I gather thyme upon the sunny hills,And its pure fragrance ever gladdens me,And in my mind having tranquillityI smile to see how my green basket fills.And by clear streams I gather daffodils… — from Immalee by Christina Rosette To enhance the fresh, clearing energy of Spring, I like to make a magical dry potpourri (as … Read more
The daffodil is our doorside queen;She pushes upward the sward already,To spot with sunshine the early green. No lays so joyous as these are warbledFrom wiry prison in maiden’s bower;No pampered bloom of the green-house chamberHas half the charm of the lawn’s first flower.— from An Invitation to the Country, by William Cullen Bryant We … Read more
LOST by David Waggoner Stand still. The trees ahead and the bushes beside youAre not lost. Wherever you are is called Here,And you must not treat it as a powerful stranger,Must ask permission to know it and be known.The forest breathes. Listen. It answers,I have made the place around you.If you leave it you may … Read more
I arise todayThrough the strength of HeavenLight of SunRadiance of MoonSplendor of FireSpeed of LightningSwiftness of WindDepth of SeaStability of EarthFirmness of Rock. — commonly known as St. Patrick’s Breastplate, but also believed to be the far older Druid Deer’s Cry Invocation As I’ve been discussing, the evidence is overwhelming that time spent in Nature … Read more
In some mysterious way, woods have never seemed to me to be static things. In physical terms, I move through them; yet in metaphysical ones, they seem to move through me.— John FowlesThe daylight hours in the Northern Hemisphere slowly, almost imperceptibly, grow longer. But the Moon now fades, and we move towards Her dark … Read more
O the Ivy O, she’s the Queen of old,And the Holly he is red.Hang ‘en high in the farm,and us won’t come to no harmTill the Christmas days be told. — Traditional carol from Somerset Both the design and materials of your Solstice wreath can invoke magic. As I explained before, the circular shape is … Read more
The young maid stole through the cottage door,And blushed as she sought the Plant of pow’r; —“Thou silver glow-worm, O lend me thy light,I must gather the mystic St. John’s wort tonight,The wonderful herb, whose leaf will decideIf the coming year shall make me a bride.”— Old German St. John’s Eve divination spell Today is … Read more
Over hill, over dale, Thorough bush, thorough brier, Over park, over pale, Thorough flood, thorough fire, I do wander everywhere, Swifter than the moon’s sphere; And I serve the fairy queen, To dew her orbs upon the green. The cowslips tall her pensioners be: In their gold coats spots you see; Those be rubies, fairy … Read more
Visioning – ©Susan Seddon Boulet I rise in silence, steadfast in the elements with thought a smoke-blue veil drawn round me. Seasons clothe me in laurel and bittersweet, in ice but my heart is constant… –– Marilou Awiakta, © Smoky Mountain-Woman As the magic of Summer Solstice approaches, the activity of the Faery folk increases … Read more
Ripeness – © Osho Zen TarotLast day of Springripe purple plums drop–form is emptiness. First day of Summerditch completely dry–emptiness is form. — Short Poems by Michael P. Garofalo We begin the final countdown to the Solstice, which arrives next week. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, it is the Summer Solstice, the … Read more