I grant forgiveness to all living beings.May all living beings grant me forgiveness.My friendship is with all living beings.My enmity is totally non-existent.Let there be peace, harmony, and prosperity for all.— from the Kalpa Sutra, holy text of JainismDepending on sect and location, the practitioners of Jainism are now ending their most important religious period … Read more
A Night-Rain in Summer by James Henry Leigh Hunt Open the window, and let the airFreshly blow upon face and hair,And fill the room, as it fills the night,With the breath of the rain’s sweet might.Hark! the burthen, swift and prone!And how the odorous limes are blown!Stormy Love’s abroad, and keepsHopeful coil for gentle sleeps. … Read more
If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.— J. R. R. TolkeinLughnassadh (pronounced “LOO-nahs-ah”) or the Anglo-Saxon “Lammas,” is one of the Greater Sabbats and honors the First Harvest. In agricultural traditions throughout the Northern Hemisphere, this marks the start of the harvest cycle, … Read more
If you were wondering if you can still join us THIS AFTERNOON for my Herbs and Magickal Gifts from the Garden workshop, the answer is — YES! There are still seats for you (maybe even a friend or two).Join us from 1 to 5pm TODAY at Dancing Moon Books in Raleigh as we: Create Sacred … Read more
Mockingbirdsby Mary Oliver This morningtwo mockingbirdsin the green fieldwere spinning and tossing the white ribbonsof their songsinto the air.I had nothing better to dothan listen.I mean thisseriously. In Greece,a long time ago,an old coupleopened their door to two strangerswho were,it soon appeared,not men at all, but gods.It is my favorite story–how the old couplehad almost … Read more
You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4th, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You … Read more
The Love Potion – Evelyn de Morgan, 1903There are some things after all that Sally Owens knows for certain: Always throw spilled salt over your left shoulder. Keep rosemary by your garden gate. Add pepper to your mashed potatoes. Plant roses and lavender, for luck. Fall in love whenever you can. — Practical Magic, by … Read more
Ladies fair, I bring to youLavender with spikes of blue;Sweeter plant was never foundGrowing on our English ground.— Caryl Battersby, 1896 The medicinal properties of lavender are well-known, tried and true for many centuries. But I also love it for its more subtle, equally powerful gifts. I know lavender to be an intimate friend, teacher … Read more
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