Our grandparents kept a Victory Garden through the war. Many kept it going for sixty years after. And what they told when asked is the reason I'm writing this right now. why did they continue to grow so much food when the grocery store was right down the street? Grandparents commonly said — because once you've seen the shelves go empty, you don't ever quite trust them to be full again. As a child we didn't understand. The store was always full. That was like telling us the sky might turn green. But they knew something we didn't. And something that is always a potential in an uncertain global market. Here's what they knew. The food system in this country has broken three times in the last hundred years. And every single time — without exception — the families who survived were the ones who had seeds in the ground before the shelves went empty. Not after. Before. The first time was 1917. World War One. Europe was starving. Farmland bombed into trenches. The US government looked at the math and realized they couldn't feed the military and the civilian population at the same time. The UK victory gardens were the main source of food for communities, with our land girls working the fields. Children had to help. It was a community effort. The American government told American families to grow their own food too. Three million of them did. By 1918, five million. Kids as young as eight were organized into groups the government called Soldiers of the Soil. The second time was 1943. World War Two. Rationing hit hard. Meat, butter, sugar, canned goods — all controlled, all rationed. Twenty million families planted Victory Gardens. They grew ten billion pounds of food. Nearly half of every vegetable people ate came out of someone's garden. Both times, the US government showed up. Printed planting guides. Distributed seeds. Built the whole system and handed it to you. Then came the third time. 2020. And this is where it starts to affect you directly. Grocery shelves went empty. Not in a history book. In your store. The one you drive to every week. Produce section — bare. Meat case — gaps you'd never seen before. In the USA Canned goods were limited to two per customer. Lines wrapped around the building. People looking at each other with that look — the one that says something is wrong and nobody's saying it out loud. In the UK we had similar restrictions on how much we could buy per shop across a variety of products.

Why I regret my tattoos…from someone that used to tattoo others for a living; Back then, it was about art, self expression and creative identity. Now I know the ingredients and risks however I see it differently and regret the tattoos I have on myself and have given to others over the years. Here’s what they don’t tell you when that needle touches your skin… 💉Red ink often contains mercury sulphide (cinnabar) - a toxic heavy metal linked to allergic reactions, skin inflammation and systemic toxicity. Many people will say ‘that’s old ink, the new ink doesn’t contain that’ and yet a study done in 2023 showed that a shocking 30% of UK tattoo studios were using ink that DID contain mercury. 💉Black ink, the most commonly used, contains carbon black, which may be contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) - classified as Group 2B carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. 💉Many tattoo pigments also include lead, arsenic, cadmium, and aluminium…heavy metals with known neurotoxic and carcinogenic effects. 💉Tattoo ink particles don’t stay in the skin. They travel through your bloodstream and often accumulate in the lymph nodes, where they can disrupt immune function and remain for life. 💉When exposed to UV light or laser removal, these inks can break down into even more dangerous substances, including formaldehyde, benzene, and hydrogen cyanide…all linked to cancer. This isn’t just about what’s in the ink… it’s about what happens to it after it’s in your body. Studies have shown that tattoo pigment doesn’t just sit harmlessly in your skin. It’s actively transported through the lymphatic system and stored in your lymph nodes… the very part of your body responsible for filtering toxins and supporting your immune system. Over time, those nodes can become discoloured, inflamed and overloaded… and nobody can tell you what that does to your health over 10, 20, 30 years, because the long term data simply isn’t there. This is a global industry worth billions and yet long term human safety data is incredibly limited. You are essentially part of a long term experiment the moment you get tattooed.

BURDOCK (Arctium lappa & Arctium minus) Also called: Beggar’s Buttons, Burr, Cocklebur, Sticky‑Willie, Clot‑bur, Gobo (Japan) Essence: A plant of tenacity, purification, grounding, protection, and ancestral strength. Nature: Earthy, stubborn, persistent — a plant that clings, endures, and draws out what is hidden. Folklore & Myth European & British Isles Burdock burrs were believed to catch evil spirits, preventing them from following a person home. Children sometimes wore them on clothing as accidental amulets. In rural English lore, burdock was a witch’s herb of binding — its clinging burrs symbolised spells that “stick” or intentions that cannot be shaken off. In Scottish tradition, burdock was used to protect cattle from faery mischief; burrs were hung in barns to repel “elf‑shot”. Some old charms used burdock root as a ward against envy and ill‑will, especially from neighbours or rivals. Slavic Traditions Burdock was considered a plant of resilience and survival, associated with ancestors who endured hardship. It was used in banishing rituals to remove curses, illness, or lingering negativity. In some regions, burdock leaves were placed on the forehead to “draw out” fevers or bad spirits. East Asian Lore In Japan, burdock (gobo) is a symbol of strength, longevity, and nourishment. It is associated with family lineage, deep roots, and the ability to thrive in adversity. Symbolic Themes Clinging → Binding, attachment, persistence Deep roots → Ancestral memory, grounding, endurance Bitter root → Purification, detoxification, truth‑revealing Magical Associations & Uses Primary Magical Virtues Protection (especially from envy, malice, and spiritual intrusion) Purification & cleansing Grounding & stabilising energy Banishing negativity, illness, or harmful influences Breaking hexes or bindings Strengthening willpower and resilience Shadow work & ancestral healing Magical Uses in Ritual & Spellcraft Protection & Warding Scatter dried burdock around the home to repel harmful energies.

Beltane Blessings from the Hagwitch, head to our dark moon rising classroom for a full write up on this fire festival and the history behind it

Welcome to Hagwitch Herbals and the Dark Moon Rising. Before you dive into the community I wanted to introduce myself and the ethos here, it's core purpose. Dark moon rising is a development group (in-person) I began to facilitate decades ago. However meeting the demands of the time I am moving everything online in a bid to open the community up so we can support more people on their individual unique healing and spiritual journey through life. This group originated in liverpool because people were looking for more, searching for more and desperate for truth. As a group we have delved together and grown together over many years, also as individuals with hectic family lives. I have been facilitating pagan spiritual development groups and rites of passage for decades. I am currently studying a bsc in clinical herbalism and have recently rejoined the QWA (quantum wellness academy) team again. I am a fully qualified reiki master and holistic therapist, with ptlls and dtlls qualifications. Quite a few of my family members are pagan so I was very lucky growing up to have that awareness of certain topics readily available. Real wholistic healing doesn’t happen overnight its a journey of growth and development. 'It's only when you realise you have given your power away that you can reclaim it' hawkshadow 2004 (c) This is a space to do just that alongside others who are reclaiming their power, growing and learning together, empowering their health, wellbeing and spiritual grounding. I started my journey into spirituality, holistic therapies, energy healing and recognising vibration at a very young age. My grandad was a great believer in nature, breathing correctly, energy and believed in the power of the mind. Going so far as to have surgery under self hypnosis. The man was beyond ahead of his time and I was incredibly blessed he shared his knowledge and support with me. At 26 I was stuck in a bed for 3 years, bedbound, with 3 young children. It was a slow journey of nutrigenomics, herbalism, ddp yoga and deep shadow work. I am still on that healing journey with continual self improvement and growth. I was diagnosed with asthma, type 2 diabetes, behcets disease, ehlers danos syndrome, pots, mast cell disease, fibro, hidradenitis supporativa and tietary adrenal insufficiency (both my adrenals and pituitary gland where killed off due to prescription oral ateroid medications). As I said I am still on my journey, however, after several years of walking my talk and implementing what I have learned along the way I have my EDS well managed and the Addisons under control, my hidradenitis has gone from stage 3 back to stage 1 but everything else including the T2D has gone into remission or reversed. I intend for them to stay in remission and to continue my healing journey. It has been a long journey to get to this stage that is for sure, a lot of those years spent deep in scientific research seeking answers and guidance. In 2014 I was offered the liverpool pathway by the NHS my body was failing drastically, system by system, I am so thankful I declined and finally listened to relatives advice on natural remedies that I incorporated into my day to day wellness regime. In the interest of honesty i am still steroid dependent as my pituitary and adrenal glands produce no hormones, so I have to take hydrocortisone steroid tablets daily to replace this action. Without the steroids I would go into a coma and die. I have managed to reduce them down gradually over the last few years however, but this has to be a very slow journey as a result and can't be rushed. It's a fine dance between stimulating my glands and taking enough steroids to stay alive. Which is why in this group we stick to the science, and there is official scientific research out their proving the medicinal effects plants have for our physical, mental and emotional health.