The Witch's New Year

We love a moodboard here at The O&A - we believe they are a brilliant and practical tool to have in your witch's armoury. They will help you think creatively about your future - and start the magick of making things happen.

Autumn is a particularly potent time of the year... Sahmain is the third and final harvest on the wheel of the year and is considered the Witch's New Year year.

It marks the end of warm days and the start of the dark half of the year. A most magical time - we are being called to rest, reflect and allow the muses of imagination and invention descend upon us. I invite you to embrace the wonderful energy surrounding you; the beautiful, soft water energy (Autumn is governed by the element of Water) and the first threads of Winter can be felt. This is the time to plant the seeds of change deep into the earth to transform into being come the Spring.

Surrounding yourself with images of how you want to live your life - who you want to be, your career goals, the relationships you really want and where you want to be - is a really powerful way of saying "Yes, this is me - and this is what I want".

Your energy changes - and you find it easier to focus on those goals and can start taking steps towards making things happen for you.

In addition, the very act of creating your vision in this tactile way (cutting out images, gluing them or pinning them) helps your brain start working in a different way and sparks your creativity.

Try it… we promise you will love it. 

Four steps to create your moodboard




For The O&A Founder, Katy Theakston, a seasonal self-care go-to is to create a Moodboard.

“I love the quiet act of focusing on my self and my goals. I gather miscellany that inspires me – cut-outs from magazines, words & images. I light The Wilding Candle and get creative, knowing that all this rumination will spark the calling up of energy needed to create new happenings”.

moodboard on table with candle and smudge stick

Ok… let’s get creative
  1. Start thinking about different areas of your life and put these in order of importance… you might find it easier to print these off and you can move them around a little. But this does all go into the couldron of thinking about you, and how you would like to live.
    Relationships, finances, work, travel & adventure, creative expression, health & body, possessions, spiritual, home and special intention.

  2. Collect materials & miscellany. You could start gathering things that inspire you - things that you are drawn to. Cut-outs from magazines, cards or postcards, words or sentences from book or songs that somehow move you. Think about photographs, pictures, patterns, colours and textures - they all have a place here. Take your time with your gathering; give yourself time and a little space to think about the changes you would like to make. There will be all sorts of material at the workshop to add to your gatherings to help you create a moodboard that will work for you.

  3. Create a space that you feel comfortable and creative in. Seasonal blooms or twigs will be great for some natural energy. Add other talismans that help you settle into yourself – like a crystal or stones from the beach to ground yourself. Turn off your phone, turn on some mellow music, light a candle – anything that feels good for you as you settle into this ritual.

  4. Start creating a moodboard with everything you have collected by sticking them onto a pin board or large piece of paper.


Your rumination will spark the calling up of energy and magick needed to start new happenings.

Honestly, making your own moodboard is such a simple and enjoyable exercise. And much magick has been created for me using this as a tool...

I have seen many changes in my life that have started as a moodboard. The experience side of my business started five years ago with images of a supper club - I loved the idea of gathering like-minded people and the convivial atmospheres of cosy fires, delicious food and interesting chats.

This manifested in a way I couldn't have imagined. It began as a two hour workshop (funnily enough called Making Your own Moodboard!), that were not only hosted in the beautiful retailers where my products were being sold, but in snazzy destinations such as Soho Farmhouse and Babbington House.

My workshops have progressed hugely over the last five years and I am now hosting beautiful day retreats (The Hawthorn Day Retreat) and award winning luxury four day residential retreats (The Wilding Escape).

See, there is much magick to be had in making a little time to get creative.

Happy moodboarding!

Love & twigs
Katy

Ps The image of the funny, kind man with a hairy chest is still on my moodboard - but has morphed from a buff James Bond type (Pierce Brosnan era) into a softer Monty Don. Just sayin'.

 

A LITTLE BIT OF MAGIC

"I light the Wellbeing Crystal Candle every time I have one of those exhausted end-of-day baths, and the gentle scent immediately makes me feel relaxed. Fifteen minutes later I'm all recalibrated and centred."

Sophie B