Finding Meaning in the things around us
One of the aspects of esotyricism that I struggle with sometimes is the "meaning" of things. It seems everywhere we look and everything that happens around us and to us has to have some kind of meaning attached to it if only we know the various writings about what each...
Introducing the Circle in the Alder Grove
It's been a bit of a project and one that I've loved every minute of....and continue to as she will develop and unfold. The Circle. When we moved here the end of the garden had a fenced off area that was massively overgrown and basically a scrub area. We couldn't...
Tale of a tempermental Elder
How delighted I was to find Elder Trees in our garden. To be honest I'm learning how to recognise plants and trees and certainly wasn't able to tell what trees were in the garden when we first moved here. We have many, many trees and we moved here in January...
Heal All / Self Heal
With a name like "Heal-all" sometimes known as "self-heal" this little plant has a lot to live up to. And frankly it doesn't disappoint. While it may not be a panacea it certainly packs a punch in terms of its medicinal and culinary usefulness. And I'm delighted to have masses...
Elderflower and Elder Leaves
Elder - what a wonderful tree she is. Can be tempermental (more about that later) but she offers the most amazing gifts in her flowers and her leaves. Elderflower I made Elderflower cordial for the first this year - it was absolutely amazing. Better than any cordial I've tased from...
Nipplewort
Such a common plant to see in gardens here that often you wouldn't pay attention to it - except that it often grows where you wouldn't want it to and grows pretty tall so can't really be ignored. Before removing any plant though I always now check whether there are...
Japanese Knotweed
Coming from the UK, there are few plants that would cast such fear into the hearts of gardeners and homeowners more than "Japanese Knotweed"! In the UK it is actually illegal to allow it to grow on your property and land. If you are trying to get a mortgage and...
Foraging 4 – Nettles
When we arrived at our new home there was an area in the garden that was very overgrown with brambles and nettles. It's an area that we intend to clear and use as a part of the garden, so Dennis went in with his strimmer a few weeks ago and...
Foraging 3 – dead nettles and dandelions
Today the garden gave me 2 common classics. The purple dead nettle and the good ol' Dandelion. I also managed to find a huge clump of Wood Sage so gathered a bit more of that for the bottle. Purple Dead Nettle Purple Dead-nettle has long been used in folk medicine...
Ostara – beginnings and the new
Ostara marks the coming of spring - when the day and night are of equal length - the mid point between the Winter Solstice and the Summer Solstice. The Ostara Sabbath symbolizes renewal, the awakening of energies, the return of life after winter and fertility. It is celebrated at the...