Goddess Counselling

21/03/2026

Pics of spring and some walks I've been on lately. Delapre Abbey in Northampton, Croft Hill in Leicester and my garden (camelia).

I'm loving the colours returning and was very excited about the massive quarry view at Croft Hill - I even drew a sketch 🙃

I hope those of you in the northern hemisphere are enjoying these first few days of sun. I certainly am.

15/03/2026

I seem to be in craft mode at the moment. It's a good antidote to uncertainty.

This time it's with the wood burner on a set of plain wood Matryoshka dolls.

A friend and I are doing some nature connecting shamanic work together, inspired by Sandra Ingerman.

Working on the dolls is part of the expression of our nature connection. The penguin appeared from the shape of the woodgrain - a process I've wanted to try for ages.

The heart shapes at the top of her head is an amalgamation of the sahasrara chakra and universal loving energy.

The ivy - I've had a fascination for ivy for years and have a big ivy tattoo over my belly since I was 19. She appears in most of my paintings too!

What crafty things are you working on at the moment? 🌿☀️🎨🪡🧶🪆

02/03/2026

A bit of friendly crafting over the weekend with friends I've known since university.

There's nothing like a low key, chilled out weekend with relaxed company.

I definitely recommend these little fairies and the like for crafting. I used acrylic with them and they turned out fine.

We also sent pics to families to guess whose was whose 🙃

The little pockets of sunshine 🌞 over the weekend were a bonus too!

17/02/2026

I've been dancing a lot lately, filming for our annual online show. It's a wonderful antidote to any residual darkness before spring.

I love that my friend captured this expressive part of our group bellydance performance. It's a Polish song about a witch, who is angry about how she's been treated.

I think a fair few of us can relate to these feelings.

If you'd like to see the show, you can register for free via or at www.doedemure.co.uk it's a collection of dances either group ot solo, bellydance and burlesque.

31/01/2026

This is Cicely Mary Barker's snow drop fairy from the Flower Fairies series. I grew up with these images on china plates in the house.

I've been looking into images, stories and poems related to Imbolc for the workshop I ran this week.

One of the myths around snowdrops are that an Angel changed snowflakes into snowdrops to cheer Eve up after she was banished from the garden of Eden.

There's a lovely poem about it by Robert Wilson. There last few lines are:

And thus the snowdrop, like the bow
That spans the cloudy sky,
Becomes a symbol whence we know
That brighter days are nigh;

I hope you have a lovely Imbolc if you're celebrating 🌱

20/01/2026

It's not really an Imbolc picture but I'm reaquainting myself with winter after leaving my brief sojourn in summer in New Zealand. This is snorkeling at Poor Knight's Island just before I came face to face with a (harmless) jellyfish 🪼😬

I've seen been back swimming at Stoney Cove in Leicester at 6°C 🥶

Soon we are to embrace Imbolc here in the Northern hemisphere and I wanted to let you know / remind you that I'm doing an Imbolc workshop on the Tariki platform on Thurs 29th Jan 1-3 online and you're all welcome. We'll be welcoming in the Maiden energy of the year and bring fresh energy to our projects.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/an-imbolc-celebration-with-charlotte-venkatraman-tickets-1096147559859?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

31/12/2025

I am spending the transition into 2026 in New Zealand visiting friends. The respect and love for nature here has really been apparent, woven into daily life in a way that I wish England was.

I'm meeting trees, swimming, eating, talking with the sea 🌊

For me, January is not the new year, but if you're celebrating, I hope you have a nice time. I'm enjoying the sunny interlude before coming back to wait for snowdrops 🩵

21/12/2025

12/12/2025

All dressed up to film my solo for the online show in Feb 2026.

It was raining in the Lake District (shock) and we filmed by derwentwater. We drew a few odd looks and a couple of comments about my white skirt being caked in mud!

Annie Lennox's words have been ringing in my head since the early 90s when I was an intense teenager. Glad to get them into dance now🌹

🥀 Once I had a rarest rose
That ever deigned to bloom
Cruel winter chilled the bud
And stole my flower too soon ....🥀

I'll add a link for the online show when it comes out ❤️

lovesongforavampire

30/11/2025

A few winter pics from cold, sunny Leicester over the last few days.

Ayelstone meadows had it's best face on with beautiful sunlight, clear waters, serene swans and balls of mistletoe.

The waxing Aries moon has already risen today as the sun sinks.

And Stoney Cove is sinking a train into the quarry, which I am very much excited by 😁 (I'm a lover of old trains and of outdoor swimming)

Happy winter for those of us in the northern hemisphere as we slowly make our way to the Solstice.

16/11/2025

I love colouring books. I've been slowly doing this one for about 8 years now.

It helps me sit still through long films and online meetings. It also helps me practice shading and using watercolour pencils techniques.

This one is part of an 'art for mindfulness' series, which has short quotes on the opposite page. The one for the first photo is:

'A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song.'

Anybody else a fan of colouring books? Or wish you could get into them?

10/11/2025

This little cluster of 3 trees is in a somewhat mundane area in Leicester. I have been visiting them since I moved to the area in 2004.

I've come to think of them as the 3 sisters, or the 3 witches. I found them when I felt lost in a career that didn't suit me and have been back to visit in a variety of states. I now greet them with more casual familiarity.

They're always welcoming and have much knowledge to share, with occasional sharp wit and reprimand.

It occurred to me that I'd never sketched them, so these pictures are a prelude to that.

The 3rd pic tries to capture the snug feeling of standing within their circle and looking up. The 4th pic gave me the impression they were holding hands.

🌳