A winter illness chat

 

Someone close in my friendship circle, who contributes to an affiliate and friend's blog, has been suffering a very nasty load of of pain this January. She has always suffered colds and flus in the past until the past six years she stopped getting it after regularly taking medicines and herbs containing Vitamin C and Zinc. This time round her immune system was down. She's been exposed to a germ that was mild in other people who had  the cold. But with her she became extremely ill, sneezing constantly, and having painful sneezing too. Now she can't walk properly because of this cold. It's got to her, she gets agonising pain and struggles to walk.

Shadow Girl: Her blog doesn't mention being unwell.

Storm Valkyrie: She's been quiet on there. To me it could be Chikungunya, or "Bone Flu". It's where the usually common cold virus attacks the nervous system and gets into the bones. It could also be viral arthritis caused by having a bad cold and low immunity. The best thing to do is take plenty of rest, have a good night sleep, don't stay awake too long, warmth, lots of fluids and keep taking vitamin rich foods. Teas are a good medicine, such as mentholated peppermint, or warm spicy ginger, turmeric, chamomile and elderberry. Also drink and eat with lemon, honey, liquorice, thyme, sage and St John's Wort. 

Shadow Girl: It's been a full moon earlier this month. She wasn't born in January or she would be considered an "ice wolf" and those are very immune to the winter.

Storm Valkyrie: Her illness can be treated. For anyone else with this cold virus, some info for you. Doing an online for herbal medicines result in info about New World plants mentioned. Bare that in mind, because most of these new plants can grow in the Old World as they were introduced. The new world herbs an fruit include eggplants (called Avocado in Europe), cactus pear, papaya, pineapple, sassafras, vanilla, paprika, peppercorn, dill, purple coneflower, goldenrod, sweetgrass, milkweed, yarrow, beebalm and anise hyssop. Anyway it's always a good idea to visit the doctor. 

Shadow Girl: It's better to buy them in shops instead of planting them in your backyard due to certain rules. I once planted an oak tree in my back yard and the roots caused problems with the foundation! 

Storm Valkyrie: Plants from the New World can be invasive such as fairy fern, water primrose, common milkweed, floating pennywort, Natall's waterweed, Canadian mannagrass and garlic mustard.

Shadow Girl: Nothing can beat a nice lemon tea with ginger biscuits! 

Storm Valkyrie: Yes that can help feeling warm and better. Healing sent to our friend. Get well soon everyone feeling sick this January.

Storm Valkyrie and Shadow Girl

He was like a Fossegrim

( Based on a true encounter with a man)

 It's not something that happens but it does. A woman finds a man attractive and there is subtle looking, giggling, shyness and nerves. Daydreams centred on that man. Wondering about the outcome of approaching him. Once done, a burst of fear and then anxiety with excitement sends her fleeing. It happens sometimes, but it gets harder than better. She just can't find it within herself to talk to him. Even saying "hello" takes courage she realises she doesn't have. But she goes home and thinks of him, swooning over him and daydreams again. "I will ask him, I will talk to him," she reminds herself.

As days turn into weeks, she still doesn't have it in her to go near him. The moment he looks at her, she runs off like a silly coward. Her thoughts go blank, her legs turn to jelly. Now she's too scared of being close to him. But she still wants him, that handsome strong fellow who can do his job well. She's a customer and he's staff. This is how she discovered his name. But after a few attempts for her caring mother to communicate with him, something goes wrong. Security is called and both women are warned to stop harassing the dude.

The lovestruck girl is in tears, comforted by her mum. "I didn't do anything wrong." "No you didn't, sweetheart." "Why did he call security on me?" "I'm not sure why."

Let us look at what she did, what could've caused him to feel harassed. It started with his long lingering looks and then him following her around, looking at her, watching her every move, appearing to be curious about her and then giving her attention. No words were said. And then her mum observed it, and felt like helping by telling the man "she likes you." He reacted with "Okay." He always looked at her, and he even looked at her mum that way too. Yes he did!

That was like a green light. So she passed him a written message with her number on it. She got a call from the guy's own manager who told her she was banned from ever going in the store. She was heartbroken. Tuning in, I learned that the man and his friends nicknamed the mother and daughter "sirens", "nymphs", "Lilith and Aphrodite". None of that made sense, because they didn't do anything to get given nicknames like that. 

Later I learned that both mother and daughter were simply banned until that man doesn't work there anymore. The manager explained in a recent meeting that mother and daughter obviously didn't mean him any distress and are nice and innocently trying to talk to this man. What was said wasn't said though. I found out through communicating with my guides that this man is quite dangerous towards women and everything made sense. Thinking on it now made mother/daughter remember the details of how this man seemed more creepy and stalkerish towards them in the store. The manager was simply protecting the women from this man working in their store. 

Some things have a lot more meanings.

Storm Valkyrie

January 2026 traits

January is a long and cold month with bleak looking landscapes of bare trees, mud and grey foggy fields. Foliage, such as grass seems grey with the soggy dead blackened old rubbish of whatever wind blew. Very dead leaves that fell off trees long ago are built up and often in ditches, providing warm natural blankets to small hibernating creatures living underground or in hollows. 

The sky is often grey and cloudy overcast that feels heavy and threatens thunderous blizzards and showers. Puffy white clouds are pregnant of snow. Birds are active including swans, geese, redwings, ducks, waxwings, snow bunting, robins and blackbirds, plus so many more. Squirrels are mostly at play in winter, as it's their mating season. Foxes are also active mostly at night. We also will find deer, badgers, mice, voles, otters, seals, stoats and weasels. Up in woodlands and forests in the north and highlands are wildcats out and about, who are usually solitary animals but in winter they become social. In some areas near lodges and wildlife sanctuaries, such as Reading and in Shropshire, do expect to hear wolves howling. In the Forest of Dean, wild boars gather. 

Jupiter will be the biggest and brightest on the 10th January with opposition, which means Earth will be directly between Jupiter and the Sun. We'll also expect to see the Winter Triangle, the bright stars in the corners will be Sirius in Canis Major, Betelgeuse in Orion and Procyon in Canis Minor. There will be a visible bunch of stars called the Beehive Cluster in January.

Storm Valkyrie     

Some rituals for the new year

There are plenty of old traditions and beliefs for the New Year that have been forgotten and rarely used. Some of them includes that eating pork, lentils, grapes and sauerkraut will bring future prosperity. Opening doors to release spirits was often done in Ireland. In Denmark people liked to jump off furniture at the strike of midnight to symbolise leaping into the new year. In Greece it was believed smashing pomegranates meant good luck and fertility. Chucking water out of windows was symbolic of cleansing ready for the new year. In England saying "Black rabbits, black rabbits" at New years eve just before midnight, and then saying "white rabbit, white rabbit" at the start of the new year. 

Farmers in the UK used to tell the future by wind direction on new years day. A south wind meant a good harvest by abundant growth. A west wind would bring plenty of milk, salt and fish. A north wind would bring more coldness and storms. However the east wind will predict both good and bad signs, that includes trees will grow a lot of fruit and also disasters including famine. The worst is north-east wind that is believed to bring in trouble so everyone, humans and their animals, should avoid and leave. The best one of all simply is no wind, which means a fantastic prosperous year ahead.

More superstitions that are found today includes washing clothes as a sign of removing old negative feelings and bad energies built up from the past. Some believe taking out trash on new years' eve will also mean throwing away luck. Also wearing red underwear attracts both happiness and good fortune. In Ireland people throw bread at walls to stop bad luck. In Denmark they throw plates at doors of people they like. The Greeks put onions on their doors for growth and rebirth. 

Storm Valkyrie