Hanged up in houses,it doth very well attemper the aire,coole and make fresh the place to the delightand comfort of such as are therein. — John Gerard, 1597 As our days fill with the gift of Summer’s lush ripening, beloved Thalia, the Grace of Mirth and Flowering, continues to teach us. In the hot, summery … Read more
The air was fragrant with a thousand trodden aromatic herbs, with fields of lavender, and with the brightest roses blushing in tufts all over the meadows. . . — William Cullen Bryant As the Wheel of the Year turns now to the fullness of Summer’s lush ripening, we continue on our Graceland journey — that … Read more
As the sun spirals its longest dance,Cleanse us!As nature shows bounty and fertilityBless us!Let all things live with loving intentAnd to fulfill their truest destiny.— from a Wiccan Summer Blessing (as reported by the BBC) Happy Litha (Summer Solstice) to those of us in the northern hemisphere, and Happy Yule to our friends below the … Read more
I must go seek some dewdrops hereAnd hang a pearl in every cowslip’s ear.Farewell, thou lob of spirits;I’ll be gone: Our queen and all our elves come here anon.— From A Midsummer Night’s Eve, by William Shakespeare Today is the last day of Spring. Today, go outside, taste the rich fruit that has come of … Read more
Faerie Guardians © Howard David JohnsonWhen I sound the fairy call, gather here in silent meeting,Chin to knee on the orchard wall, cooled with dew and cherries eating.Merry, merry, take a cherry, mine are sounder, mine are rounder,Mine are sweeter for the eater, when the dews fall, and you’ll be fairies all. — Emily Dickinson … Read more
Cock Robin Defending His Nest by John Anster FitzGeraldSome day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again. — C.S. Lewis If you are called to establish ties with the Good People, you are going to want to learn about the proper use of offerings and gifts. According to the 1911 work … Read more
Titania by Arthur RackhamHand in hand, with Fairy grace,Will we sing, and bless this place.— Titania (in William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream) Yesterday, I noted that, when making your initial introductions with the Gentle Folk, naming is powerful, and this is one reason that so many euphemisms abound. According to Cassandra Eason in A … Read more
Puck and a Fairy, from A Midsummer Night’s Dreamby Arthur RackhamSome call him Robin Good-fellow,Hob-goblin or mad Crisp, And some againe doe tearme him oft,By name of Will the Wispe;But call him by what name you list,I have studied on my pillow,I think the best name he deservesIs Robin the Good Fellow.— from The Merry … Read more
Artist unknown Fairy Songby Sir Walter Scott What I am I must not show What I am thou couldst now know Something betwixt heaven and hell Something that neither stood nor fell Something that through thy wit or willMay work thee goodMay work thee ill. Neither substance quite, nor shadow,Haunting lonely moor and meadow,Dancing by … Read more
Go not to the hills of ErinnWhen the night winds are about,Put up your bar and shutter,And so keep the danger out. For the good-folk whirl within it,And they pull you by the hand,And they push you on the shoulder,Till you move to their command. — from The Wind on the Hills, by Dora Sigerson … Read more