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September 15, 2023 · 11:32 am

The history and celebration of Mabon )O(

Merry meet all,

Hurricane Lee is headed on a collision course with the Atlantic provinces tomorrow. I have to prepare for a tropical storm. By now, I am accustomed to hurricanes. It’s only one week until Mabon! 

I am more excited about Mabon, obviously. My green bean vines are finally showing white flowers! Tomatoes and more green peppers are growing now too. I don’t know why they waited till now. I can’t wait to harvest them, that and maybe a squash and celery. Today I harvested two Chinese lanterns from my garden. 

Today’s post focuses on Mabon. Enjoy! 

Interestingly, the word Mabon, in its neo-Pagan context, was termed in c. 1970 by New Reformed Orthodox Order of the Golden Dawn founder, Aiden Kelly. It is a reference to a Welsh mythological figure named Mabon ap Modron.

While the word Mabon tends to denote a Pagan/witchery harvest festival and the Fall Equinox or Autumn Equinox as both the astrological event and the more secular observance of such, some people happily use the two names interchangeably.

Other names for Mabon include Feast of the Ingathering, Meán Fómhair, An Clabhsúr, Alban Elfed, and the rather lovely, Harvest Home.

Mabon, much like its counter-sabbat Ostara, is a time of immense balance, as the night and day are roughly the same duration on the Fall Equinox.

From Mabon until Yule in the second half of December, the days will continue to grow ever darker, as we prepare for the long, cold winter months ahead.

At the moment though, at least a hint of warmth still remains in the air for many north of the equator. Far from being an overly solemn event, Mabon is a time of beautiful thanksgiving, inner reflection, harmony, balance, planning, and reflecting on what we’ve reaped or harvested in our lives over the past year.

Mabon is also an excellent time to take a well-deserved break. To relax, slow down, and honour both the shifting seasons and the bountiful harvest of autumn, as well as what we’ve helped to nurture and grow into being in the scope of our own daily existence.

September is one of the richest and most abundant months in terms of food crops, so it is quite natural to include feasting in your Mabon festivities, if so desired.

Not everyone personally identifies with the classic Triple Goddess archetypal iteration of the Maiden/Mother/Crone (and that is 100% okay).

Amongst those that do, however, Mabon is often seen as the point in the year when the Goddess/Divine feminine shifts from her role of Mother to that of the sagely and very powerful Crone.

When is Mabon?

Many, if not most, who observe Mabon in the Northern Hemisphere opt to do so in unison with the September Equinox.

The September, or Fall/Autumn, Equinox, denotes the moment when the sun appears to traverse the celestial equator on its exciting journey south.

It is also – excitingly – the first official calendar day of fall in many parts of the word.

As with Spring Equinox and both the Summer and Winter Solstices, the Fall Equinox can fall within a tight window of days each year. In the case of the Fall Equinox, that window spans September 21st to September 24th.

This year, the Fall Equinox is on September 22nd.

Thus, if you’re wondering when is Mabon 2020, the short answer becomes September 22nd.

However, that said, when and for how many days, one opts to observe a given sabbat is a highly personal choice. Plenty of witches, Pagans, and Wiccans will celebrate Mabon on the Autumn Equinox itself.

Doing so is not a requirement though by any means. Broadly speaking, September 20thto September 30th is considered to be Mabon season – though, in some ways, this season extends until Samhain, at the end of October.

I strongly encourage you to follow your heart and instincts when it comes to celebrating (or not) each of the sabbats and the days that you personally choose to observe them on.

While I generally observe the sabbats that correspond with solstices and equinoxes on the official dates that these events occur, I’ve been known to begin my Mabon celebrations + magickal workings as early as the start of September and to carry on with them well into the highly spiritually charged days of late October.

Is Mabon just for witches, Wiccans and Pagans?

Happily, the sabbats are open to those of all faiths and beliefs. They are days that mark important points in the ever-turning wheel of the year – something that impacts every single person’s life, regardless of their spiritual path or where they live on the planet.

If you feel called to observe and celebrate the Autumn Equinox/Mabon, then by all means have at it.

Life needs all the cheer, positivity, gratitude, and reasons to make merry that we can possibly muster.

After all, it is not without good reason that Mabon is sometimes called the Pagan Thanksgiving or Witches Thanksgiving.

However, I personally believe that the Fall Equinox has the ability to serve as a universal Thanksgiving Day for anyone around the world who wishes to focus on the blessings of the harvest season.

How to celebrate the Fall Equinox/Mabon

In the list that follows this section, numerous specific ways to celebrate Mabon are laid out. However, these are but fifteen of the limitless approaches one can take to honouring the harvest season.

Mabon is an excellent time to focus on thanksgiving, blessings, gratitude, warmth (what remains from the sun’s rays and that which we foster in our own lives and relationships), harmony, serenity, the liminal nature of the equinoxes, and other aspects of the season that resonate with our own hearts.

You may wish to create or decorate an existing altar for Mabon, hold a Mabon feast – be it for one or one hundred, take a leisurely nature walk, decorate your home for fall time (one of my personal faves!), reach out to people you hold dear to thank them for the ways in which they enrich your life, harvest some fruit, vegetables, herbs or other plants of your own, visit a corn maze or pumpkin patch, make seasonally related jewelry or other craft projects, create corn dollies, watch the leaves fall, or have a lovely bonfire at this point in the year.

Celebrate Mabon in the way(s) that feel right and natural to you and your spiritual path, that realistically work within the parameters of your daily life, and which, hopefully, bring you both happiness and an even deeper sense of connection to the wonders of fall time.

15 free and low-cost ways to celebrate Mabon

1. Gather natural treasures. While spring and summer might see more live greenery, I’d argue that no season offers quite the bounty of natural treasures than autumn does.

Even in the heart of sprawling metropolises, fall still shines radiantly and proudly via the changing leaves and early morning frost.

If you’re able to do so, head outside and take a leisurely look around for offerings from Gaia that you can bring home with you to use for all manner of purposes. From decorating your home and altar to (when applicable) eating now or storing away for the coming year until fall returns once again.

As always, ensure that anything you source is done in a legal and ethical manner, and that you are not greatly disrupting the local ecosystem by removing any elements from a given surrounding.

Some wonderful things to keep your eyes on high alert for during the crisp, gorgeous days of early to mid-autumn include dried leaves, strips of shed bark, seed pods, pine cones, chestnuts, acorns, walnuts, hazelnuts (filberts), seasonal wildflowers, corn husks, safe to eat wild foods (fruits, berries, vegetables, roots, herbs, mushrooms, etc), shed animal skins and antlers, empty bird’s egg shells, and feathers.

Give thanks for each treasure that you find and consider leaving an offering, picking up trash in the vicinity, or otherwise honouring the area that you’ve been forging for fall time nature finds in.

2. Engage in banishing magic. Banishing is something that aligns powerfully with the harvest season, as one distinct chapter of the year (the growing season of spring and summer) transforms into the harvesting, resting and renewing period that is fall and winter.

This year, most of us are feeling the need to weave some banishing work into our spiritual practices now more than ever.

If you’re keen to do just that, I highly recommend this Apple Magick Banishing Spell for Mabon that I penned as another of the guest posts that I had the pleasure of writing for The Witch of Lupine Hollow.

This spell is simple, meaningful, and, in my personal experience, highly effective. It also supports the spirit of the Autumn Equinox, which invites us to part ways with and to gather strength and renewed focus for the coming chilly months.

3. Learn a new skill or further your education. While many a year may have passed since you last sat behind a school desk, one of the greatest gifts in life is that we have the ability to keep learning long after our days of formal classroom education are behind us.

In many parts of the world, the new school year begins in August or September.

Growing up, I adored the start of the school year and often find myself missing the heady rush of resuming classroom learning, a backpack bulging with new pencils and notebooks slung over my shoulder, when September returns.

While I won’t be raising my hand during rollcall again anytime soon, one way I can help temper this longing is to throw myself into learning or honing a new skill or area of interest as fall returns.

Sometimes my focus is squarely Pagan/witchy related, at others it may pertain to crafts, my health, the culinary arts, photography, or a multitude of other topics.

If there’s something you’ve been keen to learn more about, a class you’ve been wanting to take, or a subject you’d like to brush up, the Autumn Equinox is a superb time to honour your mind and enrich your life in the process.

4. Practice leaf divination. Formally known as phyllomancy, divining via leaves is an ancient practice whose roots (pun intended) likely stretch back to the early days of human existence.

Leaves are abundant in most parts of the world, so it stands to reason that they were a probable source for early peoples to turn to when engaging in divination. Historical records tell us that phyllomancy was used by cultures such as the ancient Greeks, Assyrians, Romans, Celts, and Chinese, to name but a few.  

There are various ways to look for omens, signs, meanings, and answers in leaves. They include listening to the sounds, such as rustling, that they make, interpreting their shapes and colours (as well as if a leaf has fallen face up or face down), reading the veins and characteristic markings of a given leaf, using groups or piles of leaves in much the same way as tealeaf reading (tasseomancy), interrupting images seen in burning leaves, and mental impressions that present themselves to you when looking at autumn leaves.

5. Donate to a local food bank or other food-related charity. While fall is known as the season of plenty thanks to the abundance of agricultural crops that are harvest at this point in the year, the sad truth is that even in a world teeming with food, not everyone gets enough to eat and/or has an ongoing sense of food security.

If you have unexpired non-perishable foods to share, the means to make a monetary donation, and/or ability to volunteer some of your time to help out at a local food bank, soup kitchen or similar facility, Mabon is an excellent time of the year to do so.

If this is not possible, think about other ways that you might be able to share some of the bounty – be it modest or vast – of your own food stores with others.

For example, do you have an elderly neighbour who would appreciate a hearty homemade pumpkin bread, a pot of delicious acorn squash soup, or basket of perfectly ripe apples from the tree in your backyard?

As in many areas of life, it is often possible to give and enrich the lives of others without breaking the bank – or, in some cases, involving any money at all.

6. Create a crystal grid for Mabon. Crystal grids are incredible ways to harness the power, energy and benefits of working with crystals.

I adore putting together blessed and charged crystal grids for the Pagan holidays, often leaving them on one of my altars until the next sabbat approaches.

The sky is the limit when it comes to designing and laying out a crystal grid for Mabon.

You could opt to include only crystals, stones and/or rocks or may wish to involve other natural or manmade elements as well.

Numerous crystals are associated with Mabon. These include, but are not limited to, citrine, aragonite, jasper, sunstone, garnet, amber, cat’s eye, orange calcite, carnelian, pyrite, aventurine, peach selenite, rhyolite, and peach moonstone.

In addition to crystals and stones, I love including natural materials – particularly those that I’ve gathered myself – in my Mabon crystal grids.

Some great additions are sunflowers and their seeds, marigolds, dried summertime flowers, pumpkin seeds, mini pumpkins and gourds, apples (fresh or dried), pears (fresh or dried), ears of dried corn and/or corn husks, sheaves of wheat, fall leaves, acorns, chestnuts, seed pods, and feathers.

7.  Recycle old candles to make new candles. Let’s face it, most of us witchy and Pagan folk love a good candle – or fifty! 😄 And while plenty may be burned until completion, chances are that you have some partially used candles laying around the house as we speak.

This Mabon season, to honour the warmth and light that helped to create the bountiful fall harvest, to prepare for the coming months of autumn and winter darkness, and to celebrate the fact that the fall equinox is a day of balance between the eternal sources of light and darkness, why not make some candles from existing ones that you have on hand?

The web is rife with tutorials on how to turn old candle ends, bits and pieces into new candles. YouTube is a great place to watch videos of how to do just that.

Check out How to Make New Candles from Your Old Candles Tutorial, How to Melt Old Candle Wax into New Candles to REUSE Candle Wax!, and How To Make a Candle from Old Candle Pieces to get started.

While a small number of basic candle making materials may be required for some of these techniques, the outlay in cost can usually be kept to a minimum – especially if you don’t plan to turn candle making into a major hobby or business.

Fall is a fantastic time of the year to sweep away, clean up and declutter the old, parting ways with what we can, while recycling and revamping in other areas. Handmade candles are one shining – again, pun intended – way to do just that.

8. Reflect on loss, death and the natural cycle of life. It’s safe to say that 2020 has driven these themes home for many people in powerful, perhaps for some individuals even unprecedented, ways.  

It is beyond the scope of this post to even so much as skim the surface of grief processing and management or to delve into the extraordinary degree of loss + suffering that the world has endured this year.

Whether you chose to reflect on how death has touched and shaped 2020 or these subjects as they pertain to other areas of your life/spiritual path is entirely up to you. There is no right or wrong here at all.

Of all the sabbats (as they transpire in the Northern Hemisphere), none is as closely linked to death, the spirit realm, ancestors, and imagery pertaining to the dead than Samhain.

Yet, Mabon, which proceeds Samhain by just a few short weeks, is another point in the year when the veil thins and workings (and thoughts) pertaining to death are especially appropriate.

After all, what does the autumn equinox mark but the death of summer. Even if the warmth and radiant sunlight of the former season lingers a while longer, as far as science and the calendar alike are concerned, summer is officially over.

While one might feel full on grief over the loss of summer – and, conversely, plenty rejoice when this point arrives – it is worthwhile to reflect on the season that was and to thank the universe for the chance to experience another summer.

Consider performing rituals and workings pertaining to some aspect of death, be it seasonal, connected to departed people or animals, or the general theme of death and the roles it plays in each of our journeys through life. 

Visit a graveyard or cemetery, hold a dumb supper, connect with ancestral spirits, do tarot or oracle reading that relates to death, engage in death positive activities, or do anything else pertaining to death that feels right (and safe!) to you this autumn.

9. Dress is fall time colours. While black and grey (and to a lesser extent, dark brown) are have been the powerhouses of my wardrobe for years now, fall’s colour palette has a starring role in my closer the whole year through as well.

When autumn itself returns, I leap headfirst all the more into donning rich, earthy, elegant shades of everything from maroon to saffron, pumpkin to olive, cocoa to crimson and plenty of others.

Each colour in the visible spectrum connects to elements of nature, has meaningful spiritual correspondences and connections, and can impact everything from our mood to how people perceive us.

When it comes to fall time dressing, some great colour choices include:

-Burgundy and maroon

-Reds, especially darker shades (such as scarlet, brick, and cranberry) and those with blue undertones

-Muted or, conversely, intense shades of earthy pink and peach, such as puce, salmon, and dusty rose

-Oranges, including rust, pumpkin, marigold, copper, persimmon, and terracotta

-Yellows and golds, including honey, saffron, sunflower, camel, brass, bronze, and mustard yellow

-Earthy greens like chartreuse, olive, sage, and moss

-Darker greens such as spruce, pine, forest, and hunter

-Deep, inky blues such as navy, midnight, dark denim, teal, and peacock

-Purples such plum, berry, sangria, bordeaux, eggplant (aubergine), and dusty shades of purple

-Browns, particularly medium and darker toned shades, as well as those with golden undertones, such as caramel, nutmeg, butterscotch, and toffee

-Greys in general, though darker shades spanning slate to charcoal are especially appropriate

-Silver and gunmetal

-Muted whites, creams, and ivories

-Black and colours so dark they almost look black (e.g., black cherry)

You do need to look like a walking poster for fall 24/7, of course (though, I’ll be the first to welcome you to team fall fashion, if you do! 😃).

From small splashes – say a scarf, pair of boots, bracelet, or hair accessory – to full-on ensembles and everything in between, you can rock as much or as little of autumn’s color palette this season.

And, in doing so, know that you are aligning yourself all the more with the energy and natural palette of this beautiful chapter of the year.

Likewise, these colours are all stellar choices for fall time altars, candles, home décor, seasonal décor, party colour schemes, craft projects, and even the foods you prepare throughout the autumn months.

10. Create an outdoor Mabon altar. If you have a safe, private place to do so, consider creating a seasonal altar outdoors for Mabon or adorning an existing outdoor altar in ways that align with Mabon and your spiritual path.

The wonderful blog Raising Knights and Fairies has a great post How to Make an Outdoor Mabon Altar, if you’re looking for some handy inspiration for your own altar Fall Equinox season altar.

Your altar need not be massive. You can base it off of small outdoor table, a stable rock or tree stump, or simply a cleared spot of land.

During the years when I lived on the 23rd floor of a high-rise apartment building, I often made lovely little outdoor altars throughout the year on our balcony in (or on top of) small recycled wooden and plastic crates.

Another possible place – assuming doing so wouldn’t risk damaging anything you may have planted – is to create altars in planter style window boxes.

Plus, a hanging altar can also be constructed from things such as planters, macramé, or woven baskets, if elevating your altar is a more feasible or desirable approach.

11. Make sun prints from leaves or other seasonal items. The process – aided by a little bit of chemical alchemy – of crating prints using the sun and natural (or manmade) objects is known as cyanotype. It is a form of non-mechanical, aka camera-less, photography that’s creates a cyan blue coloured print.

This process helped to name the act of making blueprints, as cyanotypes were a relatively easy way to create copies of drawing before the advent of more advance copying and image reproduction methods.

Cyanotypes often have a serene elegance to them, and the finished product – be it on paper or fabric can make for gorgeous home décor or be put to work in craft projects.

Creating cyanotypes will likely incur the expense of the materials needed, so it is not the absolute lowest option on this list. However, most kits (or individually sourced and utilized materials) create multiple prints, which helps to keep the costs down on a project-by-project basis.

If you’d rather skip the outlay involved, there are other methods such as preserving leaves with wax paper that are apt to cost you little to nothing (if you have waxed paper to hand already).

As well, the classic act of simply placing fall leaves beneath drawing paper and rubbing a wax crayon, pastel stick, or pencil crayon overtop to produce a rubbing of the leaves never goes out of style and can bring back a lovely hit of nostalgia for those of us who made leaf rubbings during our school days.

With any leaf art related project, consider displaying the end result on or near your altar/sacred space or otherwise giving it pride of place in your home this fall.

12. Gather up and record your favourite recipes. I’m a passionate home cook and kitchen witch the whole year through, but the moment the first fall leaf drops, I make a beeline for the pantry + stove like there’s no tomorrow! 😃

Many of us associate the colder months with comfort food, nostalgic dishes, and fond memories of the eats we adored (or otherwise ate) when we were growing up.

If you’re not already recording some of your favourite recipes – or haven’t updated your recipe book in a while – fall is the ideal time to jot down those dishes that make your heart, stomach and soul happy.

If so desired, feel free to include notes on any magickal workings or other spiritual elements that you’ve preformed or associate with your recipes.

Let your loved ones know about your treasure trove of recipes and don’t be shy about sharing copies of them. Passing along recipes is a time-honoured tradition and one that feels all the more at home come the season of potlucks (potlatches), Thanksgiving, Halloween/Samhain, and fall feasting.

13. Make your very own corn husk witch doll. I gasped, audibly gasped, when I first saw this beautiful DIY project online. With a few craft and household supplies, you can create what has to be one of the most perfect, witchery approved corn husk related crafts of all time: a corn husk witch doll.

Not only is your finished corn husk witch doll a wonderful representation of the spiritual bond we share with fall, but it can become a treasured piece that you either bring out each autumn or leave on your altar or elsewhere in your house the whole year through.

As well, I cannot help but think what a splendid gift for your fellow witchy and Halloween adoring friends one of these special corn husk dolls would be.

14. Go on a fall time picnic. Unless you are fortunate enough to live somewhere that never gets truly cold, chances are that pristine al fresco dining weather will soon be drawing to a close in your area.

Before it does, why not prepare or purchase and pack up a scrumptious picnic to be enjoyed in the majesty of the great outdoors (be it a safe public setting or the comfort of your own backyard)?

For extra fall time fun, correspondences and meaning, you could opt to feature a menu comprised of seasonal foods such as those involving pumpkin, squash, apples, plums, pears, grapes, cider, perry (pear cider), mead, wine, honey, pomegranates, corn, squash, leeks, onions, garlic, cornbread, hearty breads, oats, nuts and seeds, salmon, turkey, venison, and warm spices such as pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, ginger, mustard, and cardamom.

15. Set intentions for the coming year. Samhain is often seen as the witches New Year. I myself view and utilize it in this meaningful capacity. Yet I have long been doing much the same with the return of fall as well.

The ball may drop on time square at the stroke of midnight on January 1st, but for myself and plenty of others, different points in the year feel like more natural or intrinsic starts to the next year for us.

Fall’s return is my new year and as such I make a point to be brutally and lovingly honest with myself about what it is I would ideally like to accomplish between now and the following Mabon.

I set intentions big and small, access how those from past years are doing, and accept that some past intentions either will not come to be or may no longer be realistic.

You can do the same through thoughts alone, by writing your intentions down, doing intention related spell work, making a vlog style video about your intentions, or utilizing another method that jives with your life.

Think big and dream broadly, but remember to keep at least a toe or two planted firmly in the reality of your current existence.

And keep in mind too that, much like traditional New Year’s resolutions, you will generally have to actively work to make your intentions and goals come to fruition.

Hope, luck, and faith all have their place, but so does self-propelled manifestation.

Credit given to: https://witchcraftedlife.com/15-free-and-low-cost-ways-to-celebrate-mabon-fall-equinox/

Blessings, Spiderwitch

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August 2, 2023 · 6:34 pm

Herbs and horror stories

Merry meet all,

I can’t wait to tell you all the good news! My short fiction horror story, Skin, will appear in the November issue of the Horror Zine! I am so happy. I am so excited! I now have one more amazing reason to love fall. I never imagined I would get that story published. I got so many rejections but it proves that perseverance and faith pay off. I will post the link here when it is available. I am very happy about that. And no wonder. 

It is so hot here today, as I type at my Mom’s keyboard. I am determined to reach up to 900 blog posts. I’m getting there. My kitty Penny loves it here. She is here somewhere, covering the furniture and chairs with all her abundant cat hair. 

I love herbs. I am sure that anyone who has been loyally following this blog, and I hope some of you do, would know I am a fanatic for herbs. I brought more herbs home recently. I got black petunia flowers, a tricolor sage, another apple mint, calendula, borage and lovage. My garden is beautiful. The apple mint is growing well so I added a second apple mint. The lemon balm patch is huge. I plan to divide it this fall. Then I will have more room in my garden for other herbs. My green pepper plant is starting to show peppers. No tomatoes yet but I am sure they will show up. I bought copper ties to deter the slugs and placed the ties at the bases of my beans, pepper, squash plants. I also added them to the black petunias. I hope the copper ties help. 

This weekend, I plan to make jam with all the frozen fruit in my freezer. Blueberries, strawberries, haskap berries and rhubarb lie in wait. I look forward to that. I also have frozen orange rind. Mm I can imagine the taste already. 

The purple coneflower is coming along and will soon be in bloom. I am not 100% certain yet what is going on with my elecampane plant. I cut the lovage back and I noticed new growth. The mint herbs I have: apple mint, peppermint, spearmint, after eight mint and strawberry mint are growing well. They will make nice tea herbs. The lemon balm intends to take over the garden and makes no mystery about it. The nettle is growing well but I didn’t get much mugwort this year. The comfrey is growing well but I need to tie up the canes. I spied a few Chinese lanterns are growing well. The blueberries will be ripe soon and so will the raspberries. My garden receives more sunlight because the hurricane broke a tree branch. I believe that is why my garden is so beautiful and fruitful this year. The sage and oregano are growing well too as are the lavender and rosemary. 

My garden surprises me every year. I regularly water my garden, protect it, and fertilize it. I add plant supports and I usually just stand back and let my garden do its thing. I love gardening and watching my plants become beautiful and vibrant. I suppose I could bring in the lavender. I will bring in the rosemary, since I have a grow light kit. I plan to harvest a lot of dandelion roots this fall and use my dehydrator to dry them. 

I really want to see the upcoming horror movie, The Last Voyage of the Demeter. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1001520/ I really can’t wait and I have saved up for it. The other movie I want to see is the new instalment in The Conjuring franchise, Insidious: The Red Door. Yeah I love the movies so much, of The Conjuring and Insidious. I want to write more horror stories (well, see top paragraph for a good explanation of why.) Pretty darn nice to get it published! I never expected that. Yeah I have to keep writing. Moments like that renew my enthusiasm and give me one more reason to keep living and keep going. It’s a bad idea to quit writing, no matter how hard, because one day that editor may send you an acceptance email. So please, persevere! Prove your mettle! 

And stay cool during all this great hot summer heat. It won’t last. Fall is around the corner!

Blessings, Spiderwitch

 

 

 

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June 10, 2022 · 12:45 pm

Litha

Merry meet all,

 We had a big rainstorm over the last 2 days. It was amazing how much rain there was. I just checked my garden and everything survived. Now the sun is shining his hardest. 

A word of caution here: Pretty Litter is the biggest money grab scam EVER. Yup I will never buy cat litter from them again. My Mom gave me money for cat litter. I had already bought a bag of cat litter. They withdrew the money as if they had every right before I could even get to the store to buy the shoes. I checked my account thanks to a mobile app. The money was gone and I knew who the rat was. Pretty Litter has some dodgy crap excuse and some serious erroneous self-entitlement attitude problem. They stole the money, refuse to issue a refund despite me making it amply clear I never wanted a second box of cat litter. They refuse to refund my Mother. They never sent a second box of cat litter. I am so contacting the Better Business Bureau to report their sorry butts. I bet I won’t get the second box of cat litter either. I never received a confirmation email. They now have some unbelievable non refund policy. They ever withdraw even a dime from my account again. They will regret it. I just reported them to the Better Business Bureau. I feel so good right now. 

The Summer Solstice approaches! My garden is in full gorgeous green swing. It already is summer in my garden. Everything is in bloom and every insect in creation is enjoying it. Litha is the summer solstice and marks the beginning of the summer season. It is the longest day of the year and the shortest night of the year. It marks the height of the sun’s power. 

The God is now in his power and the Goddess brings forth abundance. The crops are full. Ancient Witches and pagans  celebrated Litha with torch processions and maintaining a balance between the Elements of Fire and Water. Herbs were gathered for their healing powers. 

Decorate your altar with fresh flowers, herbs and fruit. Perform a re dedication ritual to the God and Goddess. Burn a candle to show a devotion to the Horned God. 

Litha is also known as Midsummer. Now is a good time to perform faerie Magick. They are out and about now. Offer them blessings and they will help you in your garden! 

SYMBOLS OF LITHA

Colors:  Blue, green, yellow, pink, purple (look to nature for the colors of Litha, as seen in the sky, woods and flowers) 

Foods:  Honey, elderberry, strawberry, fennel, thyme, fresh greens, mead, light wines 

Stones:  Peridot, diamond, emeralds, lapis lazuli  

Symbols:  Bonfire, sunwheels, flowers  

Flowers & Plants:Oak, mistletoe,, elderflower, lavender, pine, fern, pine, rose 

Deities:   Aphrodite, Astarte, Freya, Ishtar, Helios, Llew, Holly King, Lugh, Sol, Ra, Zeus, Thor  

WAYS TO CELEBRATE LITHA 

  • Make floral wreaths for your front door

  • Host a bonfire and potluck for family and friends 

  • Gather and dry herbs to use throughout the coming year

  • Take time to meditate and give thanks for the blessings you have in your life 

  • Create an ‘invisibilty’ amulet from seeds of ferns gathered on midsummer eve 

  • Build a Faerie House in the woods, to invite their goodwill into your life 

 

https://www.mabonhouse.co/litha

Blessings, Spiderwitch

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October 8, 2021 · 11:48 am

Autumn Recipes – Apple Chutney & Applesauce

Merry meet all,

We all feel that telltale chill in the air. My garden must be feeling the chill.. I just harvested tomatoes and a cucumber. The pumpkin vine struggles to grow before the frost claims it and the rest of the garden. The wind blows hard through the trees. I am thankful for the frost blanket that protects my plants. The cucumbers will be the final harvest.

Let’s begin October on the right buckled shoe! It’s time to dig out your favourite cozy winter woollies.  One of my favourite sweaters to wear in the fall hails from Killstar. I love the long black sweater because of the graphic Purr Evil. ( I am but not as evil as my cat, ok, just kidding). I have a few other warm woolly sweaters, and I love the black cable knit pullover cardigan. It matches everything I wear and always looks great. Always wash your sweaters in cold water and allow to air dry. They will last years. Dig out scarves, mitts and gloves. Brush them clean of dust or hair. Put away the summer gear. It’s hard yeah but we need to protect our health.

Now that you are all cozy and styling, venture outdoors for a lovely nature walk. Gather pinecones, acorns, flowers, seeds for next spring, and chryanthemums or marigolds. View the change of the colors of the tree leaves. Feel the fresh crisp air blow your hair. Observe the birds and squirrels storing their seeds away for the long cold rest. Carry a cup of joe or chai tea with you to guard against the chill. Collect apples in a basket – but first get permission if you have to to pick them – to make applesauce or chutney. Grab a pumpkin and now you are all set! You can melt wax in a double boiler and coat gorgeous fiery coloured autumn leaves to preserve them. If  you have a press, save the leaves and then press them into your Book of Shadows. Make your own paper with flowers you saved from your nature walk. Create an original pumpkin carving design. Download herbal tea recipes suited for fall. Invite your friends out to a big pumpkin patch and. or apple picking lot. 

Apple folklore
The apple has taken a prominent place in world mythos, often associated with magic, paradise, and the gifts of knowledge and sensual experience. … Apple has been called Fruit of the Gods, Fruit of the Underworld, and the Silver Bough due to her associations with the underworld.

Now what to do with all those apples? Simple. Try making this chutney. Your pals will be impressed. 

ZESTY APPLE CHUTNEY RECIPE

Prep Time: 30 minutes.     Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds apples
  • 1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar or coconut sugar
  • 1/4 – 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • zest of one orange
  • 1 cup water

Gather all the ingredients. One tip for keeping apples and pumpkins fresh is to combine one part white vinegar with 4-6 cups water. Put it in a bowl and dip the fruit into it. If the pumpkin is large, then rub the mixture over the whole pumpkin then let dry. They will last you longer. Core, peel and chop the apples and the onion. Add the ingredients to a good sized pot. Mix all the ingredients together. Don’t let this burn. Cook at medium heat, bring to a boil then let it simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. Stir frequently. Taste test the chutney to ensure the ingredients are blending nicely. Check the acidity of the chutney. 

Remove pot from heat and allow to cool. Store the chutney in jars. Wipe the rims of the jars before tightening the lids. You can if you wish preserve the jars in  a water bath canner for 10-15 minutes. Label the jar before storing. 

 

APPLESAUCE RECIPE

  • Ingredients
    4 pounds of apples (about 8 to 10 apples, depending on the size), peeled, cored, and quartered (use apples varieties that are good for cooking such as Granny Smith, Pippin, Gravenstein, Mcintosh, Fuji, Jonathan, Jonagold, or Golden Delicious)
    2 strips of lemon peel (use a vegetable peeler to strip the zest only, not the pith)
    3 tablespoons lemon juice or apple cider vinegar (more or less to taste)
    1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    Up to 1/2 cup of white sugar (can sub half of the white sugar with brown sugar)
    1 cup of water
    1/2 teaspoon of salt

Boil peeled, cored, quartered apples with lemon, cinnamon, sugar, salt in 1 cup water:
Place the peeled, cored, and quartered apples into a large pot. Add the strips of lemon peel, the lemon juice or vinegar, cinnamon, sugar, water and salt. (You might want to start with half the sugar at this point and add more to taste later.)

Bring to a boil on high heat, then lower the temperature, cover the pot, and maintain a low simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the apples are completely tender and cooked through.

Remove lemon peels, mash the cooked apples:
Once the apples are cooked through, remove the pot from the heat. Remove the lemon peels.

Use a potato masher to mash the cooked apples in the pot to make a chunky applesauce. For a smoother applesauce you can either run the cooked apples through a food mill, or purée them using a stick blender or a standing blender. (If you use a standing blender, do small batches and do not fill the blender bowl more than halfway.)

If the applesauce is too thick, add more water to thin it out.

If not sweet enough, add more sugar to taste. If too sweet, add more lemon juice.

This applesauce is delicious either hot or chilled. It pairs well with pork chops for savory dishes, it’s terrific with cottage cheese as a snack or light lunch, and it’s great with vanilla ice cream or yogurt. Label the jar before storing it. 

Freezes well and will last at least a year in a cold freezer. If you freeze it, make sure to allow enough headroom in your jar for expansion. At least an inch.

If you are truly keen on harvesting herbs for autumn, elderberries, burdock and dandelion are good healthy choices. Take cuttings of chives, mint, sorrel, sage, lavender, rosemary, thyme, oregano, Harvest all the basil. Dip the cuttings into a rooting hormone powder and plant them in a terracotta pot with fertilizer enriched soil. Save the seeds from the garden. I harvested a huge patch of lemon balm. I now have more seeds than I will know what to do with. When the seed heads of lavender are brown, that is the time to harvest the seeds. Whether you save seeds in a paper bag or a jar, label, label, label!! You need to know sage from sorrel. So you won’t recall what seed is which a few months from now. Don’t leave it to memory. Download pretty labels and get creative! 

You can have tons of fun during autumn and be creative in the kitchen. If you grew a bounty of herbs during the summer, why not use them in your favourite recipes? Or learn a new recipe. I never made chutney before but it sure enlivened my tastebuds. Wow. 

Blessed Be, Spiderwitch

 

 

 

 

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July 19, 2021 · 11:51 am

A Witch’s Garden )O(

Merry meet all,

I am posting here about my garden. There is not too much going on with the paranormal here. That is not my only passion. My garden is my other passion. I am proud to state here that the mugwort is growing to a height of nearly  seven feet high! The doe in the photo above visited my garden! I was amazed that the deer stood that close. Wow she sniffed the plants then left. I can’t blame her. She probably preferred the security of being in hiding. 

I have more lemon balm than I know what to do with. I am also growing lovage, lavender, mint, basil, cilantro, parsley, dill, chamomile, thyme, lemon verbena, nasturtiums, red clover and anise hyssop. I’m growing cucumbers, cabbage, tomatoes, onions, potatoes, popcorn, purple beans, green peas, pumpkin, and yellow string beans. I can’t wait for harvest. !! For fruit, I’m growing raspberry canes, strawberries, haskap berries (I enjoyed them in my Cheerios(, and blueberries. 

This year, I used more fertilizers. One fertilizer I am very fond of is Gaia Green Organics Power bloom. My elecampane, comfrey and other plants have all greatly benefited from this rich fertilizer. I can’t believe the difference in my garden. Why didn’t I know about this stuff sooner? Oh well I do now and I love it. My comfrey flowered this year. I was sure I killed it. I enchanted the comfrey plant and elecampane which grow close together in the garden and they both grew better as a result of it. 

I want to share gardening tips with you!!! Enjoy.  Note: I wrote this for a family member but anyone can read and benefit from this listing of tips. 

Gardening Tips

Read and enjoy!!

Here are tips on how to grow the best cucumbers and tomatoes EVER!!

 

  • Plant tomatoes and cucumbers in full sun in rich, fertile soil. Amend the soil
  • Remove rocks and debris and weeds. Or the plants will compete with the weeds for the nutrients.
  • If you want, add gemstones to the soil to help plants grow. Clear quartz crystal and green stones such as aventurine and jade are good choices. The gemstones radiate energy which energizes the soil.
  • Grow veggies where there are lots of earthworms- a good sign! They aerate the soil – loosen it up.
  • Add worm castings for soil improvement and nutrients. Your plants will thank you.
  • Support the plants with stakes and clips to support the plant’s growth.
  • If you can, add a fish head to the hole where you plan to grow tomatoes. Then leave it there, like never dig it up.The tomato plant would get tons of nutrients though!!
  • Water the veggie plants regularly. If left to drought, they bolt and go to seed.
  • Leave room between each plant. Avoid overcrowding them. Plants are healthy when they have enough room between the plants. That way they don’t get moldy or mildewy.
  • Support tomato plants in cages or with stakes. When they can grow tall and straight, they produce more better flowers. Cucumbers can grow vertically but they need support.
  • Start your veggies, flowers or herbs early in the growing season. That way they get more time to develop and grow more fully.
  • No pesticides! Plant flowers nearby that would attract pollinators. If you have to pollinate the plants yourself, using a paintbrush, gently dab at the male veggie flower and add the pollen to the female flower. Bees usually do this for us. When installing a cage to support the tomato plant as it grows, place it there early on and don’t hurt the roots. Then you are good to go!

Watering

  • Water the plants regularly. I use a hose and a jug. The jug is reserved for applying fertilizers such as fish emulsion and miracle gro. Read the instructions to know how much to apply and how often. A little goes a long way. Never add too much at once!
  • I like to water my garden early in the morning. This lets the plants dry and stay healthy. Watering at night can attract slugs. Plants reach deep down for water and nutrients. Regular watering ensures they don’t dry out. Water the roots of the plants. That is why it is a very good idea to have flowers or something nearby to attract them. Bees are unsung heroes.

Fertilizer

  • Ready for a cocktail of fertilizer? Ok
  • Chopped up banana peels add potassium to the soil.
  • Never add egg shells to the garbage again! You can add an entire egg to your soil, the shells, the water you boiled the eggs in. It all should go to your garden for a boost of calcium. Plus, the sharp edges deter slugs. I save egg shells by letting them dry out in a bowl then grinding them to a near powder and storing in a dry jar.
  • Miracle Gro is a good choice but read it carefully. Yes, plants need nitrogen. Yet sometimes, the products contain more nitrogen than the much more necessary potassium and phosphorus. Make sure that you achieve a balance of all these nutrients.
  • Other good helpful fertilizers are bonemeal, blood meal, seaweed extract.
  • Less popular choices but as useful are molasses and Epsom salts. I am in debate as to how they much really help or are just a fad.
  • I like to add both granular and liquid fertilizers to my garden. The Gaia Green Organics Power Bloom fertilizer has made a big difference in the productivity of my plants. Liquid and granular are both beneficial. A little does a lot, remember.
  • I scratch back some soil at the base of the plant, spoon in the granular fertilizer without disturbing the roots, then put the soil back. The grains eventually break down. Always water after adding it to the soil.
  • Rapid Grow Vegetable and Tomato Fertilizer is granular. It has a 5 -10 -5 fertilizer which contains 5% nitrogen, 8% phosphorus, 10% potash, 4% calcium, and 1.9% magnesium. This really does work. These products are available at Halifax Seed.
  • Neptune Harvest Fish Emulsion liquid fertilizer is smelly but almost magical! I love adding it to my plants.
  • I save the water that I use to boil veggies in and add that to my plants for a nutrient boost!
  • The soil must be replenished each spring. This helps in the productivity and health of your plants.

Light

  • Cucumbers and tomatoes and most other plants are happy in the sun! I grew my tomatoes from seed indoors in a sunny area. I started the seeds in soil in Styrofoam cups. Sun, sun, sun. I poked a hole in the cups and labeled them.
  • Let the plants also grow in a spot where they are sheltered but also get the wind. Wind sends a message to plants to grow a thicker stalk. That is why I like having a garden. The plants are exposed to all the elements.
  • This is why it’s vital to support the plants. In case of really strong winds, the cages and supports hopefully keep the plants from being knocked over.
  • After June 21, the sunlight decreases. Go ahead and try to give your budding plants a long growing season.

 

Soil

  • I am glad to hear you prepared the garden bed first. That is vital. I can share some soil mixes I made for my plants. I went to some real work for one of my haskap berry plants. I got a big bowl and I mixed up some fertilizers in the bowl. Before I added that to the spot where the plant would grow, (and I even added a quartz gemstone), I dug a big hole where I would plant it. Then I added the soil from that hole to the bowl. I did my best to remove rocks and debris. It was cold out there but I sat in the cold and worked it. Then when I had removed as many little stones as I could, I added the mixture back to the root hole. Then I put the haskap plant in. The rest is history.
  • I worked the soil in the veggie patch last year. I raked all the to soil back. It was a big patch. I had everything I needed at hand. I cracked a whole egg and added that. I added the egg shells I had stored all fall and winter to the soil. I added bonemeal, worm castings, and mixed it all up. I put the topsoil back and mixed it all together. After that, I added the plants.

Pests

  • There are neutral ways to counteract pests in your garden.
  • Remember, pests can develop a resistance to the toxic chemicals of pesticides which I never add to my garden.
  • Beneficial insects happily march to the front lines in a faceoff with the bad bugs. It’s nature’s way. I direct seed nasturtium plants in my garden. Direct seed means plant the seeds right in the soil rather than starting the plants inside. The nasturtiums attract the aphids (which ants harvest, btw), but that gets the attention of the beneficial insects. Ladybugs eat aphids!
  • I sprinkle diatomaceous earth around the base of my plants to deter slugs. Use broken glass bits, egg shells and coffee grounds. The grounds contain nitrogen but it is OK. Add it again after the rain. The egg shells + grounds are hard on slugs’ soft slimy bodies. Beer in a deep dish catches them too.
  • Make a mix of water, dish soap and cayenne to a spray bottle. Spritz your plants with it. If plants taste bad, the bugs won’t eat it. But to save your tastebuds, always wash what you bring in from the garden.
  • If plants are healthy, they can resist most bugs that want to eat them. Bugs can be washed off your plants with a strong spray of water.

 

Harvest

  • After all that hard work, the harvest is the reward. I don’t know how to stop powdery mildew. It can affect the harvest. Following most of the above tips can hopefully avert that problem.
  • If the frost is near, then it is time to bring in your fruits! For me, it is a bittersweet time. If plants are cut from the vine, they get no more nutrients. But at some point, we all have to do it.
  • Tomatoes can ripen on a windowsill. Cucumbers can ripen indoors. I can’t wait to harvest my onions. Some veggies have to be ‘cured’ first. They have to dry out for a few days so they are ready for storage.
  • Mm who can resist veggies you grew yourself? Not a touch of that Monsanto poisoning. Yeah, I suspect my primary blog was hacked cuz I was outspoken about Monsanto. Ha didn’t stop me.
  • Vines and stalks can be left to decompose and yes add their own nutrients to the soil. For example, I grow peas every year which are a natural source of nitrogen. When they are done, I cut the vines, get the last of the peas, and add the vines and the soil to the garden from the pots. All winter, they break down, leaving behind a good dose of nitrogen.
  • But tomato stalks take a long time to decompose. Don’t worry. Just put them somewhere else in the garden to die back.

Seeds

  • You can save your own seeds from your plants. You need as much patience with this as you had when growing your tomatoes and cukes.
  • Always keep only the strongest plants and the strongest seeds. Those strong seeds adapt to the growing conditions of your area.
  • To save tomato seeds, scoop out the seeds from a tomato that looks viable and healthy. Put them in a jar with water.
  • Now to start the fermentation process, the water will help to separate the seeds from the pulp. Again, only from the best healthiest tomato!
  • Allow up for 4 days. It will begin to smell awful. That is nature’s way and normal!
  • It is basically rotting. But you want that.
  • Put a bit of cheesecloth over the jar to prevent flies from finding it.
  • When a thick layer of mold or fermentation is at the top of the jar, and the seeds are lying at the bottom, it is done. Then you can remove the top mold layer and the fermentation and even shake the jar. The seeds will fall to the bottom again. Strain the seeds into a colander or mesh screen. Wash the seeds very well. Remove the bad stuff. You are left with strong, viable healthy seeds for future plantings.
  • Let the seeds dry on a dish, not paper towel to dry completely. Air drying the seeds patiently is the best way. Then when they are totally dry with zero moisture, store them in a labeled and dated jar. Make sure the jar is bone dry and same for seeds – or herbs! They mold quickly and are then no good. Most people don’t know that.
  • The heirloom seeds are the best to save but it is ok if they are no heirloom. The best things about saving the seeds from your tomato plants is that the tomatoes are adapted to the conditions in your area. So, the next generation of tomato plants would be as well.
  • Saving cucumber seeds: Don’t save from plants that have diseases. Ever.
  • Don’t save seeds from hybrid plants. They carry that trait to the future plant.
  • Do check that the person or bee or wind that carried seeds or pollinated the plant – that you checked the pollination of the plants. You could get some weird looking plants with none of the traits of the parent plant if you are not watchful. Seed saving requires vigilance.
  • Harvest seeds when the fruit is mature. Otherwise, the process for cucumber seed saving is the same as for tomatoes. Check which cucumber is most ripe and leave it to age and ripen on the vine that you want to get seeds from.
  • Seed saving can save you money!
  • I start my plants indoors in early April. Root veggies such as turnip, beets can be planted in April. Most plants though such as tomatoes and cucumbers need to be planted after all risk of frost is gone.
  • Well, you can’t always guarantee a future cucumber plant or tomato will grow to be just like its parent plant. But that is part of the mystery.

Storage

  • Store tomatoes out of direct sunlight. Store cucumbers in the crisper of your fridge
  • Keep tomatoes in the fridge when they have fully ripened. This helps them last longer.
  • Enjoy your harvest!

Potted plant or plant starting Tips

  • I mix the soil with fertilizers before I add seeds. Seeds that are tiny can be planted on the surface of the soil. Larger seeds can be planted deeper in the soil. Some seeds need to germinate in the dark. Most seeds require sunlight or a grow light to germinate. As the plants grow, after a few weeks, you can fertilize them again. Read the instructions on the package.
  • I churn the soil or stir it up to loosen up any clumps of soil. Big clumps of soil prevent a plant from growing its best. Most plants prefer rich, loose, healthy soil. Carrots like soil that has some sand in it and that is clump and pebble free. The roots go down deep.
  • Don’t start seeds in starter pots that are so ridiculously small the roots have no room to form. The formation of plant roots is vital at this stage. The white Styrofoam cups were big enough to support the plant and let roots form strongly. They were also easy to label so I could remember what I wanted to grow.
  • When buying starter plants, check that the plant roots have vitality and are white or healthy looking. (Yes, on occasion, I have bought plants and brought them home to discover later the plants were dead.)
  • I don’t know if you have ever heard of ‘thinning’ seedlings out. It means to sort which are the strongest seedlings and which are the weakest. Discard the weak ones. Some veggies can be grown in pots. But there are a few conditions to follow.
  • Plants prefer to be in a garden. Their roots grow down deeper and stronger. They are exposed to the elements. They are naturally pollinated. They are exercised by the blowing wind.
  • My carrots are in containers. I still have to thin out the weak from the strong. I made sure the pots were big enough to sustain the carrot roots. I had to ensure the seedlings had room in between each seedling. Make sure each pot has a drainage hole.
  • Germination takes patience.
  • To avoid damping off, make sure each little seedling has plenty of ventilation and light. Damping off kills them. So put one seed in each pot or cup or whatever you start seeds in. The roots can more fully develop that way too.
  • If you do ever start more than one seed in a starter pot, which you can do, you must gently separate them into their own individual pots later. Most plants don’t like to be uprooted. I have converted to Styrofoam cups for starter plants. Yup more chance of good root growth and room for the plant leaves to form and more chance of ventilation. All good all around. They are also easy to label. I even drew little pictures on the outsides of the cups- a sun, a flower.
  • The tiny seedling that emerges in a starter pot is called a cotyledon. When it forms its true leaves, then it is really growing. This goes for all plants.
  • When you divide up your seedlings, scoop them out with the roots using a tiny spoon. A spoon is better than a fork. You can’t hurt the roots. Be gentle. A spoon is round, the best choice for putting a plant in a deeper pot.
  • Grow lights are not the same as the sun. But I started a lot of plants that are now in my garden by seed. I just turned a lamp on and placed the lamp right near my seedlings. It worked.

I hope you found these tips helpful. Happy gardening!

These tips are not carved in stone. This is all based on my own experience in gardening. I have found this information has worked for me and I am happy to pass it on! Most of the information here can be googled.

 

Blessings, Spiderwitch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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July 29, 2020 · 4:13 pm

Lammas Feasts

Merry meet all,

Oh the heat. If  only it would rain. I know I would love it. I want to dance in the rain, my arms outstretched, dancing to a weather spell. The heat right now is inescapable, and so tiring. 

I just watered my parched garden. I am sure my garden appreciates the water quenching the roots and leaves. If I were a plant, I would. If gardens aren’t watered each day, then the roots are forced to reach down deeper for water. As a result, they suffer. It is better to water a garden regularly. That way, the roots are moist, and the plants like those conditions. Then plants are less stressed. 

Speaking of plants, Lughnasadh is almost here! This is my favorite time of year. It reminds me that time changes. I mean it is cruelly baking hot right now here but eventually autumn will arrive. (It could hurry up and bring the cooler temperatures with it, I would not object.)

CELEBRATING LAMMAS

A few ways to celebrate Lammas/ Lughnasadh are:

bake bread, enjoy wine, harvest from your garden or indoor garden or container garden, enjoy a special dinner or do a ritual at your altar. The ritual can be either solitary or with a coven. 

Now’s the time to gather berries, an extra bag of flour, fresh herbs and cheese. They add flavor and spice to any meal. Focus on abundance and what you reaped during this time. 

Enjoy Lughnusadh

Spiderwitch

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