I look out the window and see an overcast grey sky, with snow mounds piled up at the curbs and on sidewalks. It’s mid-March right now. We still have a way to go. I got an early start on my spring herbal seedlings. I did not anticipate that I would have so much success starting my herbs from seeds.
I am fortunate that I own a grow light. Grow lights help immensely when you want to grow herbs, flowers or vegetables from seed or transplants. The only thing I need is patience. I know it’s hard to be patient and I obsessively check the pots to see if anything is growing, especially in the second pot. I don’t see anything growing in the pots. I have a few tiny seedlings, but I have to wait till they grow their true leaves before I know what they are. I used two methods to grow seeds: I sprinkled seeds directly into the pots and I sprinkled seeds onto a damp paper towel which I stored in two large ziploc bags. I filled a third pot with soil and Gaia Green fertilizer, mixed it into the soil. I opened up the paper towel gently and to my wonder, a lot of tiny seedlings were ready to be moved into a pot. I used a magnifying glass and tweezers to gently free them from the paper towel and place into the pots. One must be very gentle when doing this. It does require a careful hand. I covered them with light soil and misted water onto the soil. Now they are under the grow light. I must have patience.
This week, I participated in three wonderful spring seed growing workshops with the Herbal Academy. They are offering a gardening mini course. I already have tons of experience with gardening, but I want to take the course anyway. I am always open to learning something new. I also completed my Botany and Wildcrafting course. I still have lifetime access to the course. Growing herbs from seed under my grow light always excites me.
I bought this white crepe cotton fabric printed with tiny blue flowers. I want to use it to make a chemise. I also bought lovely black fabric like tulle with blue butterflies. I want to use that fabric to make a corset. I have a pdf pattern for it. I bought a ticket for the upcoming Beltane Ball in May. I am already planning the costume for that. I’m using what I already have – a purple faerie outfit. Well when it’s cold outside and you’re bored… I want to make some slight changes to the costume. I also have a pdf pattern for a medieval gown. I just had an idea – the corset pattern will match with the medieval gown. Oh my brain just never rests when it comes to thinking up new ideas.
I’m an extremely creative person. I always find a way to entertain myself during the winter season. My cat’s gazing out the window. She is wishing she could chase the crows perched on the tree outside. The crows are not concerned about her.
I saw the movie The Last Voyage of the Demeter the other night. It was a great movie. I thoroughly enjoyed it.It has been a long time since there was a real monster. I believe they perfectly captured the vampire essence.
A green pepper is growing in my garden. Tiny tomatoes are growing in my garden too. The nasturtiums are blossoming. The purple coneflower blossomed. My garden is so beautiful and always reduces my stress. I have harvested so many raspberries I can soon make a jar of jam. The blueberries are ripening. The lovage is growing back, the lemon balm patch is huge, the apple mint is flowering, the spearmint has grown nicely, the squash vine is getting bigger, and my celery stalks are not that thick yet but they will ripen too. The black petunias look velvety. They are so beautiful. The astilbe is in flower. The nettle has grown well and will soon flower. Everything is in bloom and very fruitful. I love August. The elecampane didn’t flower this summer. It may flower next year.
I have to complete my Materia Medica. I have so many pressed leaves, flowers etc., in the thick Jane Austen book. They have to be placed in the Materia Medica. I have to write the monographs and I will get after that soon. I have to complete the big monograph project too. I have to get more serious -well, it was very hard to learn the material. I mean Lesson 1 in Unit 4 of Advanced was very difficult to read. I bought a medical dictionary and had to ask for lots of help. I pressed through but I did succeed.
I received the beautiful book Botanical Skin care Recipes. I intend to use and enjoy the book. I want to try all the recipes. I am so happy to report that the big, big book The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive plants by Christian Rasch. I do plan to enjoy that book! It cost me $150! I need the book that did indeed cost me an arm and a leg for research, to protect myself and others, and for general interest. I wanted the book because I want to make a flying ointment and include mandrake. I added 1 tablespoon of mandrake in the herbal oil mixture. I also want to not include poisonous herbs if I do end up selling herbal teas. I want to know what is bane and what is balm. The book was expensive but necessary.
I love the beautiful herbal books I have acquired. They are amazing and are chock full of wonderful herbal wisdom. I shall treasure and keep the books for years. I mean one thing that makes me sad is that eventually my lessons at the Herbal Academy will come to an end, and I really don’t want that. The teachers and students are super nice people, and I will value the lessons from the school. I never want the lessons to end. I am glad the courses are self-paced. I am trying to stretch the lessons for as long as I can.
I am fortunate to get the chance to study the lessons. I’n drying lovage, mugwort, lemon balm, St.John’s wort and yarrow in the kitchen. I love herbs. I will use the herbs for teas. Now is the time to dry herbs for teas, tincture making, syrups, poultices. Some herbs can be gathered before they flower, as they can be more potent. I love to let the bees get their share of the nectar before I harvest. It has never made too much difference to me if they have flowered or not. I know St.John’s wort, queen Anne’s lace, burdock, coltsfoot and other herbs have flowered, and been bee pollinated on the nature trail. That would not stop me from harvesting them. I just have to come up with an intention of how I intend to use them. I am sure I will think of something.
We all know the best teachers I have are the herbs themselves. Yes, the best teachers are the herbs. They have taught me what I know. That ranges from protecting them from pest insects, to how important it is to water them, whether to grow them in containers or in the ground, when to harvest them, when to dry them, how to grow them. I learned how to appreciate the sun shining on the herbs- whether they need tons of sun or partial sun, how to support them as they grow, where to plant and when to plant. I could go on and on. The volatile oils they contain, the room that their roots need to grow, how to harvest dandelion roots, the shapes of the roots, how to use the roots once they are harvested. I learned how to use herbs in teas, tinctures, syrups, and cordials. I love herbs and they are my teachers, my companions, and they protect my health. I have harvested elecampane roots, dandelion roots and burdock roots. They all grow roots and the roots all grow in their own predetermined way and in their own space. Plants need room to grow, need tons of sun and they need nutrients. I know now to offer just enough fertilizer, to store roots, bark, seeds, and leaves in bone dry jars. I have a dehydrator and a drying rack. I use both. I intend to use the dehydrator a lot this fall. Yes indeed. I grow herbs that go from a seed to a full fledged plant. I will always treasure the moments I have experienced in my garden that have left me speechless. I was so enthralled with the beauty I witnessed. I tell ya, my garden must be located on a place of power. I am convinced it is in a place of power. I have seen beautiful elecampane flowers, beautiful purple coneflower, watched bees pollinate comfrey, and helped earthworms tunnel through the fresh soil. I have watched rain replenish the parched soil and seen my garden withstand fierce storms. That can’t be beat. I hope I get to live here a lot longer. Most of the plants in my garden are happily establishing themselves. It is how they grow.
The asters have blossomed. It saddens me but fall is coming with its ‘scythe’. I know many people are excited about Halloween. I want to help my garden grow first. Then I will be excited. It will then be time for ciders, cordials, syrups and tincture making. More on that later.
I participated in an amazing writing workshop yesterday led by Jonathan Maberry. The workshop was amazing and I loved every moment of it. I took notes profusely throughout the highly informative workshop. I am amazed at how much information he shared.
Stokercon is almost here! I have been so busy. The famous premier horror writing convention takes place from June 15-18th. I can’t wait. I so look forward to it and I shall post all about it here, promise!
The Summer Solstice occurs in June. I hope to have a small get together after the Solstice. It’s hot out today. I made a batch of lemon balm lemonade. It is the only way to keep cool. My cat is napping on the floor. She has so much fur I don’t know how she keeps cool, poor thing. I make extra sure her water bowl is full. My poor cat is a Norwegian Forest Cat with extra fur on her. ! I am not sure how she handles it.
Last night when I came home, the goat skull was on the floor. I scanned the new bookcase for any blatant signs of a feline intrusion like books knocked down, but no, no sign of that. When I tried to hang the skull back up in its spot, the nail fell down. Ok so that explained it. Still, I was a little spooked. I hung the skull back up.
My garden is growing gorgeously. I can’t believe it, like it’s growing too well. The arnica montana seeds that I ordered from Strictly Medicinal seeds should arrive soon. I can’t wait to have it growing in my garden again. It has been years since it grew in the garden last. I couldn’t find it anywhere. I can’t wait to see the sunny bright yellow flowers blooming all over my garden. I get 30 seeds in the packet so I intend to go a little overboard with it. I also ordered a tea making book from Herbal Academy. I am progressing nicely at the Herbal Academy.
Arnica montana has long been used as an anti-inflammatory. The beautiful sunny yellow flowers have been used in oils, tinctures, creams and salves. It is hardy to zone 9. I live in zone 6 so that is good to know. I can’t wait to grow them from seed. Once established in the garden, they will brighten and grace the garden with their gorgeous blossoms. I plan to try using them as an anti-inflammatory. There are many uses for the beautiful herbs that fill our homes, stores and gardens with their healing powers and beauty.
I like to think that nature has been my best teacher. Nature teaches me. Nature and me are one and the same. I feel such a strong energy when I am in my garden. I am sure it is growing on a place of power. Some people think the backyard was once a rock quarry. Those big rocks now edge my garden. I worked so hard on my garden and now it grows faithfully and beautifully. I feel it when I place my hands in the soil. That is when my hands tingle, like a friendly lightning is flashing on my skin. I feel this potent soul stirring connection to nature. I love, just love, to put plants in the soil. I can’t help it. It is my nature. I have to help plants grow. I love to nurture herbs and flowers- and veggies – and berries. My garden is beautiful in the sun and rain. I connect to the earth, to a shore line, to the dandelion roots I dig out of the soil for health. I bought a cheap bottle of dried basil today from Dollarama. I held the bottle of basil in my hands, closed my eyes and sent it good energy. I tried to rid the herbs of the energy from the store. Energy is real. We are all electromagnetic energy. Ghosts are electromagnetic energy. Nature is electromagnetic energy, hurricanes, ocean waves, flowers waving in the breeze, a panting dog.
It is no wonder then that I would enjoy studying at the Herbal Academy. I am just blossoming there. Nature is my teacher, always was and always shall be. I seek no other teacher but her. We owe the Mother Goddess so much. We forget much. That will bring about the downfall which we are all skidding towards so fast. Yet many don’t want to see that. They deny and pretend it won’t happen to them. We have to respect the Mother Goddess. She will keep teaching us until we understand the lesson. I choose to honour and respect her. As a result, I believe I have been blessed with many gifts, lessons, triumph and challenges.
I see a flower growing in the garden, soaking up sun rays or allowing pollination and my heart fills with joy. A flower is beauty, grace and a reminder to be in the moment.
The Wheel of the Year has turned again! The Beltane Sabbat is upon us. But I keep seeing ads that tell us we are halfway to Samhain. I just feel like jumping up and declaring, “No, not yet, I don’t have my plants in the ground!”. Beltane is about fertility, love magic, passion and flowers. I am excited to see my garden growing! The chives, woodruff, lemon balm, dandelions, coltsfoot, raspberries and tiger lilies are up. Even the lungwort has already flowered! It is just beautiful. I went on a long walk on the nature trail.
We are less than a week away fron StokerCon! I am so excited! It is the premier horror writing convention for all those horror fans (including me!). I attended the virtual StokerCon last year and I can’t wait for this year’s StokerCon! A lot to look forward to! I pre-ordered Tim Waggoner’s Writing in the Dark workbook. It accompanies the original Writing in the Dark book. My poem, The Frightening Spirit, is the second poem published by Polar Borealis this year! It will publish soon. I look forward to that too. I just approved the proofs the editor sent me. Waggoner’s book is released on May 25, 2022.
I ordered a hot black dress from Killstar. That should arrive soon! So much to look forward to. !!
My pumpkin seeds just germinated. I am surprised. I had to wait 2 weeks for them to germinate. They did germinate and now I have to let them grow. When they are transplanted outside, I have to either thin them out or figure out where they will get the most room to grow. Pumpkin patches need lots of space and sunlight to grow their best.
Beltane is a Pagan holiday, and one of the eight Sabbats. It falls about halfway between the spring equinox (Ostara) and the coming summer solstice, Litha. The holiday celebrates spring at its peak, and the coming summer. Beltane also sometimes goes by the name May Day. This holiday is associated very strongly with fertility for pagans.
This festival is often commemorated with bonfires, maypoles, dancing, and performing fertility rituals. Beltane is a Celtic word, meaning “the fires of Bel.” Bel, likely referred to the Celtic sun god, Belenus. The Celts used to light two bonfires because they believed it would purify themselves, as well as increase their fertility. They would pass cattle between the two fires, with the belief that it would purify the cattle, and ensure the fertility of the herd. Although this is not a ritual that is practiced now, modern pagans still light bonfires and practice fertility rituals on this day.
Modern-day pagans celebrate Beltane in a variety of ways. One way to celebrate is with a maypole. In this custom, a pole is placed in a field with ribbons attached. Each person (usually women and girls) will grab a hold of their own ribbon, and dance around the pole in a special way, so as to weave the ribbons into a specific pattern. This is one of the more common fertility rituals that might take place on this day. Celebrators also might weave flowers into their hair, or create a floral wreath to wear upon their head as a celebration of spring. Some pagans light a bonfire and dance around (or even over) it, which is another common fertility ritual for the day. Lastly, some people prepare “May baskets,” and fill them with flowers and goodwill. They give the baskets to someone in need of care, such as an elderly friend, or someone who is recovering from an illness.
Prepare a May basket by filling it with flowers and goodwill and then give it to someone in need of healing and caring, such as a shut-in or elderly friend. Form a wreath of freshly picked flowers, wear it in your hair, and feel yourself radiating joy and beauty. Dress in bright colors. Dance the Maypole and feel yourself balancing the Divine Female and Male within. On May Eve, bless your garden in the old way by making love with your lover in it. Make a wish as you jump a bonfire or candle flame for good luck. Welcome in the May at dawn with singing and dancing.
Going A-Maying & Bringing in the May — Merry-making and Nature communion. * Midpoint between Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice. * In Pagan Rome, Floralia, from April 27-May 3 was the festival of the Flower Goddess Flora and the flowering of Springtime. On May 1, offerings were made to Bona Dea (as Mother Earth), the Lares (household guardian spirits), and Maia (Goddess of Increase) from whom May gets its name. * Roman Catholic traditions of crowning statues of Mary with flowers on May 1 have Roman Pagan roots. * Marks the second half of the Celtic Year; one of the four Celtic Fire Festivals. Complement to Samhain, it is a time of divination and communion with Fairy Folk/Nature Spirits. * Pastoral tradition of turning sheep, cows, other livestock out to pasture. * In Pagan Scandinavia, mock battles between Winter and Summer were enacted at this time. * Building on older tradition of this time being a holiday for the masses, in the twentieth century, May Day has been a workers’ holiday in many places. * Some say that Mother’s Day, in the USA, Mexico, and elsewhere has Pagan roots.
Maypole
Forms include pole, tree, bush, cross; communal or household; permanent or annual. * In Germany, Fir tree was cut on May Eve by young unmarried men, branches removed, decorated, put up in village square, & guarded all night until dance occurred on May Day. * In England, permanent Maypoles were erected on village greens * In some villages, there also were smaller Maypoles in the yards of households. * Maypole ribbondances, with two circles interweaving; around decorated bush/tree, clockwise circle dances.
Flowers & Greenwood
Gathering and exchange of Flowers and Greens on May Eve, pre-dawn May Day, Beltane. * Decorating homes, barns, and other buildings with Green budding branches, including Hawthorn. * Making and wearing of garland wreaths of Flowers and/or Greens. * May Baskets were given or placed secretly on doorsteps to friends, shut-ins, lovers, others. * May Bowl was punch (wine or non-alcoholic) made of Sweet Woodruff blossoms.
Beltane Fires
Traditionally, sacred woods kindled by spark from flint or by friction — in Irish Gaelic, the Beltane Fire has been called teine eigin (fire from rubbing sticks). * Jump over the Beltane Fire, move through it, or dance clockwise around it. * Livestock was driven through it or between two fires for purification and fertility blessings. * In ancient times Druid priests kindled it at sacred places; later times, Christian priests kindled it in fields near the church after peforming a Christian church service. * Rowan twigs were carried around the fire three times, then hung over hearths to bless homes. * In the past, Beltane community fire purification customs included symbolic sacrifice of effigy knobs on the Beltane Cake (of barley) to the fire, or, in medieval times, mock sacrifice of Beltane Carline (Hag) who received blackened piece of Beltane Cake; Maypoles in Spain were each topped with a male effigy which was later burned. Contemporary Pagans burn sacred wood and dried herbs as offerings in their Beltane fires.
May Waters
Rolling in May Eve dew or washing face in pre-dawn May Day dew for health, luck, beauty. * Getting head and hair wet in Beltane rain to bless the head. * Blessing springs, ponds, other sacred waters with flowers, garlands, ribbons, other offerings. * Collecting sacred waters and scrying in sacred springs, wells, ponds, other waters.
Sacred Union & Fertility
Union with the Land focus, often with actual mating outside on the Land to bless fields, herds, home. * May Queen (May Bride) as personification of the Earth Goddess and Goddesses of Fertility. * May King (May Groom) as personification of Vegetation God, Jack-in-Green — often covered in green leaves. * At Circle Sanctuary, in addition to May Queen & May King, is May Spirit Couple, an already bonded pair. * Symbolic Union of Goddess and God in election/selection, crowning, processional, Maypole dance, feast. * Morris Dancers and pageants (with Hag & Jack-in-Green) to awaken the fertility in the Land.
Credit given to Circle Sanctuary site.
I hope you found this post interesting! I shall post the link to Polar Borealis when the new issue is published. Till then, be well and enjoy Beltane!
Please do not steal or copy from this blog. If you do, be prepared to be stomped on by the Fates and karma for your bad character. I can be reached at :
heddyjohannesen @ gmail.com
