Tis the season to start your garden! Gardening is such an amazing and magical thing. There is nothing like working so closely with Mother Earth. The smell of the dirt, the feel of earth under your feet and within your hands....the beauty of what comes forth from the fertility of earth...simply stunning. After all, we can spring a wide variety of life and growth from the earth.
One doesn't pursue the path of witchcraft for long before understanding the relationship that we have with Mother Earth and feeling the need to be part of it. That need is sometimes exactly what draws someone to learn more about Wicca, Witchcraft, and other pagan paths. For many of us, the feelings of our hands in the Earth, and the nurturing of plants for sustenance, beauty, and use in magick is paramount to our craft. For me, gardening was and is more than a passion....it's practically a driving need, keeping me connected to the Earth in a way I cannot truly explain. It's just something that I do and allows me to feel connected and close to her and all she stands for.
Plants are used in magick in such diverse and infinite ways, and it stems back to having been since the beginning of time. Flowers always adorned ancient altars, and sticks/leaves thrown into a fire were the first form of incense. The shaman or village wise woman used herbs and plants to heal-concocting brews and potions which were used and ingested to open the mind and spirit for rituals and divination. Even now, we use many of those same plants for the same purposes as well as for health benefits. Many modern life saving medicines come from plants, fresh fruits and vegetables - all of which are a vital part of staying healthy.
Let's explore a bit into a witch's relationship with the plant kingdom. There is such a wide variety of gardens you can decide upon and grow including Goddess Gardens, Fairy Gardens, Water Gardens, growing herbs and flowers for magickal use. You can grow a garden in any environment - city, country, lots of land, very limited space, urban, rural and non-urban environments....it doesn't matter. All that does is the want, need and a compelling feeling to do so. This is how it starts, by wanting to and feeling an urge to do so. You can grow a bounty of vegetables and herbs for the witch's kitchen. Try to 'grow green' (organic and environmentally friendly), but I know that isn't possible or practical for everyone. Also, plants that grow well in hotter climates may not grow so well in areas that experience winters. Each plant has it's own needs and will have a completely different growing season, depending on your city/state. Plus, certain plants may not be available at all in Mexico, New Zealand or certain countries. I am by no means a gardening expert. What I learn comes from trial and error but it all stems from doing and having tried. Everyone will fumble along while learning and that process has been, can be and will be enjoyable. Eventually, you will become comfortable with it and will learn to understand the plant and it's needs.
A common activity at Ostara (the Spring Equinox Sabbat-also known as the Vernal Equinox Sabbat, Festival of Trees, Alban Eilir and the Rite of Eostre) is blessing the seeds to be planted the coming years crops, plus doing spells/rituals for fertility and abundance through the growing season. Ostara is celebrated on the first day of Spring. For those of you who haven't tried their hand at magical gardening, this is a great way to start. It really is an incredibly enjoyable activity plus it really gets you siked for the coming season.
If you are interested, let's start with something simple like Basil. Since Basil is very easy to grow and has so many uses, both magical and mundane, that is what I will use as an example. Basil is typically used in magic for prosperity, wealth and as love magic. It is often sprinkled on the floor or windowsills for protection. Basil is hearty and tolerates a variety of soil and moisture conditions, but to thrive needs 6-8 hours of direct sunlight a day. A window, corner of the patio or a spot outside in the south facing direction of your home would be a good place to start. When watering basil, water the soil, not the leaves. Keep the soil moist, but not damp. If not sure about what moist means, you can let the soil dry but once you notice it's dry to the touch, water it. Don't saturate it to the point of drowning it, but give it a good drink.
What you will need:
•A medium size pot - the plain terra cotta ones are perfect for this. If you are growing this in the house, you will need a drainage dish underneath the pot. Terra cotta pots also lend themselves to all sorts of decorating. They can be painted with symbols such as suns, moon, pentagrams, or the triple moon, and a hot glue gun can be used to attach crystals, gemstones or other shells to the outside of the pot. Decorate it to your taste.
•Potting soil - I recommend Miracle-Gro Organics, available in small bags at most any nursery, Lowe's or a big box store like Walmart or Target. This brand also includes a time release fertilizer that lasts for three months, so one less thing to worry about.
•A handful of rocks or coarse gravel or a coffee filter.
•Basil seeds - widely available at nurseries or anywhere that sells plants and seeds
Place the coffe filter in the bottom of your pot and put the rocks or gravel on top of it. This insures proper drainage for your plant. Fill the pot with soil. The night before you plan to plant the seeds, put them in a small dish outside under the moonlight. If there is any sort of breeze, put a piece of clear plastic, glass lid, or a screen over them in the dish.
Just before you plant, hold the seeds in your left hand, and say the following words:
Seeds so blessed by the pale moonlight,
Come forth now in the sun so bright!
Lord and Lady hear my call,
Make these plants grow strong and tall.
Basil so sweet, strong and bold,
Bring blessings now to my abode.
I set this spell three times three
As I will it, so mote it be!
Scatter the seeds over the soil in your pot, and lightly cover them. Water immediately and set in your sunny spot. Your seeds should sprout in 8-14 days.
Hope this helps give you a great understanding of the power and feeling of gardening. Blessed be!
One doesn't pursue the path of witchcraft for long before understanding the relationship that we have with Mother Earth and feeling the need to be part of it. That need is sometimes exactly what draws someone to learn more about Wicca, Witchcraft, and other pagan paths. For many of us, the feelings of our hands in the Earth, and the nurturing of plants for sustenance, beauty, and use in magick is paramount to our craft. For me, gardening was and is more than a passion....it's practically a driving need, keeping me connected to the Earth in a way I cannot truly explain. It's just something that I do and allows me to feel connected and close to her and all she stands for.
Plants are used in magick in such diverse and infinite ways, and it stems back to having been since the beginning of time. Flowers always adorned ancient altars, and sticks/leaves thrown into a fire were the first form of incense. The shaman or village wise woman used herbs and plants to heal-concocting brews and potions which were used and ingested to open the mind and spirit for rituals and divination. Even now, we use many of those same plants for the same purposes as well as for health benefits. Many modern life saving medicines come from plants, fresh fruits and vegetables - all of which are a vital part of staying healthy.
Let's explore a bit into a witch's relationship with the plant kingdom. There is such a wide variety of gardens you can decide upon and grow including Goddess Gardens, Fairy Gardens, Water Gardens, growing herbs and flowers for magickal use. You can grow a garden in any environment - city, country, lots of land, very limited space, urban, rural and non-urban environments....it doesn't matter. All that does is the want, need and a compelling feeling to do so. This is how it starts, by wanting to and feeling an urge to do so. You can grow a bounty of vegetables and herbs for the witch's kitchen. Try to 'grow green' (organic and environmentally friendly), but I know that isn't possible or practical for everyone. Also, plants that grow well in hotter climates may not grow so well in areas that experience winters. Each plant has it's own needs and will have a completely different growing season, depending on your city/state. Plus, certain plants may not be available at all in Mexico, New Zealand or certain countries. I am by no means a gardening expert. What I learn comes from trial and error but it all stems from doing and having tried. Everyone will fumble along while learning and that process has been, can be and will be enjoyable. Eventually, you will become comfortable with it and will learn to understand the plant and it's needs.
A common activity at Ostara (the Spring Equinox Sabbat-also known as the Vernal Equinox Sabbat, Festival of Trees, Alban Eilir and the Rite of Eostre) is blessing the seeds to be planted the coming years crops, plus doing spells/rituals for fertility and abundance through the growing season. Ostara is celebrated on the first day of Spring. For those of you who haven't tried their hand at magical gardening, this is a great way to start. It really is an incredibly enjoyable activity plus it really gets you siked for the coming season.
If you are interested, let's start with something simple like Basil. Since Basil is very easy to grow and has so many uses, both magical and mundane, that is what I will use as an example. Basil is typically used in magic for prosperity, wealth and as love magic. It is often sprinkled on the floor or windowsills for protection. Basil is hearty and tolerates a variety of soil and moisture conditions, but to thrive needs 6-8 hours of direct sunlight a day. A window, corner of the patio or a spot outside in the south facing direction of your home would be a good place to start. When watering basil, water the soil, not the leaves. Keep the soil moist, but not damp. If not sure about what moist means, you can let the soil dry but once you notice it's dry to the touch, water it. Don't saturate it to the point of drowning it, but give it a good drink.
What you will need:
•A medium size pot - the plain terra cotta ones are perfect for this. If you are growing this in the house, you will need a drainage dish underneath the pot. Terra cotta pots also lend themselves to all sorts of decorating. They can be painted with symbols such as suns, moon, pentagrams, or the triple moon, and a hot glue gun can be used to attach crystals, gemstones or other shells to the outside of the pot. Decorate it to your taste.
•Potting soil - I recommend Miracle-Gro Organics, available in small bags at most any nursery, Lowe's or a big box store like Walmart or Target. This brand also includes a time release fertilizer that lasts for three months, so one less thing to worry about.
•A handful of rocks or coarse gravel or a coffee filter.
•Basil seeds - widely available at nurseries or anywhere that sells plants and seeds
Place the coffe filter in the bottom of your pot and put the rocks or gravel on top of it. This insures proper drainage for your plant. Fill the pot with soil. The night before you plan to plant the seeds, put them in a small dish outside under the moonlight. If there is any sort of breeze, put a piece of clear plastic, glass lid, or a screen over them in the dish.
Just before you plant, hold the seeds in your left hand, and say the following words:
Seeds so blessed by the pale moonlight,
Come forth now in the sun so bright!
Lord and Lady hear my call,
Make these plants grow strong and tall.
Basil so sweet, strong and bold,
Bring blessings now to my abode.
I set this spell three times three
As I will it, so mote it be!
Scatter the seeds over the soil in your pot, and lightly cover them. Water immediately and set in your sunny spot. Your seeds should sprout in 8-14 days.
Hope this helps give you a great understanding of the power and feeling of gardening. Blessed be!
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