Autumn Chimes

Hard to believe how time has flown by. It is as if it was on the wings of faeries flying over flower buds, it passed so fast. Hurricane Irene left barely a scratch on Halifax. My garden looked undamaged the next day. I hope it was the same for you out there too.

I bought myself a good gardening shovel, the kind that lets you dig deep into the soil of Mother Earth. I finally achieved what I had been itching to do all summer but needed a good gardening shovel to do it with. I feel empowered owning my own good quality gardening tools. Having the tools makes a huge difference. The gardening work I did involved moving plants to new spots and mixing up the soil and things like that.

I added chocolate mint to my garden family of herbs. It smells divine. As I was replanting my shrub and columbine plants, I inhaled the perfume of the soil, felt the energy of the garden, felt the sun beat down on my back and when I watered the garden in the evening, and stood back to admire my hard work, I appreciated the beautiful sight before me. A bee visited my Echinacea and many moquitoes bit me, loving the free meals. Note to self: next time, be properly dressed when gardening to avoid bites.

Today I broke down and bought more herb plants. It has not sunk in yet that plant roots need room to grow and that I don’t have to cover every inch of soil with an herb. Yet I persist. I am restraining myself to not cover all the soil, but it takes real self control. It is tempting to do. Well to be fair, there was about three feet of space that needed to be filled. Right. Halifax Seed has pots of herbs on discount as the season is drawing to a close. I will miss my garden in the winter, in its dormant resting season. I know my garden needs the rest and the roots need to, well, root. Staring at five months of snow is hard. In the spring, tender shoots will emerge and the amazing, awe-inspiring, miraculous cycle of life will begin anew. This year, I plan to put bulbs for spring in the soil.

The leaves are turning from a verdant green to golds and fierce reds. Students are packing for school and collecting school supplies. The next turn in the Wheel of the Year is Mabon. Mabon is a magickal time of year. It precedes Samhain and I like to think of Mabon as leading us up to the stronger energies of Samhain. Enjoy the season!