the pattern makes them uncomfortable to wear in shoes… but they’re mine, and they make wonderful slippers! And, to top it off, they remind me of how inspiring my friends can be. Thanks WD!

I’ve learnt that the best way to learn something is just to do it, to pick a pattern and try it out. If it turns out wonky, then I’ve still learnt something!

What have you been putting off? What could you just have a go at?

Now, I’m learning how to make knitting lacey. I undid the first inch five times before it started to make sense (under the patient guidance of the same sock-knitting friend) There are less mistakes with every inch I do, and at the end I’ll have a pretty blue top… even if it is three sizes too small!!!

Lacey Top in Progress

Oh, and one last thing, every time I look over how far I’ve come with these things, I can see how much I’ve learnt, how much my skills have improved (before I started this pattern I’d never knitted holes on purpose before!) I am filled with pride. I know it won’t be perfect, and the mistakes and visible improvement and clear markers of what I am proud of: the fact that I’ve set out to learn something, and I have! Mixed with the pride is profound gratitude; gratitude that I have these opportunities, gratitude for friends that help, gratitude for time to learn, gratitude for everything that gives me the opportunity to learn almost any skill I choose to.

Pride and gratitude. A really good feeling.

What are you proud of? What do you wish you were proud of?

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Meet Halo

Snow Pixie

Welcome to my world!

Halo Quin is an author, a storyteller, and a practicing witch with a lifelong relationship with the spirit realm (faeries, deities, and the primal powers of land, sea, and sky, specifically) who aims to share magic through experience. Halo lives in wild West Wales, right by the roiling sea, and loves to sing, dance, and otherwise enchant through performance. She also runs the local storytelling circle, and an ADHD resource centre, and ultimately encourages self-knowledge, self-acceptance, self-healing, and self-enchantment through everything she does... leading to:

Beauty ~ Magic ~ Delight

Re-enchanting the world, one story, one song, one spell, at a time.

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If you like my work, you can help with costs (and keep me fueled with tea & cake) with a tip via ko-fi, it all helps! Thank you!

If you like what I write then please do consider supporting me as a Patron here.

Thank you to my Patreon Patrons for your support!

Courses at The Enchanted Academy

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Contact Me

I'd love to hear from you! Email me at haloquin@gmail.com Or find me on Twitter!www.twitter.com/haloquin

Recent Posts

  • Imbolc Inspiration
  • OUT NOW! Crimson Craft – sexual magic for the solo witch
  • Happy 2023! (and where I was in 2022)
  • The end of a chapter
  • Book Review: Sekhmet
  • Book Review: Intuitive Magical Practice
  • Book Review: The Bird Atlas
  • An Ode to Books
  • Still a Witch
  • NEW HOME FOR TEA!

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NSFW – Twisted

And for the over 18s… My alter-ego, Ms Quin, writes erotica, kinky poetry, on sacred sexuality and the like. You can explore some of Her writings and poetry readings, and find her sexy book of poetry via links at Twisted Ms Quin.

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