The Sanctuary

18/10/2026

✨🖤 WHAT A BEAUTIFUL WEEKEND! 🖤✨

I've had the most fantastic weekend spending time with some truly incredible human beings 💫

It's been so lovely catching up with familiar faces among the stallholders, meeting new people, sharing stories, having a few laughs and being part of such warm, welcoming spaces.

A huge thank you to the organisers, the wonderful stallholders, and everyone who came along, supported the events and helped create and share that little bit of magic with us all. It really has been a joy 🥰

A little apology, too, to anyone whose messages I've not yet replied to! It's been a wonderfully busy weekend, and I'm looking forward to taking some time over the coming days to catch up and respond to you all ❤️

I'm feeling very grateful for the connections made, the kindness shared and the lovely humans I've had the pleasure of spending time with.

Here's to more of this beautiful community spirit 🌙✨

18/10/2026

🦇✨ THE REAL MAGIC OF BATS: BEYOND THE SUPERSTITION ✨🦇

For centuries, these mysterious creatures have been portrayed as omens of darkness, symbols of the supernatural and companions of the things we fear.

But the real magic is something quite different… 🌙

🌿 NATURE'S LITTLE NIGHT-TIME WONDERS

Bats are extraordinary animals. Using echolocation, many species emit high-frequency sounds and interpret the returning echoes to navigate and locate their prey in almost complete darkness.

Imagine being able to move through the night with such precision that darkness itself becomes no barrier.

🌸 MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

Bats play important roles in ecosystems around the world. Many help control insect populations, while fruit-eating and nectar-feeding species disperse seeds and pollinate plants.

Far from being creatures of evil, they're part of the delicate balance that keeps the natural world thriving.

🕯️ WHEN FEAR BECOMES FASCINATION

Perhaps our ancestors' fear of bats tells us as much about humanity as it does about the animals themselves. We have always been drawn to things we don't fully understand — sometimes treating the mysterious as something to fear rather than something to explore.

Folklore gives us wonderful stories, but nature often offers us something just as extraordinary.

✨ A LITTLE HALLOWEEN THOUGHT

Perhaps there's a lesson here for us all: not everything that appears strange, dark or unfamiliar deserves our fear.

Sometimes, what we call mysterious is simply what we haven't yet learned to understand 🖤

🌙 What other creatures do you think have been misunderstood because of folklore and superstition? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

18/10/2026

🦇🌙 WHY ARE BATS ASSOCIATED WITH HALLOWEEN? THE DARK FOLKLORE BEHIND THESE MYSTERIOUS CREATURES 🌙🦇

Few creatures feel quite as fitting for Halloween as the bat. Emerging at dusk, flying silently through the darkness and navigating the night in ways we once struggled to understand, bats have long captured the human imagination.

But how did these fascinating creatures become such an iconic symbol of the spooky season? 🕯️

🌒 CREATURES OF THE NIGHT

For centuries, bats occupied an unusual place in folklore. Their nocturnal habits, strange appearance and association with dark places made them natural subjects for superstition. Before science explained how bats navigate using echolocation, their ability to fly effortlessly through darkness seemed almost magical.

🧙‍♀️ WITCHES, MAGIC & SUPERSTITION

European folklore frequently connected bats with witchcraft and the supernatural. Stories and popular imagery sometimes portrayed them as companions of witches or creatures associated with dark magic. These beliefs were strengthened by the wider fear of the unknown that surrounded the night.

🧛 FROM VAMPIRES TO HALLOWEEN

The connection became even stronger through Gothic literature and vampire stories. Bram Stoker’s Dracula, published in 1897, helped popularise the image of a vampire transforming into a bat.

As Halloween evolved into the celebration we recognise today, bats became part of its familiar cast of witches, ghosts, vampires and other mysterious creatures of the night. Their silhouettes against a full moon became an instantly recognisable symbol of spooky season.

🖤 Sometimes, the most fascinating stories begin where the shadows fall…

17/10/2026

🎭🖤 WHY DO WE DRESS UP FOR HALLOWEEN?

Have you ever wondered how dressing up as witches, ghosts and all manner of spooky creatures became part of Halloween?

Well, the story goes back centuries! 🌙

🔥 A DISGUISE FOR THE SPIRIT WORLD?

Halloween is often linked to Samhain, the ancient Gaelic festival marking the transition into winter. Folklore associated this time of year with spirits and supernatural beings, and one popular theory suggests that people wore disguises to confuse or hide from them.

🎭 THE OLD TRADITION OF GUISING

By the 16th century, Scots were practising something called guising — dressing in disguise and visiting homes, where they'd sing, recite verses or perform in exchange for food.

Sound familiar? It's not quite trick-or-treating, but you can certainly see the resemblance! 🍬

Over time, these traditions evolved, and Halloween costumes became the wonderfully creative mix of spooky, magical and downright ridiculous outfits we know today.

🖤 I love the thought that dressing up gives us permission to step outside the ordinary for one night. Whether we're becoming a witch, a ghost or something entirely our own, there's a little bit of magic in transformation.

✨ Now I'm curious… what would you dress up as if absolutely anything were possible? 🌙✨️🧙‍♀️🔮🕯🎃

17/10/2026

🔮✨ Tomorrow I'll be at the Natural Balance Spiritual & Wellbeing Event! ✨🔮

I'm really looking forward to spending Sunday at this lovely event in Grenoside, Sheffield, surrounded by wonderful people, beautiful spiritual treasures and all things holistic and magical! 💜

Come along, have a browse, meet some lovely local practitioners and discover what's on offer. There'll be psychic and tarot readings, crystals, spiritual gifts, holistic therapies and much more!

📍 Grenoside Community Centre, Main Street, Sheffield, S35 8PR

🗓️ Sunday 18th October
⏰ 11am–4pm
✨ Free entry, free talks and free parking!

Hope to see some of you there! 🌙🔮

17/10/2026

✨ A huge shout-out to Charlotte and everyone at Artisan Emporium! ✨

Thank you for organising a lovely event today at Chesterfield Market Hall for the Mystics Market 💜🔮

I’ve had such a lovely day spending time with everyone, meeting some wonderful new people and catching up with some familiar faces. It’s always a pleasure to be part of these events and share the space with such lovely people ✨️

If you haven’t already checked out Artisan Emporium, I’d absolutely recommend it. Charlotte has a beautiful shop and puts together some fantastic events, so do go and show her some love! ✨

Thank you again for having me. I’ve had a brilliant day and I’m already looking forward to the next one. Hope to see you all again soon! 🖤

Not just a shop.

Not just events.

Going the extra mile to help you create something special.

Come see us 🥰

Artisan Emporium inside Chesterfield Markets and Market Hall

16/10/2026

🌿✨ A little more magic this Sunday! ✨🔮

I'll be at the Natural Balance Wellbeing & Spiritual Event in Grenoside, Sheffield, alongside a wonderful mix of readers, spiritual practitioners and lovely people sharing their gifts, crafts and treasures 💜

Come along, explore, meet some beautiful souls, and perhaps discover something that speaks to you along the way. Whether you're looking for a reading, a little spiritual inspiration, or simply a lovely way to spend your Sunday, there'll be plenty to explore! 🌙

I hope to see some familiar faces and meet some new ones, too! 🖤

16/10/2026

✨🔮 Looking forward to a little bit of magic tomorrow! 🔮✨

I'll be at the Mystic Market at The Market Café in Chesterfield, alongside some wonderful readers, mystics and talented makers offering all sorts of spiritual treasures 🖤

If you're nearby, come along, have a browse, meet some lovely people, and perhaps find a little something magical that's meant just for you ✨

I can't wait to see you there! 🌙💜

16/10/2026

🪁 When the Dead Take to the Skies: Guatemala's Giant Kites 🕯️

Imagine standing in a cemetery as enormous, brilliantly coloured kites rise above you, their intricate patterns dancing against the November sky.

This isn't a scene from a fantasy tale. It's a living tradition in Guatemala, where communities gather each year on 1 November to honour their ancestors through an extraordinary celebration known as the Barriletes Gigantes — the Giant Kites.

In the towns of Sumpango and Santiago Sacatepéquez, families and community groups spend months creating these magnificent works of art from bamboo and coloured paper. Some are enormous, stretching many metres across, with designs that reflect culture, identity, and the stories people wish to share.

But these kites are about far more than their beauty.

Within the spiritual traditions of these predominantly Maya-Kaqchikel communities, they represent a connection between the world of the living and the world of the dead. They are a way of honouring those who came before, keeping ancestral relationships alive, and remembering that those we have lost remain part of our stories.

According to local oral tradition, the kites were also created to drive away harmful spirits and help the souls of the departed find peace.

And so, each November, the skies above these cemeteries become a spectacular meeting place of art, memory, spirituality and community.

✨ There's something rather beautiful about the idea that remembrance doesn't always have to be quiet.

Sometimes it's a candle in a darkened window. Sometimes it's a name spoken softly. And sometimes, it's an enormous tapestry of colour lifted into the heavens, carrying the love and memories of an entire community towards the sky.

Perhaps the most powerful way we honour those who came before us is not simply by remembering that they lived, but by finding ways to carry their stories forward 🕯✨️☀️✨️🌄🌅🌻🌕🌙🛣🪶🌿🔮🕊🧙‍♀️👻🫂

15/10/2026

🌙 A little reminder for anyone who needs one today 🌙

You are allowed to have days when your energy is low, when the answers don't come, and when even the simplest things feel a little harder than usual.

You don't have to turn every disappointment into a lesson or find the spiritual meaning in every difficult experience.

And you don't have to spend all your time being patient, understanding and compassionate towards others while forgetting to offer those same things to yourself.

Sometimes the most meaningful spiritual practice is simply coming back to yourself.

Make a cup of something warm. Light some incense. Pull a tarot card, spend a moment in nature, or simply allow yourself to rest.

You are a human being, not a perpetual work in progress.

Your worth isn't measured by how much you achieve, how gracefully you handle disappointment, or how much you can carry.

You deserve gentleness, especially on the days when you have very little left to give 🖤

Take what you need from today. Leave the rest for tomorrow.

With love ✨