Can you please tell us about The Friendly Green Witch?
The Friendly Green Witch started off as a modest side hustle on Depop back in lockdown times called ‘Clothes and Curios’. As many of us did back then, stuck indoors, we looked around our houses at all of our surplus stuff and slapped it online! People were doing a lot of online buying and my witchy stuff sold well. I realised how much I loved buying and selling tarot, oracle and altar goods so I began sourcing stuff from car boots, to charity shops and the tip before they chucked it in. I even dipped my toes into the world of wholesale, however, I have loved saving stuff from landfill. I seemed to have a knack for picking the witchy stock to sell, and a lot of it was stuff from my teenage years that I grew up with. I was brought up with a tarot-reading psychic mum who had a vast collection of spiritual tools, so I knew the vintage decks. I put a large emphasis on supplying authentic decks as there are so many Wish fakes around these days (it really bugs me). This became my shop's unique selling point.
The shop did well for a good 3 years and I was able to invest money in magical things such as getting my Reiki level 1 and 2, and buying a bell tent to go camping at pagan events with my young daughters. I met so many lovely people who invited me to amazing events and my witchy ideas grew. However, I was still focused on my online shop.
I was clueless when it came to what I wanted to achieve regarding my career and I flirted with the idea of being a professional tarot reader for a bit. In October 2022, I began The Artist's Way by Julia Camron with an online tarot community called Cult Mother Tarot. I had little expectations about the 12-week program but it ended up being a massive turning point for the Friendly Green Witch. I began a Podcast called The Bell Witch Podcast and wrote daily poetry which has since been published! The Artist's Way has helped me to be generally open to opportunities coming my way and I am so much more fluid in my plans. I worry a lot less too. I now work in a crystal healing shop in Yeadon called The Crystal Booth every Tuesday, offering Reiki and stocking magical supplies and divination decks. It’s a great place with a warm vibe and a lovely team.
The Friendly Green Witch has grown and become an umbrella business that I offer a range of services under, such as healing, custom magic, and sigil services as well as my online shop. On reflection, I realise that 2020 was a big year for many businesses, as we had room for new direction, reflection and things we never would have discovered if we had carried on living our busy lives. The Friendly Green Witch has become so much bigger than a Depop side hustle!
What has been the highlight of the Friendly Green Witch?
It has got to be The Bell Witch Podcast. I love podcasting. I can’t believe it’s something I can do. I have learnt lots and fast since starting in March, getting all the books out from the library and listening to podcasts on how to podcast! I am very proud of this achievement. Almost a year ago, I was wondering how to get more traffic to my Depop shop and one of the things suggested online was to do a podcast as it's all the rage right now. I was listening to one that was not witchy at all called ‘Single, Fat and 40’ - it was an absolute blast! The co-hosts made me laugh so much and I started to think ‘Oh, how fun would it be to do one?’ I was right in the middle of The Artist's Way and a new way of thinking, and ended up at ‘Well, why not?’ Let’s give it a go! It was daunting, where to start!? I knew absolutely nothing. The thing about podcasting is it does wonders for one’s internal development. You must listen to your voice repeatedly as you edit and then it actually becomes not so bad. I started to really listen to people, to their words, and realised how understanding is achieved. I found that my inner dialogue as well as outer dialogue improved tremendously. I started to be clearer and more self-assured. I began to communicate better. I like my broad Yorkshire accent, and people enjoy listening to the things I share! There is no money in it - YET - but I dream about what it could become. It is a true labour of love but it’s an absolute joy to create.
How would you describe your Pagan or Witch path?
It’s all over the place! I am a Wiccan for sure. I believe in karma and harming none because that’s how I was nurtured. My Nan brought me up till I was 11. She was such a Wiccan and didn’t know it! I love plants, nature, growing food and looking after the earth so I call myself a Green Witch. I suck at cooking so I cannot be a Kitchen Witch! I am solitary and eclectic because nothing is stagnant in life, is it? I do rent-a-coven style rituals with fellow witches but I am not able to join a hard-core coven because Mum life is the most important role for us right now and regularly takes over my witchy life. In general, my witch life ebbs and flows and sometimes I don’t get any magic done for weeks and months. But that’s ok if I am true to myself and doing the best I can.
What advice would you give to other Pagans beginning their journey?
Listen to your intuition and don’t compare yourself. If you are drawn to it, the magic has been there all this time, dormant, and now it is growing like a seed in your soul. Read all the books from the library, eat up all the knowledge, and pick up what stands out to you. Investigate! Trust in the universe and it will deliver. I am sorry that I am sounding like a right woo guru right now but I believe there is so much worry about getting it 100% correct to be taken seriously as a proper pagan/witch that some get scared off. Comparing yourself to Instagram witchy aesthetics and feeling like you will never be that good is a dangerous hole you can fall into. I absolutely fall into it briefly from time to time. Be true to yourself, harm no one, and do your best. That’s all you need. A tiny bit is better than none and the fact that you are drawn to this path speaks volumes.
What does the future hold for the Friendly Green Witch? Any goals for 2024?
Oohh, what a question! I am always daydreaming, me. I would love to hold some kind of magical circle or perhaps an Artist's Way work group would be awesome. (It really is life changing.). I would love to attend pagan events and offer my witchy services from my tiny bell tent. I think about going mobile with Reiki too but something is holding me back. For the podcast, I am working on getting guest speakers in every month to keep it vibing and would love to be a guest on another podcast. Who knows, perhaps in the near future, it will explode, and I will make it big! Think Patron community, merch, and even a Bell Witch Festival! Not in 2024 though!
How can we listen to your podcast?
The Bell Witch Podcast is available on all major platforms like Apple Podcast, Spotify and Amazon Music, as well as a few smaller ones. It is also on YouTube in video form. Find all the links at https://linktr.ee/friendlygreenwitch
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