Magpies and Madrigals
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jembru.bsky.social
Magpies and Madrigals
@jembru.bsky.social
130 followers 160 following 390 posts
🌳 I'm Jembru. Middle-aged, INFP, autistic, animist, vegan, nature lover, pagan, druid (OBOD), demipan, empath

🦋 One foot in reality, the other planted firmly in the Encanto bc I love that movie so much I decided to move in! 😅

UK so can't DM
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jembru.bsky.social
Text on a white background saying, "The highest form of bliss is living with a certain degree of folly," which is a quote attributed to Erasmus.
July 13, 2025 at 4:06 PM
jembru.bsky.social
As someone who can get carried away by my unverified personal gnosis, the concept of reality tunnels is exactly the grounding I need before I go any deeper into my druid training. It's definitely been a shift in consciousness for me and something I'm taking my time to explore and sit with. /|\
A quote by Robert Anton Wilson who popularised the idea of reality tunnels and that featured in episode two of Adventures in Nutopia. It is written over a stock image of a long, strip light lit subway tunnel and reads: If we tried to be conscious of all the signals from our environment, we couldn't do it. So we throw out all the information that seems unimportant, which means we also throw out all the information that seems threatening to our belief system or to our dogma and our brain constructs a model out of all the information coming up from the rest of the nervous system and we project the model outward and consider it reality. It's not reality. It's our reality tunnel."
July 10, 2025 at 11:29 AM
jembru.bsky.social
I'm so amused by this. I once dabbled in #Encanto fanfic in an attempt to share the Madrigals in my head with folks in the real world. I wrote a scene where they were playing Uno (well, Crazy 8s, bc Uno wouldn't exist in the Encanto 😁). Seeing them on their favourite card game made my day! 😂😂😂
I can't copy/paste the text because I lost the original manuscript when my laptop died, but it describes a scene where Camilo, Mirabel and Bruno are playing Crazy Eights. Bruno complains that the suit keeps changing (because he's holding a bunch of diamonds). Pepa interrupts to bring her brother a cup of her sister's 'special tea' just as Camilo takes the victory. She then asks to be dealt in. An awkward moment follows when Camilo mentions his mom said she hated the game (it was really that it brought back uncomfortable memories of a happier time).
July 7, 2025 at 8:47 PM
jembru.bsky.social
More horrific news today, so here is José again. This was last September when we went to Paris for a work trip (my colleague and client loved him! Or, I think so anyway -nonverbal communication was never my strong point 😂😂😂)
José the toy rat is shown sitting on a lilac suitcase-shaped box holding a mini passport in his paws and there's tiny little card suitcase beside him with his name on the tag. José is shown with his head peeking out of my carry on bag as it hangs on the hook of the plane seat in front of me. Ready for take off!
July 7, 2025 at 10:47 AM
jembru.bsky.social
Two years ago, I found this adorable little toy rat in a department store and couldn't resist him. I called him José (long story 😅).

José and I have had so many adventures since, so I think I'll share pics of him sometimes when I need cheering up! 😁🐀✨️
A collage I made of photos of a little toy rat (it's meant to be an elephant mouse but looks like a grey rat with a pointed snout). He's quite realistic and rests on his hind legs with his head looking upwards. The middle image shows him sitting in my hand in the store I found him in, then it is surrounded by images of him in various locations: a table in a bar, poking out of a side pocket of my rucksack, sitting on a railing and posed to look like he's washing his face with his 'hands'.
July 6, 2025 at 9:46 PM
jembru.bsky.social
Reposting this because although it seems my type of imagination isn't as common as I once thought, I DO hope to find more folk like me. The text is too long to post in a reply though, so reposting to add alt text.
A screen shot of a post I wrote on Facebook which reads: "Those who've known me since childhood, or have met me drunk enough that I gave you a whistle-stop tour of 'Rotokia' will know how vivid and complex my imagination is. As I grew, I learnt to mostly keep it confined to what I call my 'inner world' although my mum will recount times that a discarded carrier bag has grown bunny ears and began to hop down the road, and I once saw a tiny little pig with dragonfly wings crawl out from the curb on a rainy street-lit suburban road, freezing for a moment when it saw me, before quickly flying off! But then I read articles like this one: https://www.self.com/story/hyperphantasia and think, no, it's not like that. It's not loud or disruptive. It's not video-perfect either, and I can tell the difference between what I'm seeing with my mind's eye and what's 'real'. They're not hallucinations, and although I get exceptionally vivid hypnagogic hallucinations in bed sometimes, the events I witness in my inner world are rarely THAT clear. It's more that I'm so wrapped up in the 'story' that I forget I can't really see unless I'm actively focusing on something, and my brain fills in the details afterwards so when I recall the events it's just as vivid as a memory of what I'd done at work that day. So I really don't know. Am I one of the rare 3%? Or am I just blessed with an overactive imagination? Either way, this is surely one of the few positives that have come from 'living life on hard mode'!"
July 6, 2025 at 9:01 AM
jembru.bsky.social
So... I've done the thing! Is there a way to go back and add alt text to old posts, or should I just repost any I'm particularly fond of? I know I'm a tiny profile but that's no reason not to be as inclusive as possible!
Image shows a screen shot of the settings page in which the 'require alt text before posting' option can be enabled so this feature can't be accidentally forgotten.
July 6, 2025 at 8:21 AM
jembru.bsky.social
I was sick yesterday so didn't have coffee or do my usual morning #meditation. The coffee tasted so good after the break this morning, and my meditation was deeply restorative. Maybe I should purposely take breaks sometimes? Maybe we need to miss the good things in life to appreciate them? 🤔
A close-up of my favourite coffee mug that reads, "Life is a mixture of magic and coffee." I took it while outside on the swing seat where I like to meditate if the weather allows, and my favourite blanket is over my legs. It's a bright pink Encanto blanket.
July 5, 2025 at 7:51 AM
jembru.bsky.social
Anyone on bsky have or know much about #hyperphantasia? I'm especially interested in hearing from those in the pagan or occult communities who incorporate it into their spiritual practice or have built UPG around it. (Article below) /|\

#witchsky #occultsky #autism
July 1, 2025 at 11:49 AM
jembru.bsky.social
What a cutie! Reminds me a bit of my own grey fuzzball, Dolly! Hope you had a blast at the camp! /|\
June 30, 2025 at 8:02 PM
jembru.bsky.social
This morning while meditating, a beautiful prayer I used to recite every day in the late 2000s, suddenly popped into my head. It's by Francesca De Grandis, and her version of 'Celtic witchcraft' was probably what led to me transitioning from Wicca to Druidry. (Full prayer to follow) /|\

#witchsky
May 27, 2025 at 9:45 AM
jembru.bsky.social
Had a lovely trip to Rothbury yesterday with a friend from work. We were hoping to see emperor moths but had no luck. Saw lots of other cool animals though. I just didn't get any photos of them. 😅

I feel I'm really making progress with my goal of getting out more!

#Nature #paganism #druidry
May 26, 2025 at 7:14 AM
jembru.bsky.social
Could kick myself for not getting her card so I could credit her, but I bought these today from a lovely lady at a local market. She said Magpie is her spirit animal, like me, though she paints other animals too and her designs are incredible.

I'll go back next week to get her name. #WitchyFinds
May 17, 2025 at 4:03 PM
jembru.bsky.social
Belated Beltane Blessings to those who celebrate! The seasons are a little late here on the NE coast of England, so I like to wait for the hawthorn to be in full bloom. Wasn't quite there last week, but nature has finally given me the go-ahead! 🌸🌸🌸

#witchsky #paganism
May 10, 2025 at 2:16 PM
jembru.bsky.social
Realised my mental health was slipping a bit this morning, so decided it was time to go sit by that willow tree I'd promised myself I'd make time for. What a difference! I just poured all my sorrows and worries into the Earth, and felt a fresh flow of nwyfre renewing from the heart out! 💖 /|\
May 9, 2025 at 9:53 AM
jembru.bsky.social
Maybe more druid than witchy, but I discovered an old well yesterday. I think it was built circa 1260, but wonder if it's on the site of an older well. Either way, it could be a nice place to leave offerings for Brigantia/Brigid, and talk to the tree that stands guard over it.

#witchyfinds
May 3, 2025 at 5:31 PM
jembru.bsky.social
Are you familiar with 'Starry Tales'? The image you shared reminded me of that! Each illustration contains the constellation and surrounding stars!
May 1, 2025 at 5:29 PM
jembru.bsky.social
The seasons tend to reach my part of England last, so I take cues from nature for when to celebrate the fire festivals, rather than follow the set dates. For Beltane I wait for hawthorn to be in full bloom, which it isn't yet here. So I have time to figure it out. (Photo taken yesterday).
May 1, 2025 at 12:52 PM
jembru.bsky.social
Squeezing in one last walk before #witchywalks is no more. Did my usual cheat and took the scenic route on my way to work. Saw these beautiful tulips, and plan on coming back when I have more time so I can sit beneath that beautiful weeping willow and hear their stories!
April 30, 2025 at 10:46 AM
jembru.bsky.social
Are you maybe talking about access to the online gwersi? Just they wanted £135 off me for access to them, which is around $180. I felt that was steep considering I'm already a paid up member though, so I'm sticking to my dusty old CDs! 😅

Hearth price hasn't changed according to my emails.
April 25, 2025 at 6:26 PM
jembru.bsky.social
This line particularly made me smile, because it made me think of this sweet fella: my own inspiration, cloaked in green! 😅
April 25, 2025 at 10:53 AM
jembru.bsky.social
Reposting this so I can pin it, as I think it speaks to the journey I'm on better than a post apologising for being imaginative! I've realised my imagination is my greatest gift, so I'm gonna wear it with pride from now on! No more apologies!
April 25, 2025 at 8:28 AM
jembru.bsky.social
My 2nd client was a no-show and had 3 hours before my next call, so decided to use the time to explore a nearby park. Stopped to meditate briefly on a bench, and twice, a little bird joined me on my path, flitting ahead as if to say, "Come on, little magpie lady. Keep going!" 🐦 #witchywalks #druidry
April 24, 2025 at 10:49 AM
jembru.bsky.social
Well, I started! In this month's Druidcast, Kristoffer Hughes mentioned the connection of wrens to druidry. So I thought, as a tiny bird myself, I'd start with the sacred, yet humble wren! Angle of the beak is a bit off, but it's a start. /|\
A pencil sketch of a wren in profile, perched on a vine with its beak open in song. Reference photo is on the RSPB's website.
April 23, 2025 at 5:55 PM
jembru.bsky.social
This post reminded me of my own sigil that I designed around 25 years ago. It depicts my guides, magpie wings, the importance of triplicity in my spirituality, and the spiral which represented what I called 'pathworking' and is still a central aspect of my practice /|\

#paganism #witchsky #sigil
I central spiral going deosil with 'wings' either side consisting of three sweeping strokes. A single tear-shaped dot above represents my main guide and looks like the head of the 'bird' and 3 similar dots below represent my 3 supporting guides; one for each of the 'spheres' I work in (Land, Sea and Sky in this world, and the three realms in the spirit world), and form the tail feathers of the 'bird'. My sigil painted crudly in gold on a heart-shaped piece of polished lepidolite. I used to hold this while meditating to help me enter my inner-world!
April 23, 2025 at 6:39 AM