Author: Wild Fen

Wheel of the Year

The energy of Samhain

Wild Fen

Samhain (pronounced sow-in) is one of the eight seasonal festivals that make up the wheel of the year, an ancient way of observing the yearly cycle, and the transition of the sun and the seasons. Samhain is celebrated at the end of October/beginning of November (the origins of modern day Halloween) and marks the final harvest period of the year and the birth of the Winter. At this time of year we can observe the natural world preparing for the Winter months that stretch ahead. Trees lose their leaves, plants die back, and animals stock up and may begin to migrate or hibernate.

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Botanicals

Reintroducing our Incense blends

Wild Fen

We have recently expanded our collection of loose incense blends, so it felt like a good time to reintroduce you to the whole collection. All of our blends combine leaves, petals, buds, bark and resin we have lovingly grown or gathered respectfully from the wild. We harvest our plants at their most abundant and dry carefully to preserve their potency all with great care and respect to nature.

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Botanicals

Sun and Moon Incense Blends

Wild Fen

We have recently crafted two brand new loose incense blends that I wanted to introduce you to!

Our Sun incense blend is a warming mix crafted during the Summer’s peak with plants associated with the Sun and fire element. This blend is ideal for use in the mornings, when intention setting, for new beginnings and solar festivals and when we want to feel energised, uplifted, abundant, confident and connected.

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Wellbeing

Lessons from a Primrose

Wild Fen

After a shaky few days, taking my morning cup of tea out in the garden this morning felt like an act of restoration. Walking barefoot across the lawn, moving from the shade into the sun I came to sit down in front of a small patch of Primroses. I noticed that the petals of most of the flowers were wilting now, nibbled (not by me) and turning brown in patches as they were reaching the end of their blooming period here in the UK.

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Wheel of the Year

Beltane

Wild Fen

The next festival in our Wheel of the Year journey is Beltane, celebrated around the beginning of May in the Northern hemisphere. Beltane is the mid point between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice. It marks Spring’s peak and the birth of Summer and is a celebration of the Earth’s fertile energy and life force at this time.

This is a time of abundance, union and life force. Flowers are blooming, new life is being born and the Sun’s strength is increasing. This is a fertile time in the natural world, and can help us to ignite projects, cultivate new actions and reflect on what we need in order to bloom. This increase in active energy, can leave us feeling a little worn out at times, so it is good time to ensure rest, self care and nourishment is established to balance this busy time.

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Botanicals

How we Burn our Loose Incense Blends

Wild Fen

Burning incense is an ancient art that has been practiced across the world for many thousands of years. Long before our ability to extract the essential oils from plants, burning the whole dried plant would have been the earliest form of aromatherapy.

Incense burning was common place in hospitals, places of worship and the home to promote health, clear the air, enhance meditation and spiritual practices, in celebration or remembrance or to cultivate a sense of protection and grounding.

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Trees

The Magic of Birch

Wild Fen

Within a life span similar to our own (which is relatively short in the tree world), Birch trees can completely transform their environments. A pioneer species, they have the ability to move into a piece of open ground, and transform it into woodland. Their deep roots can draw a vast amount of nutrients up through the earth which they return to the soil in the Autumn when they lose their leaves. This creates favourable conditions for other tree species to move in. For this reason, Birch trees symbolise new beginnings, growth and rebirth.

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Trees

The Magic of Yew

Wild Fen

A tree I really enjoy journeying with is the Yew tree, Taxus baccata. Typically associated with the Samhain season, I find myself really connecting with this tree in Spring too.

Like Willows, Yews are dioecious meaning that trees are either male or female. In the Spring the male trees produce an array of flowers covered with golden pollen. This pollen is carried by the wind to the smaller flowers of the female trees that will go on to produce the red berries in the Autumn.

Male Yew tree in Spring
The red berries on the Female tree in Autumn
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Wheel of the Year

A Guide to Ostara – the Spring Equinox

Wild Fen

In astronomical terms, the Spring Equinox (also known as Ostara) marks the beginning of the Spring season in the Northern hemisphere and falls between the 20th – 23rd March each year.

The word ‘equinox’ comes from the Latin word meaning ‘equal night’ and twice a year, on both the Spring and Autumn equinoxes, night and day length reach a point of balance. The light has slowly but surely been increasing from it’s lowest point at the Winter Solstice (Yule) in December. It will now continue to expand, overtaking the hours of darkness, until it reaches its peak on our longest day at the Summer Solstice (Litha) in June.

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Foraging

Spring Greens!

Wild Fen

Eating seasonally is one of my favourite ways of feeling more aligned with earth’s cycles and come Spring I really start craving fresher, zingier and lighter meals with lots and lots of greens. And just as if Nature intended, our gardens and woodlands are bursting full of Spring greens, that nourish and cleanse our bodies after a heavy winter.

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