This is very true.

Back to the Wiccan Rede...An' if it HARM none...

so by doing a caging spell you would be taking away that person's free will, thus doing harm. Ultimately, the rule of 3 would also apply as sooner or later that spell would bounce back on you.

I have never (and would never) use a caging spell. If I'm fortunate to one day meet someone else I would want him to give his love freely, straight from the heart

I find it strange that so many Catholics practice Witchcraft. I was born and brought up Catholic, went to Catholic school but knew from about the age of 8 it was not for me.

Our High Priestess was also Catholic. She went to Catholic boarding school as a youngster as her father was in the Armed Forces and they moved around a lot so her parents felt it better that she have some stability by putting her to boarding school.

I wonder if it has anything to do with when they changed the Mass from Latin into each country's language. I can still remember the Mass said in Latin. I also remember that it was shortly after that people stopped going to Mass. When it was in Latin, it had an air of mystery about it, not to mention the sung Masses were beautiful, especially the Easter Sunday Mass and Midnight Mass at Christmas.

It certainly is interesting.

What is another interesting point.

Nearly all religions worship a male God, no Goddess.

The Catholic church (as far as I know) is the only church that worships a female diety - the Virgin Mary as well as a God.

Similar to Witchcraft wherein we have Gods and Goddesses thus having a balance of male and female.

And that is, for me, what makes it interesting.

I belong to a small Coven. Most of the rituals we do are for healing. Unfortunately, over the past year most of the healing rituals have been directed at our own members. First for my late husband who's now walking in the Summerlands, then for another whose sister, only in her 30s, who had a bad brain haemorrage - she has some brain damage, is in full-time care but they're hoping with time she will make a reasonably good recovery and return home.

We haven't had a good year health wise but these things happen.

I find the most common question I get asked when people find out I'm a Witch is "Do you dance through the woods naked?" The answer to that is no, we don't work Skyclad. 1) it would not be a pretty sight as we are all different sizes and ages, b) it is usually too cold here in the UK and c) the midges and insects would make merry LOL.

I have to admit, over the last year my faith has been tested to the limit but I hold firm. My faith and beliefs have helped me a lot, particularly when my husband was gravely ill and when he passed.

What the future holds, I don't know but I'm sure the Goddess has her reasons and so I put my faith and trust in her.

How do I feel today?

Bored.

Arm in plaster is:

a) Annoying

b) Stops me doing what I'd usually do

and

c) Arm is painful

Wah! I need some TLC.

Wicca was a term coined to make Witchcraft more acceptable. If people ask me what I am, I just answer that I'm a Witch. I don't answer that I'm Wiccan.

As for spells. Gotta be careful there. Remember one of the first ones I did 30 years ago. I was on my own at the time and a bit lonely so did a spell to attract men into my life.

Well, the spell worked except I got everything from Medalion Man to well...just about every unsuitable ugg you can imagine LOL. I ran a mile. Thankfully the spell wore off. Haven't done that one again. If I ever try that kind of spell again, I'll definitely be a bit more discerning LOL.

I try to live by the Wiccan Rede:

An' if it harm none, do as ye will"

Not an easy rule to live by.

There ya go. Taken at a Halloween party last November

Just haven't got round to putting up a picture yet but I will

From a purely female point of view.

Put a recent pic of yourself not one that is 10 years old or more.

Be honest about yourself.

Learn to read between the lines - that can tell you more than is actually written.

If someone replies/contacts you that you like, chat online for a while and when you feel comfortable perhaps swap phone numbers.

If that goes good, then arrange to meet in a public place. That way not only is it safer but takes a lot of the pressure off too (recently didn't take my own advice and it was a disaster LOL).

If all goes well then

Just one more thing to add...dammit why are all the nice and good looking guys in America and not in the UK

Yes, they can work. Friends of mine met through an online dating site and they've been married a few years now and are still very happy

Itchy butt at bedtime = worms (seriously).

Move into your own place asap.

I have a son a little older than you. He's not gay but if he was it wouldn't make any difference to me

I've been married 3 times.

When I was 18 - lasted 5 years. We were both far too young.

Then when I was 29 - lasted 10 years. Unfortunately he was a wife beater.

Then when I was 47 - widowed this time.

Would I marry again? I doubt it.

My late husband was also my best friend.

We had love, trust, respect for each other, no secrets except for Birthday and Christmas presents. If we argued we never carried it on, often agreeing to disagree.

We were always there for each other.

Simple really.

And here in the UK the sizing is different again. A US shoe size 5 is a 3 in the UK and to complicate things further we also have metric sizing of 37 which is somewhere between a UK 3 and 4.

Totally crazy.

My late husband was 25 1/2 st (360 lbs). Because of it he was a Type II diabetic and had 2 major heart attacks and heart failure. He was fitted with a CRT-D device which is a double pacemaker with a defibrillator. Even with that he could only walk for a few yards and would have to sit down. He was told after his first heart attack in 2004 that if he didn't lose a lot of weight he would risk another major and possibly fatal heart attack. He chose to ignore the advice he was given. Heart failure is a horrible thing for the person who has it because apart from them not being able to do the everyday things most of us take for granted, they can't even lie down to sleep as the heart can't push the blood and fluid round the body and it backs up into the tissues in the lungs so they can't breathe either. In effect, they start drowning in their own body fluid. Believe me it is heartbreaking to watch.

For myself, I'm lucky in-so-much that I'm naturally very slim and I can eat what I want but I do eat healthy, proper food and not junk food. My late husband had a liking for junk food and would eat, for example a whole large pizza himself when he was at work. He ate himself to death. Even his own father tried to tell him. His father is 90 and still alive.

I'm afraid, because of what happened I will steer well clear of fat men, and by fat I don't mean a little overweight as many people can become but with sensible eating and some exercise can fix but morbidly obese as in life-threatening.

The obese I'm talking about isn't the "average" type in today's world but the type that really does kill.

When my husband was in hospital a young man was brought in. He was 19 years old, didn't smoke or drink, was very athletic and led a very healthy lifestyle. He had a massive heart attack. Our local hospital stabilised him then transferred him to a specialist hospital.

One thing I learned was that heart disease is no respecter of age or lifestyle but overweight men now fill me with dread.

I know I could never date an obese man again.

My late husband was not the kind of man I would have gone for in the physical sense as he was obese. He was however nice looking with blonde hair and mischievous, twinkling blue eyes. We w orked together and deep feelings developed. He had a kind and gentle manner, became my rock until illness reversed that role and I became his rock.

We were an odd looking couple. He was 6ft tall and huge. I am 5ft tall and very slim.

We were together 12 years, married for 7 of them.

His weight killed him in the end. He couldn't leave food alone - it was an addiction with him despite my efforts to get him to slim down. Like an alcoholic he would binge on junk food in his car and try and hide the evidence. The medical profession tried but to no avail.

My husband died a few days after his 57th birthday.

I have had men show an interest in me on some dating sites. Many of them are grossly overweight. Rightly or wrongly I do not reply to them.

I have seen what obesity can do. It has made me very afraid to get involved with an overweight man regardless of how nice that person is.

If I should ever be lucky enough to meet someone else, then he will have to be average sized to slim and have a kind, humerous personality.

Maybe I want too much now :(

I'm sure it was him but obviously he wasn't man enough to talk. Haven't had any more calls like that since so sure it was him. It's water under the bridge now LOL.

one thing I don't like are people who try to control - and it doesn't matter who it is. I don't like being put under pressure either.

I've come to the conclusion that this man has low self-esteem and by "controlling" a possible relationship boosts his ego.

Far too pushy for me I'm afraid. I also think he has trust issues. If there is no trust then there is no relationship.

I think, in the cold light of day, I had a lucky escape.

If I have another long term relationship then it will have to be based on mutual trust and respect. I won't settle for less.

I'm also quite happy living on my own as I have a lot of interests so I can wait for the right man to come along and if he doesn't, well, so be it.

I'm out of action for the next six weeks or so anyway. Can't even drive just now and won't be able to until the swelling and pain subsides. Was going to drive up to my friend's next week and stay a few days with her and her hubby. That's been postponed for a while.

We certainly all get runs of bad luck at times LOL.

You are spot on.

When I went into the hallway this thought went through my mind: "I don't want to be here. I'm in danger!"

I was on my guard the whole time.

I can take care of myself as I trained in the Martial Arts for a long time and quite high up. He didn't know that until I casually slipped it into the conversation but didn't tell him what grade I am. I was also a night shift taxi driver for years so used to dealing with allsorts.

All of you have given good advice and I've taken it onboard. One thing he doesn't know is where I live. I never told him.

I have thought about the situation a lot and have decided not to contact him. We do have a lot in common and he's not b***s*****g there but I know he is not for me.

Anyway, I won't be doing much for several weeks as I had an sccident last night and broke my wrist. I'm in plaster and typing this one- handed.