The sun is shining so strong today. Everyone all over the world is waiting for the eclipse. It is the biggest thing right now since sliced bread. People are so excited about it. I wish I had the special eyeglasses for watching the eclipse.
I’m waiting for the delivery of a package. The package is the textbooks I ordered from the Herbal Academy for the Introductory course. The delivery is taking an extra amount of time for some reason. I have never been the patient type of person. Patience is not my forte. I have to find a special spot on my shelves for the textbooks.
I am really feeling the energies today. It feels off: my back hurts, the blender didn’t cooperate when I made soup and I feel edgy and irritable. I mean I am usually irritable but today I am more so. That is the eclipse and Mercury retrograde affecting me.
I bought a book online that looks interesting, titled Old Dark Houses: A Halloween Novel by Tylor James. Speaking of Halloween, I saw the latest Ghostbuster movie Frozen Empire. Do we really need another Ghostbuster movie? No. Now it feels so forced. I enjoyed it but I just fail to see what they are adding to the whole Ghostbuster franchise. I also bought a book titled The Complete Book of Black Magic and Witchcraft. I am sure the black magic book will be a fun read… ahem. I shall not cook up the boys who cry out that I am a Witch at the top of their lungs while riding their bikes, I promise. Witch’s honour. Well, they are not wrong.
Chives, lemon balm, garlic and tiger lily sprouts are up in my garden. Spring is here! The next turn in the Wheel of the Year is Beltane. Beltane occurs in May. I shall post more about that in the future. Beltane is the third spring Sabbat and a nice way to usher in the summer season.
My plants are growing so lovely in my grow light kit. It’s April now. They can be planted out in the next six to eight weeks in the garden. The last frost is in early June. I bought a bag of potato seedlings. I might buy an extra grow bag to hold all the taters. I bought red onion seeds too. I can’t wait to get growing in my garden. The birds chirp their little avian hearts out. They know the nice weather is here, which means food. I made them one last offering of bird suet. I cooked hamburger meat grease, lard, peanut butter, bird seed, bread crumbs, oranges, apple chunks and olive oil. The birds enjoyed every bite. If they ate it, then that extra food wasn’t wasted. I fill their feeder regularly too.
Spring equinox is only a few days away. Are you all as excited as I am? I bet you are. Soon we can say goodbye to cold noses and freezing temperatures. “For witches, the Spring Equinox is known as Ostara, named after the Germanic lunar goddess, an embodiment of the great Goddess who gave birth to the Sun God at the Winter Solstice. As an Equinox, Ostara is a time of balance and equilibrium.” (https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/2018/08/how-to-celebrate-spring-equinox-like-a-modern-witch#)
A witch lives by the lunar and solar cycles – the Moon and the Sun. We celebrate the cycles of the moon.
Every month, witches honour the moon in full moon gatherings. We hold Sabbat celebrations and this time the Sabbat to celebrate is Ostara, or the spring equinox. Ostara marks the first day of spring, when the night and day are of equal length. Ostara is named after the Germanic lunar goddess who is an embodiment of the great Goddess who gave birth to the Sun God at the Winter Solstice. Ostara is a time of balance.
During the Spring Equinox, plant seeds and clean your home. Now is the time to reflect and create and clear away any stagnant energy.
Decorate your altar with warm colours; seeds, fruit; gemstones such as citrine, clear quartz, aventurine and carnelian. Make offerings of honey and milk for the faeries. Place tarot cards like the High Priestess and the Nine of Cups on your altar.
Perform rituals and make offerings. Play music that makes you think of spring and enjoy a cup of herbal tea while you pore over seed catalogs – for organic seeds, of course!
It’s a hot day today. It’s rained here all week which helped the firemen to control the wildfire. I am ready for more sun though. I planted a spearmint seedling in the garden. It didn’t regrow this spring. My garden is just beautiful and everything is growing so fast!
I finished the bookcase project. The two bookcases are now at my Mom’s house and I have one tall bookcase holding a LOT of books. I also switched the witch books with my writing books. That was a huge undertaking. I sorted out the ones I wanted to donate which left me with enough room to hold all the books I did want. It took me a couple of hours to sort through. I have way more room in my bedroom now. I love it!
I finished binding my Herbal Academy lessons in the Intermediate level into books. I had to touch up the covers with green tissue paper, paint and glue but it looks great now. The Celtic dragon trim arrived in the owl mail. I can’t wait to sew that onto the black wool cloak. The cloak will look great.
Midsummer is almost here! The Wheel of the Year turns again. It’s a magical Sabbat! Honour the fiery power of the sun by going outdoors! Yup that’s right. Let the warm breeze sweep away your troubles. It’s summer, after all. Gather flowers, herbs, leaves and press them or use them to decorate cookies. Host a summer party, go to the beach or indulge in forest bathing. Plant herbs , veggies and flowers and tend them as they grow. As you plant each seed, empower it with your intention and bless the seeds.
Try a new herbal recipe, educate yourself about herbs that you aren’t familiar with, and go for a long walk on a nature trail or to the forest with a plant guide book or your cellphone app to help you identify plants. Take your dog with you! They love the outdoors.
Burn candles to celebrate the solstice! There is a ban on fires here in Nova Scotia so I have to settle for candles. Bake garlic and herb bread, brew some mead or cider, and wear a pretty sundress and pair it with a witchy hat. Spritz on an essential oil perfume mix and sunscreen. Men can wear whatever they feel comfortable in too. Then get out there! Summer was meant to be enjoyed.
My indoor herb and vegetable seed starting project is progressing nicely. I love my grow light kit. I used to grow plants like herbs and flowers without a grow light. I don’t know how I ever managed. I will never go back to not using a grow light kit. It is amazing. I’m growing tickseed, parsley, thyme, Vietnamese Cilantro, onions, kohlrabi, carrots, radishes, calendula, celeriac, bunching onions, and winter squash. The seedlings are all arranged near or at my grow light kit. I love having a grow light kit. I will never go back to the old way. The parsley and thyme I bought in pots sit at a sunny window in my office. I bought a potted rosemary and arranged that near my grow light.
I used seed starting soil, water and pots to start the seedlings in. I sprinkled mycorrhizae in the soil and Gaia Organics fertilizer. I sprinkle the seedlings with water. The window faces north but it is the only spot I can have them in that my cat Penny doesn’t disturb. I also have a few tablespoons of patience as this project requires patience. Seeds will germinate in their own good time. Then, once the seedling is up, it needs to receive all the care it can get. They can grow big, or small, wide or narrow, bright green or red, but whatever they do, they need a lot of attention and your time.
Some plants may need supports or something to grow up on, to be trained on. Some plants grow leggy and stretch toward the light. Some plants need deeper soil. Some plants can take forever to grow into a carrot or a pepper plant. They are all individual green seedlings that depend on YOU. They depend on you for good quality soil, for their growing needs, for getting the adequate amount of light. Using a grow light can help take the load off a lot of the effort for you. Seedlings growing without the benefit of a grow light don’t grow as strong. I leave the light on for my grow light kit from about 7:00 – 8:00 am in the morning till about 9:00-10:00 pm at night. That means that my seedlings definitely receive the necessary amount of light. I mist them a lot during the day. The temperature is warm enough in my kitchen.
I remove the weak seedlings and tend the strongest seedlings. A nod to Darwin here for his theories about survival of the fittest. I also label what I am growing. It is a good idea to know what you are growing! It is easy to label, you can make artsy labels or use something as simple as a popsicle stick for labeling your precious cilantro seedlings.
The carrots and parsley were a real headache to get growing. Yes I did thin them out. I waited till the carrot seedlings were about two inches in height and arranged them into rows. I discarded the weak ones. Now they all have more space from each other and are growing their trademark true leaves. I misted them with water from my spray bottle and would gently water them from a measuring cup. I use toothpicks to support them as they grow up. A measuring cup is better than a regular drinking glass. It has that dip for pouring that I love.
The carrots and parsley are growing in the deep pot for their roots shown in the photo. They were the hardest to get started but the hard work was worth it.
I also use good quality seeds. I use organic, non GMO, heirloom seeds. Good seeds, good soil and good water and good tending make great seedlings. I watch a lot of videos on Youtube for good gardening inspiration. I store my seeds in their paper packets in a metal box. The seeds stay fresh too with a silica gel packet. I just rearranged the seeds. I store the herbs and flowers in one metal box and the veggie seeds in the other.
The best tool in your toolbox is patience. They don’t get perfect overnight and grow overnight to their ideal size. They take their time. They grow at their own rate and they are fine with that, your green charges, oh yes. Cultivate patience as you cultivate your little green friends and they will try to grow their very best for you. I hope the tips in this post help you and inspire you to exercise your green thumbs. Happy growing!!
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)
Winter Solstice is the time when the astrological moment when the sun reaches the Tropic of Capricorn. It’s the shortest day of the year and the first day of winter. During the solstice, the sun rises in the lowest part of the sky. It appears to remain in the same spot for a few days leading to and after this astronomical event.
After the Solstice, the days begin getting longer again. Many cultures view this day as a rebirth. The Winter Solstice occurs annually on December 21st. The Solstice celebrates the beginning of the winter season, the time of the Cailleach.
Winter solstice traditions, meaning and rituals for the shortest day of the year
The Winter Solstice is observed with celebrations at Stonehenge by Druids and PagansCredit: Alamy Live News
What is the Winter Solstice?
The shortest day falls on December 22.
It is known as the winter solstice, marking the day of the year with the fewest sunlight hours.
The solstice always falls between December 19 and 22.
Most years, it falls on the 21st in the UK, but sometimes it lands a little bit off-kilter, because it takes the Earth 365 and a quarter days to go around the sun.
This extra quarter day is why we add a day to the calendar every four years with a leap year – to stop the dates drifting gradually through the seasons.
It is worth noting that December 22 is the Winter Solstice in the northern hemisphere – those south of the equator will be marking the Summer Solstice tonight.
What is the meaning behind the Winter Solstice?
The word “solstice” comes from the Latin solstitium meaning “sun stands still”.
It refers to the point when the apparent movement of the sun’s path seems to stop briefly.
The event is one of the oldest winter celebrations, and it is still marked by a number of different cultures around the world.
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument which is carefully aligned on a sight-line that points to the winter solstice sunsetCredit: Getty – Contributor
Why is Winter Solstice so important?
Winter solstice is an important time for cultures across the globe.
Under the old Julian calendar, the winter solstice occurred on December 25.
With the introduction of the Gregorian calendar the solstice slipped to the 21st, but the Christian celebration of Jesus’s birth continued to be held on 25 December.
The day is primarily observed by Pagans and Druids who descend on Stonehenge to mark the occasion.
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in Wiltshire, which is carefully aligned on a sight-line that points to the winter solstice sunset.
Archaeologists believe it was constructed from 3000 BC to 2000 BC and it is thought that the winter solstice was actually more important to the people who constructed Stonehenge than the Summer solstice.
The winter solstice was historically a time when cattle was slaughtered (so the animals would not have to be fed during the winter) and the majority of wine and beer was finally fermented.
The only other megalithic monuments in the British Isles which clearly align with the sun are Newgrange in County Meath, Ireland and Maeshowe situated on Mainland, Orkney, Scotland.
Both monuments famously face the winter solstice sunrise.
Druids, pagans and revelers gather at Stonehenge annually to celebrate the first sunrise after the solstice Credit: Getty Images – Getty
How is the Winter Solstice celebrated in the UK?
While many associate December 21 with the solstice, in the pagan and druid communities the celebration comes the following day.
These communities will dress in traditional costumes and mark the first sunrise after the astronomical event.
What are some other Winter Solstice celebrations like?
Celebrations of the lighter days to come have been common throughout history with feasts, festivals and holidays around the December solstice celebrated by cultures across the globe.
Saturnalia:
The winter solstice festival Saturnalia began on December 17 and lasted for seven days in In Ancient Rome.
These Saturnalian banquets were held from as far back as around 217 BCE to honor Saturn, the father of the gods.
The holiday was celebrated with a sacrifice at the Temple of Saturn, in the Roman Forum, and a public banquet, followed by private gift-giving, continual partying, and a carnival atmosphere that overturned Roman social norms.
The festival was characterized as a free-for-all when all discipline and orderly behavior was ignored.
Wars were interrupted or postponed, gambling was permitted, slaves were served by their masters and all grudges and quarrels were forgotten.
It was traditional to offer gifts of imitation fruit (a symbol of fertility), dolls (symbolic of the custom of human sacrifice), and candles (reminiscent of the bonfires traditionally associated with pagan solstice celebrations).
The Saturnalia would degenerate into a week-long orgy of debauchery and crime – giving rise to the modern use of the term ‘saturnalia’, meaning a period of unrestrained license and revelry.
Saturnalia would degenerate into a week-long orgy of debauchery and crime and gave rise to the modern use of the term ‘saturnalia’, which means a period of unrestrained license and revelry.
The event is one of the oldest winter celebrations and it is marked by a number of different cultures around the world Credit: Alamy
Feast of Juul:
The Feast of Juul (where we get the term ‘Yule’ from at this time of year) was a pre-Christian (Pagan) festival observed in Scandinavia at the time of the December solstice.
People would light fires to symbolize the heat and light of the returning sun and a Juul (or Yule) log was brought in and dropped in the hearth as a tribute the Norse god Thor.
The Yule Log was often an entire tree that was carefully chosen and brought into the house with great ceremony.
The largest end of the log would be placed into the fire hearth, while the rest of the tree stuck out into the room.
The log was burned until nothing but ash remained, and this was collected and either strewn on the fields as fertilizer every night until Twelfth Night or kept as a charm and or as medicine.
A piece of the log was kept as both a token of good luck and as kindling for the following year’s log.
Yalda:
Yalda or Shab-e Chelleh (‘night of forty’) is an Iranian festival celebrated on the “longest and darkest night of the year”.
Every year, on December 21, Iranians celebrate the arrival of winter, the renewal of the sun and the victory of light over darkness.
Pomegranate, watermelon and dried nuts are served as a tradition and classic poetry and old mythologies are read in a family gathering, led by an elder member of the household.
It is believed that eating watermelons on the night of Chelleh will ensure the health and well-being of the individual during the months of summer by protecting him from falling victim to excessive heat or disease.
Santo Tomas in Guatemala:
December 21 is observed as St Thomas’s Day in the Christian calendar.
In Guatemala, this day sees Mayan Indians indulge in the ritual known as the Palo Volador, or “flying pole dance”.
Three men climb on top of a 50-foot pole as one of them beats a drum and plays a flute.
The other two men wind a rope attached to the pole around one foot and jump.
If they land on their feet, it is believed that the sun god will be pleased and that the days will start getting longer.
I hope you enjoyed this post. It’s cool to see how other cultures all celebrate the Solstice. Let me know you celebrate the longest night of the year.
It’s December 1st. I have just put up my tiny tree and downloaded Yule tunes. The arrival of the month of December puts me in the mood for Yule. Winter Solstice is in 20 days. The moon is Waning Crescent currently and is in Scorpio Void of Course.
Winter Solstice is the time when the days are shortest and the nights are longest. The Sun reaches its most southern point in the sky at noon. After the 22nd, the days begin getting longer.
Winter inspires joy and sadness in people. Some people enjoy sking and curling in front of the fire. Others dread winter for the cold and the depression they suffer during the season.
The word ‘solstice’ comes from the Latin words “sun” and “to stop” because the Sun stops in the sky. The solstice days are the times with the least amount of sunlight in the sky.
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