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
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
Faeries Looking Through a Gothic Arch by John Anster Christian Fitzgerald Dare you haunt our hallow’d green? None but fairies here are seen. — from The Fayries Daunce (in A Briefe Discourse), by Thomas Ravenscroft, 1614 Creating a special meeting place with an altar is an integral part of building a relationship with the Fair … Read more
Lord Oberon – King of Wands,from The Fantastical Creatures Tarot,© D.J. Conway, Lisa HuntIt is by yonder thorn that I saw the fairy host(O low night wind, O wind of the west!)My love rode by, there was gold upon his brow,And since that day I can neither eat nor rest. — from The Fairy Lover, … Read more
A green tendril weaves through the fabric of time. When animal life first pushed up from the mud of chaos, simple plants were already there to welcome us into the web of life. — from Mugworts in May, by Linda Ours Rago From Beltane to Midsummer, the Faery Kingdom celebrates the intense, growing delight of … Read more
Iris © Josephine WallIris on saffron wings arrayed with dewOf various colours through the sunbeams flew. — Virgil In these beautiful days of Spring, we continue our journey with the Graces, particularly noting the gifts of the Grace, Thalia. She is the giver of mirth, growth, and flowering. In Greek mythology, Iris is the messenger … Read more
Hail Thalia, Grace of Flowering and Mirth! Hail to The Lord and The Lady!Hail to the King and Queen of Faery, to blessed Flora, and to Maia Majestas! ©Helena Nelson-Reed Hail to the Summer!Hail to the Summer!The season that drivesThe cold Winter away!Hail to the Summer!Hail to the Summer!Light your bonfires –Today is Beltane!— from … Read more
Narcissus so himself himself forsook,And died to kiss his shadow in the brook. — William Shakespeare Narcissus (another name for the daffodil), is the word from which we get “narcissism“, which is in reference to the tragic story of the haughty Narcissus in Greek myth. In the tale told by Ovid, one day when the … 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