Happy Beltaine!!!!! Beltane is the third of the three spring Sabbats. Flowers are in bloom everywhere here despite the cold snap.
I ordered gold fairy lights for the bookcase. I know that will look amazing. Stringing up the fairy lights is my next challenge. Scotch tape and push pins are my best bet, most likely. The fairy lights are eighteen feet long. I plan to use the fairy lights outside in the garden too. That will look amazing at night. I need to grow some flowers that bloom at night, such as moonflower!
I finished gluing the moss to the entire bookcase- the side facing out. That is the side that everyone will see, so that gets the moss and decorations. I also kept to one colour plan- gold, browns, moss green, reds and oranges. That is basically the autumn colours but it could also represent the entire green growing season. I foraged, prepared and attached two more pinecones. By ‘prepared’, I meant cleaning the pinecones of any potential pests. I soaked the pinecones in cold water and vinegar for thirty minutes then baked them in the oven at 225% for almost two hours. The sap dried on the cones and they lay more flat. I glued them to the moss on the bookcase.
I glued fake ivy leaves and pink flowers and leaves to the bookcase. I drew runes on to small round wooden pieces and glued the wood mini logs to the bookcase, leaves and moss. It looks so cool. The mini logs look like natural wood and may be created from real wood. I believe they are, and look like they were always there. I await the fairy lights. The faeries must be overworked today, because the delivery is taking a long time.
I can’t wait for the frost to leave. I am so anxious to get my plants in the ground outside. The soil is deeper, leaving more room for the roots. They are exposed to the elements of earth, air, fire, water and Spirit. They can grow more strongly and as big as they want. It is still cold out. It is so hard waiting. I have a lot of work to do in the garden. I can’t wait for the cold snap to end. I need to clean up the garden, rake the leaves away, and move the spreading raspberry canes to a new home/ spot. They can take over there and would still receive sun. I need to buy several bags of soil and work that into the soil that is already there. I have to tidy up the garden supports. Then, once that is done, and the earthworms are up to the task of working through the soil, I will make my annual twice a year offering of cornmeal, honey and milk and pray to the God and Goddess for a bountiful and beautiful growing season.
Then I move my seedlings outside to their new homes. This is the part that I look the most forward to. None of this can happen till the frost ceases. I want to grow datura from seed outdoors. It is a poisonous plant but witches are not supposed to be scared right? I also want to start it outdoors to protect my cat from it. I will regularly fill the bird feeder, stir up the compost and tend to my herbs and flowers and veggies. I can’t wait to get started.
I know lovage will grow well near rhubarb. I plan to get a new lovage seedling from a garden centre. It is easier to start with a seedling and faster. I want to see how well the lovage will grow near the rhubarb. The elecampane main crown root had two new buds (or maybe more) and I hope new stalks come up this summer. I didn’t use the syrup so I won’t make more. The plant needs to get established and it is clearly trying to do just that.
Once Jack Frost bids goodbye, I plan to be ready and armed with bags of soil and my new cute pink garden trowel in hand. I wish you all a lovely Beltane!
Spring is in the air. It must be because I have a pot of parsley and a pot of basil on my windowsill. I also am trying to get the rosemary cuttings to grow new sprouts. Imbolc is almost here! I love that. Imbolc is the first of the three Spring Sabbats. I can’t wait to start sprouting herb seeds. Tomorrow I will buy seed starting soil! Oh I can’t wait.
For those of you who wish to learn all about Imbolc, you have come to the right place. Stir the cauldron!!
Imbolc
Imbolc, or Imbolg, is one of the lesser-known festivals of the ancient Celts, but it was one of the four most important festivals in the Celtic calendar. For this ancient society, the year revolved around two main points; on the one hand, since the Celts were an agricultural society, everything was based around the harvest.
On the other hand, they also had an in-depth knowledge about the alignment of the sun and stars, which history suggests had great significance for them. So their calendar was neatly divided up into four quarters, with a festival to celebrate reaching each one. The year started with Samhain at the end of October, when the harvest was in full swing, to prepare for the onset of winter.
In Celtic philosophy, light must always follow dark, so this is why their year began on such a somber note. Bealtaine at the beginning of May marked the coming of summer, the beginning of sowing crops, and the light half of the year, and was the biggest and happiest celebration. In between were Lughnasa in August, marking the beginning of the harvest, and Imbolc in February, to celebrate the beginning of spring.
What was Imbolc about?
Simply put, Imbolc was a celebration of the end of winter and the impending light half of the year.
The hardest part of the year was over; adverse weather, cold temperatures, food rationing, and of course, no warfare (an integral part of Celtic society) would soon be a thing of the past.
Farmers were getting ready to go back to work, preparing animals for breeding, warriors were picking up their weapons again, and the political and social aspects of life that had been put on hold for winter were also beginning again.
The name Imbolc originates from ‘i mbolg’, which translates as ‘in the belly’. This refers to livestock breeding season, particularly the pregnancy of ewes, which was one of the focal points of the celebration.
Because the festival was so associated with this, it’s timing often varied – it could be anywhere from mid-January to mid- February depending on the weather and the animals’ behaviour.
It also appeared to have a more spiritual significance for the Celts too, as it’s no coincidence that more than a few megalithic monuments around Ireland are perfectly aligned with the rising sun around the dates of Imbolc and Samhain.
Imbolc was celebrated all across Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man, with each region having slightly different variations in name and customs. Wales also had a remarkably similar version of the festival known as Gwyl Fair y Canhwyllau.
After the onset of Christianity in Ireland, the festival was tied in with a celebration of Saint Bridget, and transformed from a pagan one into a Christian one.
Christians used Brigid as the focal point of their celebrations to smooth the transition, as Imbolc had previously been associated with a goddess of a very similar name, Brighid. Essentially, Bridget and Brighid were the same person! As with all Celtic festivals, Imbolc involved a host of unique customs and rituals to welcome the spring, say farewell to the winter, ward against evil and promote health and wellbeing.
Imbolc was similar to Samhain and Bealtaine in that fire played an integral part of the celebrations, although not on the same scale. While at Samhain bonfires were lit to ward off evil spirits and at Bealtaine they served to offer protection and growth, at Imbolc they were symbolic of the sun’s return.
Rather than a huge central bonfire at the centre of the festivities, Imbolc was more about the home and each home’s hearth. Every home in the community would have their own fire burning right through the night, and during medieval times when homes consisted of actual wood and stone buildings rather than the wattle and daub huts of the Celts, all of the fires in the house were lit for the night. If for some reason that was not possible, it was sufficient to have candles lit in every room instead.
The Celts were always concerned about the weather (something that has lasted up until the present day with modern Irish people!), so Imbolc was an important time to read omens and attempt to predict the weather for the summer. An unusual but widely popular omen was if the weather was especially bad on the day of Imbolc, which meant a great summer was on the way. This is because one of the more malicious creatures in Irish folklore, the Cailleach, would spend the day of Imbolc collecting firewood for herself if winter was to last a while longer.
To do this, she would obviously need a bright and dry day to collect her wood, so if Imbolc was wet and windy, that meant the Cailleach had gone to sleep and winter would soon be over.
Visiting wells was another important custom for Imbolc, particularly holy wells. Visitors would walk around the well in the same direction as the sun traversed the sky at that point on the land, praying for health and wealth for the year.
Offerings were left at the well once this was done; usually coins or ‘clooties’ (pieces of cloth). Special foods were also part of the festivities, usually consisting of bannock – a flatbread cut into wedges – as well as dairy products and meat.
The early Celtic version of Imbolc was not all that different from the festival in early medieval times when Christianity was taking hold in Ireland. One of the goddesses the Celts worshipped at this festival was Bhrigid, the daughter of Dagda (the chief Celtic deity) and one of the Tuatha De Dannan, the first inhabitants of Ireland.
She is associated with many things, most significantly poetry and fertility, but such activities as healing, smithing, arts, and crafts, tending to livestock and serpents also make the cut. She is credited with creating a whistle for people to call to one another through the night.
Some legends claim that while one half of her face was beautiful, the other was horribly ugly. She is thought by many to be the Celtic equivalent of the Roman goddess Minerva and the Greek goddess Athena.
Saint Bridget, on the other hand, was not a mythical goddess but a real woman, born in Dundalk, County Louth, around the 5th century AD.
During her lifetime she became a nun, founded numerous monasteries and performed her fair share of miracles, becoming one of the foremost advocates of Christianity in Ireland. After her death, she was made one of Ireland’s patron saints (and the only female patron saint), along with Patrick and Columba. So it was a natural progression for Imbolc, the pagan festival worshipping the goddess Bhrigid, to become the Christian festival in honour of Saint Bridget. February 2nd was chosen as the permanent day of celebration.
For the Celts, Bhrigid represented the all-important light half of the year, so her presence was much revered during the festival.
On Imbolc Eve, it was claimed that she would visit the most virtuous homes and bless everyone who slept in them, so people would leave pieces of clothing, food, or other tokens outside the entrance for her to bless, or to entice her into the home, It was Bhrigid’s role as a fertility goddess that was most important here, but for the medieval people of Ireland, her healing powers and general protective sense were as important as well as her fertility.
The majority of Imbolc traditions regarding Bhrigid or Bridget come from this time. While the tradition of leaving small tributes to Bridget on the doorstep continued for several centuries, several others sprang up too.
Celtic Inspired Torc Pendant – Celts believed the ancient Torc provided the wearer with a mystical form of protection
Ashes from the fire that was left to burn all night long would be smoothed out and left to see if a mark from Bridget appeared, to confirm that she had visited the house. Sometimes a makeshift bed would even be made up next to the fire, in case the saint wanted to rest a while.
This tradition was particularly popular in the Isle of Man and Scotland, where there were several short rhymes to go along with the tradition, acting as a call to the Saint to come and visit – generally, they were some variation on the phrase ‘Bridget, come in to our home, your bed is ready’. In some areas across Ireland and Scotland, women played a very important part in the festivities. They would make a doll figure from rushes known as a ‘Brideog’, dress it in white and with flowers, and carry it in a procession while singing hymns and poems in honour of Bridget.
At every home they passed, they would receive more pieces of cloth or small bits of food for the Brideog. Once the procession was finished, they would place the Brideog in a seat of honour and have a feast with all of the food, before placing it in a bed for the night while they began celebrations.
The most well-known tradition, however, and one that is still practiced today, is making a Saint Bridget’s cross and hanging it in the home. These crosses were a unique symbol of the transition from Paganism to Christianity. Before, bunches of rushes were tied together and hung at the entrance to homes to welcome Bhrigid. One of the stories of Bridget’s lifetime, however, recounts how she wove a cross from rushes and placed it above a dying man’s bed.
He roused from his delirium to ask what she was doing, and on hearing what it meant, he asked to be baptised before his death.
Since then, the cross has been a symbol for Bridget, and was also a familiar symbol for the Celts, making it the perfect transition symbol for Imbolc. The cross is distinctive, with a square in the middle and each point of the cross placed at a corner of the square. Somewhere between then and now, placing a cross in your kitchen came to mean that your house would be protected from fire.
Imbolc today
Unlike Samhain, which transformed into the much loved night of Halloween, Imbolc is one Celtic festival that hasn’t quite survived through history.
Although Christians still celebrate St. Bridget’s Day in Ireland and children still learn how to make crosses at the start of February, little else remains of the ancient Celtic spring festival. However, Saint Bridget’s cross, made from rushes and hung around the home just as the Celts would have done, is as good a reminder as any to the festival’s ancient and mythological origins.
Today is rainy, snowy and very overcast. Snow lightly covers the ground. Raindrops splatter the windowpanes. It is a sleepy, stay home type of day. The next turn in the Wheel of the year is Imbolc. Before I get started, I just wanted to write here that I know I haven’t posted much. This week, I had to deal with an infected tooth and an abnormal amount of pain. I had to get that under control’s which involved freezing my tooth at the hospital, and a lot of painkillers and an antibiotic to clear up the infected tooth. I am feeling much better now.
Imbolc is coming soon! My kitty Penny woke up from her long nap. I just gave her a cuddle. Imbolc is exciting to me because it is the first of the three Spring Sabbats. Imbolc is a time of renewed hope, purity and the return of the light. The cold remains but hope and new life stirs beneath the soil. I will post more here about Imbolc. I have a recipe on how to make Imbolc inspired cookies already. I can’t wait to try it!
Imbolc is the perfect time to read seed catalogues and to plan what you want to grow this spring. Or at least to think about which plants you want to start indoors. I plan to get the seed starting kit back from my Mom’s. I have to wait to get soil. Once I do, I plan to start seeds early. It’s my opinion that tomato plants take a long long time to grow, and I believe that they need to be started earlier in order to reach their maximum growth earlier in the year to bear fruit. This has been my observation.
Tomorrow I hope to get the Mastering Herbal Formulations book from the Herbal Academy in the mail. I can really get deep into the course once I have the workbook. I wish they did delivery on weekends but I guess USPS doesn’t work that way. I have read Unit 1 and I get most of the ideas. The calculations look complicated but not impossible. I really need to learn this stuff in order to sell my teas at the local farmers market. That is my goal and part of why I am studying at the Herbal Academy. I want to run a herbal business when I graduate. First, I have a lot to learn. I want to take my time and learn and then I will have a better chance of running my herbal business.
I had reservations about blending two or more herbs in a tincture and other preparations. The Mastering Herbal Formulations course will take away my reservations and give me a renewed confidence. I look forward to reading and learning more in Unit 2-3. The courses at the Herbal Academy are fascinating. I love everything I have learned so far. So to return to the topic of spring seed planting, I have a few new herb seed packets to try this spring. I have many packets of seeds. However, this spring, I have motherwort seeds and I can’t wait to start that from seed. There are too many for me to count here that I want to get started. That will have to be in a future post.
If you ask me, time is speeding up. I can’t believe how fast time goes now. It seems like I was holding a bonfire in my back yard and now I want to pore over seed catalogues. Does anyone feel like time is speeding up? To what purpose? It’s hard to say. I will just ride the crest of this ‘wave’ as best I can. The possibility of the return of spring cheers me greatly.
Winter Solstice is tomorrow! Are you ready? I am. I have been preparing for the Solstice for a while now. I want to talk about how you can prepare for the Solstice too. Let’s get started.
First, get outside! This is a good time to forage outdoors. Grab your cloth bag, good walking shoes and let’s go!
Gather pinecones large and small, acorns, juniper, rosemary, cedar, sage and spruce. Bring a foraging book or your phone with you to correctly identify the plant you are foraging. I identified the spruce growing on the trail I live near as Sitka spruce. The Natives loved Sikta spruce and used the bark, needles and twigs for a variety of purposes. I steeped the spruce needles in a simple syrup to enjoy with gin but more on that later.
Once you have foraged all you can, bring it home and wash it to rid of insects and dirt. Bake the pinecones at 200 % for forty-five minutes in the oven. If you decide to gather birch bark, then boil it in hot water for twenty minutes. Then remove from the heat and let it dry. If you forage pine, cedar or spruce needles, then do it from an older tree and cut the lower branches. I also leave an offering to the spirits and give thanks for the nature items I receive. I made an offering of cornmeal, a bay leaf and an acorn.
I made a candle and added in rosemary, Yule essential oil, eucalyptus, peppermint essential oils. The scent is divine! If you look closely at the above photo, you can see the birch bark wrapped around a few candles. I love the rustic warm look. I bought a glittery white tree. It is tucked in there with the candles and the pinecones I painted white. The white pinecones look great. I will post another photo tomorrow.
Pinecones are rustic and dry nicely. It is a very good idea to bake them in the oven before using. That kills the mites and dries up the sap.
Rosemary has a beautiful scent. Use it in stovetop potpourris, or herbal wands.
Cedar is cleansing and purifying. Use cedar in stovetop potpourris, herbal wands and drinks.
Acorns can be painted and used in decorations.
Holly, ivy and mistletoe have mystical associations with the Solstice. They can be used in decorations or herbal potpourri. However, since they are toxic to cats and I have a pet cat, I’m not using it. If you want to, go ahead. For the reasons just mentioned, I am not describing it here.
If you choose to forage for goodies at the local grocery store, add these to your shopping list:
Pour a jug of cider into a large saucepan. Chop and add oranges, apples, the spices listed above and a pinch of chamomile and mugwort to the cider. This enhances the flavour and also aids in psychic development. Simmer the cider in the saucepan on low heat. Your kitchen will small great. Your tastebuds will thank you.
Gather a pinecone or two, five spruce twigs with needles, an acorn and a dried orange to a bowl. Simmer on low heat but don’t drink. This makes a great stovetop simmering potpourri.
To create a herbal wand, gather rosemary, pine and juniper together. The rosemary is the base. Set the rosemary down on a counter or tabletop. Then lay the pine down on the rosemary. Then lay the juniper down on the pine. Bind the three fragrant herbs together with string. You can let it dry or burn it while the herbs are fresh. It is up to you how you use your herbal wand, as long as the intention is to purify yourself or your space.
These activities should keep you busy. The Winter Solstice is a time of duality or polar opposites. We celebrate the return of the light but it still gets dark early. I want to revel in the dark half of the year. There is something so sheltering, so restful about it. I love the darkness and I want to enjoy it. The earth rests now and dies back. The ground needs to sleep and die back to be reborn in the spring. The earth is restoring her energy now. That changes once spring returns but for now, I am content. I hope you dear readers are too.
I also brewed a batch of elderberry jam. I added an apple which contains natural pectin, orange rind and a pinch of cinnamon. I want to gift the elderberry jam to my Mom – and save some for me. It should go nicely with my homemade bread.
I decided to donate to an animal shelter. I sewed fourteen cat toys together and filled each of them with cotton batting and catnip. I sewed each toy with love. I wrapped the toys together, added a sprig or two of spruce with a candy cane to the gift. I added tags to the gift. I secured the gift of the cat toys in a clear cellophane bag, added another candy cane to the gift bag, and tucked in red tissue paper. I love how the gift looked. I was very happy to donate the gift to the SPCA. I hope the cats love the hand sewn cat toys!
It felt good to give the toys to the SPCA.
The homemade cat toys all stitched with love and waiting to be donated to the animal shelter.
I conjured up peppermint bark. My dark pagan gods, I never tasted anything so divine in my life. This post will show you how to make your own amazing peppermint bark!
You will need cocoa butter or coconut oil, peppermint extract, white chocolate chips, honey, fennel seeds, and candy canes. I used organic coconut oil. Cocoa butter is expensive and hard to find outside of regular grocery stores. First, make your toppings. Candy the fennel seeds. Add two tablespoons of water and two tablespoons of sugar to a pan. When it sizzles, and the sugar has dissolved, add the fennel seeds. Set it aside. Crumble the candy canes in a blender. I used six candy canes for a topping.
While you are making the bark, your kitchen will smell great. Melt the cocoa butter or cocoa powder and coconut oil together in a double boiler. When it has thoroughly softened and melted, add the peppermint extract. Then pour the chocolate onto parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Let it cool in the fridge.
Clean the bowl you used for the dark chocolate to melt the white chocolate chips. I used coconut oil again. The white chocolate chips weren’t melting the way I would like. Do not let any water get in the bowl or it will seize. Add more peppermint extract to the white chocolate and pour it on top of the dark chocolate. It is tricky. You don’t want the white chocolate and the dark chocolate to blend. Quickly add the toppings – the fennel seeds and the crumbled candy cane. Let the chocolate harden and dry overnight.
Now you have a true divine treat to enjoy and share with your loved ones over the holiday season. Store the peppermint bark in an airtight container in the fridge or the freezer. You will never have to buy it again. You will never want to buy it again. Homemade peppermint bark is far more delicious.
It is optional but not necessary to add the honey. I totally forgot. I was using two different recipes for the bark. It is so quick to make and affordable I just might a second batch. To give as gifts, break the pieces apart and tuck into small cellophane plastic bags and tie with a holiday string or bow.
I have a bottle of cider in the fridge for the holidays. I also have a bottle of brandy to enjoy with the cider or a hot toddy. I made a beautiful gift for my Mom. I just can’t wait for this holiday. I scored a lovely silver table cloth and I decorated my goth tree. I don’t have much money but I am determined to enjoy the holidays.
Yesterday I harvested the elecampane root. It was a great day. I turned the actions of digging the elecampane root up into a ritual. The weather was sunny and relatively warm. I gathered together all the tools I need: a garden shovel, a garden trowel, and a stainless steel bowl to wash the roots after.
I dug a large ring around the root ball. I removed the leaves and rocks from around the plant. Then I dug in with my garden shovel in a ring. I dug away all the soil surrounding the roots. I loosened the soil with the shovel and eased up the roots. I had to remove more small rocks that served as an edging around the plant. The elecampane plant was quite established.
I removed the roots from the soil. I held the amazing elecampane roots in my hand. Wow. I felt the weight of the roots in my hands. It was so cool. I removed and cut up a long tree root from the soil and a rock. That may have been why the elecampane roots didn’t grow deeper. I carried the roots and the main crown to the back stone step. The roots were smaller than I anticipated. Undaunted, I proceeded to wash the roots.
I scrubbed the roots clean with a toothbrush. I cut roots off from the main crown. I rinsed the water and cleaned them again. I noticed that there were a couple of buds on the main crown. I brought the roots inside to clean them again. I planted the main crown back in the soil. I left an offering of cornmeal and fertilizer. I was so excited and emotional. I have a strong emotional connection to the earth. It hurt me to even dig up the roots. The scent of the elecampane root was amazing!
I returned the rocks to edge the elecampane plant and scattered the leaves over the soil. I hoped the main crown would grow new roots in the soil. I had fun with my fresh rich elecampane roots in the kitchen. They smelled so good and left the scent on my fingers. I cleaned them and chopped them. I arranged the roots on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. I dried the roots in the oven overnight at a low temperature. I removed them from the oven in the morning. The roots were dried, and a pale white colour. I stored them in a jar. I didn’t get as much as I wanted. Since the root crown has rooted again and there were new buds on it, I will get new growth next spring. I may have to wait a year or two to harvest more roots. It will be worth it.
I am not sure what to do with the elecampane roots. I stored the seeds in a jar. I want to grow a lot more elecampane. Next spring, I will clear away tree branches, roots, rocks and weeds to make a clear space to grow more elecampane. Elecampane is medicinal for lung health and digestion. I am trying to build up an apothecary. This project will take patience. I already have fifty jars (a slight exaggeration) full of herbs: roots, seeds, bark and berries).
I planted the nettle, mugwort and rue. The herbs will root themselves and emerge in the spring, just like the elecampane roots! I checked the next day and the elecampane main crown resisted when I gently tugged on it. That was exciting!
I love harvesting medicinal roots. My life is more exciting gathering medicinal roots. I hope it’s the same for you.
Today I want to post about my favourite orange cucurbit, pumpkins! Pumpkins are everywhere. Pumpkins are famous for fairy tale magic. Autumn colored leaves blanket my garden, as squirrels and bluejays gather nuts and seeds to store for the long winter ahead. Samhain is almost here. Now let’s gather our own Magick!
Long before Cinderella’s fairy godmother sent her bewitched pumpkin carriage careening towards a royal party under a reckless magic spell, this mythical fruit vined its way into the legend of witchcraft.
Here are a few ideas to bring this classic spell ingredient into your magical practice.
Dry roast the seeds and toss them in a mojo bag for prosperity. The fertile abundance of seeds inside a pumpkin perfect for success mojo bags.
Use your jack-o-lantern to chase away negative energy. Did you know jack-o-lanterns were originally carved to chase away demons? In the spirit of this tradition, burn a charcoal disk with protection herbs like rosemary to turn away negative energy at the doorstop.
Bury your kid’s spent pumpkin in the garden to “fertilize” a wishing spell. Never know what to do with your kid’s jack-o-lantern once Halloween is over? The pumpkin’s magical lore makes it “ripe” for wishing magic. Have your child write a goal for the springtime on a piece of (natural) paper, and bury it in the garden to bless his/her endeavors. Kids move so quickly from one phase to the next, seeing their “wish” come up in the spring will remind them of how far they walked since the beginning of the school year!
Boil your cauldron. If your kitchen-witchy, make a batch of crock pot pumpkin soup Be sure to include plenty of “heart-warming” magical spices like chili powder or cumin. Stir it clockwise four times and bless it for strong ties between family and friends. Then serve it to everyone!
Leave it as an offering to the woodland spirits. Samhain is a time to honor those who came before you. Once you’re finished with your pumpkin, take it to woods and leave it as an offering to your ancestors. It also makes great deer food!
Use it in a group Samhain ritual. Hollow out and carve a large pumpkin with symbols sacred to your tradition. Light a candle inside, go around the circle and talk about your year together as a group or coven. Discuss any remaining tensions, write them down and then agree to let them go with the start of the new Wheel of the Year. Place a candle inside the pumpkin lantern, and one by one, burn the paper. Watch it go up in smoke and let go.
Save the stems. The stem dries out and cures pretty quickly. Leave it with your magical cabinet to boost wishing spells or prosperity spells during the next Wheel of the Year.
Draw out your inner beauty. Mix 1/4 cup pumpkin puree with a splash of apple cider vinegar and an egg. Use it as a mask to bring out the “enchanting” side of your inner beauty.
Place a pumpkin near your creative work space for inspiration and brainstorming. Pumpkins connote fanciful thinking and fairy tales. Use this energy in your work space to break out of box thinking and reach deeper.
Make a bird feeder to connect with the spirit of fire and air. Invite winter-friendly birds near your home by making a bird feeder out a your pumpkin. When you notice a bird near it, say a blessing and send him off with to carry a wish or prayer skyward!
Tomorrow is the Autumn Equinox. It surprised us all here in Halifax. The leaves are showing those famous fiery colors. The elderberries ripen on the stems, the queen Anne’s lace, goldenrod and burdock slowly go to seed. The sky is overcast here, and everyone is scrambling to get ready for hurricane Fiona.
I was out in my rain soaked garden this morning. Slugs clung to leaves while wasps sipped pollen. This is a bittersweet time for me. The squash and tomatoes are setting fruit late this season, I am not sure why. It could be because we had a heatwave this summer. You would think that heatwave would have been beneficial for sun loving tomatoes but no. The tomatoes are growing now. Ah well.
I have to put my garden to sleep for the cold winter ahead and I am sharing how I plan to do that in this post today. My witch hazel flowers late in the year. I love my witch hazel. I plan to buy a huge bag of soil and arrange the soil around the trunk, then I will add a big bag of worm castings into the soil to leave nutrients for the witch hazel. I might even buy some wood chips to act as mulch. I am trying to think of what else I can leave there as a nutrient rich compostable mulch for the roots to feed on all winter. I would have to remember to remove the wood chips because the lungwort blooms wonderfully under the witch hazel in the spring.
The leaves cascade to the earth every autumn. I usually just keep the leaves there all over my garden all winter. They act as a natural mulch/ blanket that protects my garden during the harsh winter. I rake them away in the spring. I may sprinkle worm castings, bonemeal, eggshells and coffee grounds all over my garden.
The leaves of the plants, the vines, flowers and whatever I don’t harvest naturally dies back. This is the most free natural compost ever. I have a wooden compost box. I will store the faded dead leaves, branches, stems in the box. Most of the foliage I leave where it is to act as a natural compost and soil nutrients all winter. I spread the soil I used to grow the potatoes over my garden. The soil was amazing! The soil was loose, loamy, obviously nutrient rich and dark black. I loved it and I am sure the garden did too. The rain washes away the soil so it was nice to add rich soil to the garden.
I still have to harvest the celery, lemon basil, raspberry leaves, mint, tomatoes, healthy disease free witch hazel leaves and beans. The red flowers of the scarlet runner beans are growing so well now. The pollinators are busy. The beans also grow overnight it seems. The leaves I keep on the soil are a nice refuge for hardworking insects too. I’m letting the purple coneflower go to seed. The bees love purple coneflowers. The nasturtiums are still blooming, and I watched as a wasp visited one fiery nasturtium bloom this morning. The wasps built a nest on the inside of the shed door.
I harvested the beautiful Chinese lanterns in the photo above. I am amazed at how rich the colours are. I’m waiting and hoping the calendula blossoms soon. I have no idea why it takes so long. I harvested and pressed the lovely yellow heliopsis and I have pressed many other flowers. I want to make a Samhain/ autumn candle lantern like I did with the Summer Solstice lantern. I want to paint the jar a rich deep Burgundy colour so the autumn colors really pop out. Yup I think it will be gorgeous.
Pressed purple coneflower
I still have to harvest the elecampane roots, seeds and flowers. The stalk is turning brown. I will harvest in October.
I have recipes to make elderberry mead, hawthorn cordial, elderberry syrup, cranberry sauce . They are perfect for guarding the health of your immune system all winter. Winter is known for the time when colds, flus and illnesses spread. Those recipes are sure to boost your immune system! Elecampane has inula in the roots. I can’t wait to harvest elecampane and feel like a true herbalist. I have harvested mullein root, and I want to harvest dandelion and burdock after a cold snap. The winter squash has a flower now. I don’t understand why it waited till now but plants follow their own calendar, not the calendar we impose on them.
I’ve included the recipes here for your own convenience. I hope you try them and let me know in the comments below how it went. I am available here if you have any questions on how to make herbal remedies to guard your health and your family’s health this coming fall season. Now is the time to stock up on ginger, onions, elderberries ( remember: they are not edible raw!), echinacea tinctures, etc. But more on that later! Blessed Mabon to everyone! Or, if you prefer, Happy Autumn Equinox!
I am proud to announce I graduated from the Intermediate level at the Herbal Academy. I look forward to new challenges and learn about new ways to use herbs in the next level, Advanced. I am sure there will be many challenges ahead for me. Bring it on!
I found new fun ways to use herbs this summer. I dyed a big pile of plain muslin cloth with goldenrod. The fabric dyed a beautiful muted gold/ yellow shade. I’m infusing garlic cloves and garden grown basil in vinegar. I made a potent rose petal elixir, I concocted a St.John’s wort tincture and two salves, and I plan to make a jar of elderberry syrup. I look forward to using my herbal potions and learning more about herbs at the Herbal Academy. This fall I have a grow light. I just transferred the herbs I began from seed and my root cuttings of mint, basil, rue, nettles calendula, thyme and dill. The thyme and dill are growing in a yogurt container so their deep roots have room to grow. The other herbs were transferred to a deeper pot. They are all growing under the grow light. I wonder how I ever managed without a grow light. Grow lights are awesome! I’m trying to grow root veggies too. I hope that goes well.
I even used herbs on my witch’s broom. I know that cinnamon brooms can be bought online. Why not do it yourself? I coated the broom with glue and dabbed the ground cinnamon onto the broom then I sprinkled cinnamon essential oil. It has dried in a large clear plastic bag for two weeks. The broom that I also made myself smells lovely now. Argh I do believe I have been stung by the very nettle I just transplanted. I grew a big lovely pumpkin vine but no pumpkins. The bees love the male flower pollen but all their hard work is for naught. Every female pumpkin flower has turned brown, shrivelled and died. There are many male pumpkin flowers. The tomatoes are finally growing and the scarlet runner bean vines are flush with beans. I plan to harvest all the herbs from my garden soon and bring the rosemary and oregano in for the winter.
I’m harvesting lovage which I did earlier and made a lovely jar of lovage salt! Lemon balm, lemon basil, lavender, calendula, mint, sage, borage leaves, chamomile, chives, raspberry leaves, astilbe seeds, elecampane seeds and roots, dandelion roots, cucumbers, shallots, kale ( may overwinter it). The nasturtiums are annuals. I will miss them, I find the leaves so tasty. I will be busy this fall harvesting roots, flowers and seeds!
Being near this abundance of nature sure saves me money for studying at the Herbal Academy. It’s expensive enough to purchase and store the herbs. I have to have enough jars and room to store the jars. I don’t have enough room so I just don’t splurge on a huge amount of herbs at once. I buy 5 grams or more at least and then I can just refill the labeled and dated jars in my apothecary.
I have to make sure I downloaded all the PDFs for the Intermediate level at the Herbal Academy. I left a glowing testimonial on how much I enjoyed the fun yet mentally stimulating. Herbs have taken over my life. Maybe I should say this course has taken over my life. I find I don’t have much time to do all the other things I need to do, like get back into my writing horror fiction for one. I hope I can manage it all.
The fall season is off to a great start. On top of that, Mabon and Samhain are not far away. I can’t wait. I look forward to hearing about how all of you readers are spending your fall season too. Comment below!
I tried my hand at bookbinding. I want to tell you all about in this post. It turned out real well. My cat is seated on her favourite, well she loves all the rugs, and trying to keep cool in this infernal heat. I will tell you how to bind your own herbal book. As most of you know, I’m studying at the Herbal Academy. I don’t know how you all feel but I hate binders. They are so mundane. The bound book includes the lessons from the mini courses – Botanical Drawing and Flower Pressing – I took at the Herbal Academy.
Now I’ll tell you how I bound a book brimming with beautiful flower illustrations & photos, and of course, butterfly stickers. I borrowed that curved needle from my Mom. I don’t know what you call it but it is for book binding. I bought all the supplies I would need, such as a large bottle of glue, paint brushes, bookbinding cloth, endpapers covered in butterflies- it’s truly beautiful. I also obtained a meter of dark forest green broadcloth from the fabric store, a bone folder, and linen thread.
I laid down newspaper onto the table. Glue can soak through anything and make a real mess. Newspaper, paper towels are great for keeping things clean. The book covers are 9 x 12″. The pages are 8 1/2 by 11′. I like the way it turned out. I deliberately wanted the covers bigger just to be on the safe side. It is better than too small to fit anything. I also returned the small needle to my Mom and end up using ribbon to secure the pages.
The pages for the book were already printed out. A few things went wrong as I began the project. I poked tiny holes into the pages on the wrong edge of the paper. The linen thread broke too easily. I felt down right intimidated by the project. I kept hearing that nagging inner voice to work on the book but I resisted. Finally I caved in and found an alternative to binding the pages together. Ribbon! That was much easier on me. I already had a beautiful purple ribbon. I dug it out and put three hole punches in the pages. By now, the pages have the tiny needle marks and the three hole punches in them but I didn’t care. This book is for me and that is that.
I punched the three holes in careful to keep all the pages aligned. I had a total of 150 pages. Then I wound the ribbon in. I tied tight knots and dabbed a small drop of glue on the ribbon knots to ensure they never come undone. I lit the ends of the ribbon with a lighter so they never fray. Ok now that the pages were secured, I moved onto making the actual book covers. I had already glued book binding cloth onto the two book covers. I cut out the spine of the book which measured about 2 inches. I cut the green cloth to size. One thing here about book binding: leave nothing to chance. Measure EVERYTHING. You will thank yourself later.
The spine wasn’t already covered in fabric. I found a white cloth which I ironed and laid it out on the spine. I glued the cloth to the spine piece. I have a cool little yellow tool for spreading glue. I have no idea how I lived without it. It sure comes in handy. I covered the spine of the book with the white cloth and glued it to the spine of the pages. I let it dry but I did use my yellow stick to smoothen out the glue. The book binding cloth was a lighter shade of green than the fabric for the outer covers. I didn’t mind because it will never show. I smoothed the edges of the dark green cloth over the book covers. I did opposite ends first and I used a lot of glue. Like I mean a lot of glue. The glue will soak through the fabric so it is good to have what is under the book to not be too absorbent. I smoothed out the glue to prevent bumps or puckers. I let it dry.
Then I glued the spine of the pages to the spine of the book covers. I laid the book – insides facing up, and I kept the pages in place with two peanut butter jars. I did that so only the stuff I want glued together is glued. I left it all to dry for several hours. While I waited, I made a herbal bookmark. I had some endpapers left over from the book. You can see the print on the inside book covers in the picture.
To make the bookmark, I glued the printed endpaper to a piece of cardboard with a glue stick. I gathered lavender and rosemary and glued it with Mod Podge to the cardboard. I hole punched a hole in the top of the bookmark. I left it to dry. Leaving these types of projects to dry overnight is best. It takes patience to complete these projects. It is worth taking the time to do them carefully. They turn out much better than if you rushed it.
Now the book is done! I suspect the pages are not in the correct orders & there are pages I didn’t expect that are glued in but it is all trial and error. It still looks beautiful. I love it. This book is a treasure to last for years to come. I am so grateful to study at the Herbal Academy.
However, the glue stains show on the outer book covers. I will find something pretty to hide that. The book is bound and I love it. I hope this inspires you to create something too.
I was busy with herbal recipes in my witch’s kitchen yesterday. I brewed a jar of rose elixir. It involves honey, rose petals, lemon petals and brandy. The potion will steep for a month. I am sure it is worth the wait. The potion in the labeled jar looks beautiful. The herbs are growing amazingly in my garden. The beans are growing well and my cucumbers. I wish the heat would go away because the pumpkins and tomatoes haven’t set fruit and I am getting worried. I deeply watered the garden this morning. The heat will be unreal today.
As I type here, sipping mint tea, and forever grateful for the fan on, I want to express my gratitude for the bounty of nature around me. I cast a spell to have this apartment and nature was on the list of things I wanted. I love living here. I can’t wait for the insects to be gone though, mainly the mosquitoes. Yeah they can go – and the wasps. August is the spiders month. Once August rolls around, there are spiders EVERYWHERE.
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
