Author: Wild Fen

Plants

The Magick of Mallow

Wild Fen

Common Mallow (Malva sylvestris) flowers abundantly throughout the Summer months, providing a vibrant nectar source alongside verges, hedgerows, wastelands and meadows.

It is a highly nutritious plant thought to have been brought to Britain by the Romans who admired its edible and medicinal qualities. The leaves, flowers and seeds are all edible and rich in vitamins and minerals.

The vibrancy of Mallow flowers always draw me in and spending just a few moments by her side guarantees a sight of a busy bee foraging its nectar.

Mallow is a cooling, soothing plant associated with the moon and an important ingredient in our Moon Incense Blend.

We would love to hear how you like to work with Mallow, if at all. She seems especially abundant this year in the East of England!

Common Mallow Flower
Blending our Moon Incense
Topped with Mallow Petals
Trees

The Magic of Elder

Wild Fen

As I write this at the beginning of June, Elder trees are amass with creamy white blossoms that fill hedgerows and paths with their delicate scent and rich abundance. I love this time of year, gathering a couple of flower heads along my walks, returning to enjoy a daily Elderflower Brew.

Abundant Elderflowers
A daily Elderflower brew
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Trees

The Magic of Hawthorn

Wild Fen

The Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) is one of our most wild and magical native trees. Steeped in folklore and ancient tradition, they can live for up to 700 years.

It was once customary to plant one in every garden, and to this day, they can often be found marking many ancient sites and boundaries. They are a fundamental component of the British countryside, forming up to 70% of hedgerows. They support a plethora of wildlife, providing food and shelter to over 300 species of insects, dormice and other small mammals and many birds, including migrating species over the winter who feast on their berries.

They also play an important role in the wider landscape, storing carbon, improving and stabilising the soil and act as a windbreak, barrier and boundary.

Come May the hedgerows are an abundant mass of creamy Hawthorn blossom earning them the name ‘May tree’ as they flower just in time for Beltane – the festival of Nature’s abundance and fertility. They have long been central to ancient earth celebrations around this time of the year, and were seen as a symbol of fertility and a marker for the start of Summer.

The Wild and Magickal May tree in bloom
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Wheel of the Year

The Beltane Fire

Wild Fen

The festival of Beltane is almost upon us and marks the peak of Spring in the Northern hemisphere. Beltane is a fire festival, with the word bel-tene meaning a ‘goodly fire.’ Fire has long been associated with transformation, cleansing and purification, burning the old down to make way and fertilise the new. At Beltane, Spring has reached its peak and Summer begins to emerge with a more direct and committed energy.

To connect with this, you may wish to light a fire, candle or burn incense over the weekend to help physically and symbolically clear the path for a new season. whilst observing the flame consider any or all of the following:

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Foraging, Wellbeing

A Wild Brew

Wild Fen

A practice I find incredibly grounding at this time of year is to get outdoors and gently gather some beautiful fresh Spring plants for a brew.

There are so many medicinal plants growing in abundance at this time of year that are perfectly aligned to help nourish and cleanse the body after Winter. Many even make their way into our gardens if we let them!

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Wellbeing, Wheel of the Year

Mindful Spring Practices

Wild Fen

I don’t know about you, but I can find myself feeling pretty restless at this time of year. The transition away from Winter can be a long one. The promise of Spring feels so sweet when it arrives. Those first warm rays on the skin and the sound of bird song lift my heart so much. And just as I am about to lean right in to the new season, Winter announces she isn’t quite done as she delivers one last blast…

I have noticed over the past few years that my mind can become restless at this time of year. My mood and energy feel as mixed as the weather. One foot planted amongst the hopeful wildflowers of Spring, the other hanging back in the heavy malaise of Winter’s end.

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Botanicals, Mindfulness

Guided Smoulder Stick Mindfulness Practice

Wild Fen

Hello lovely souls, below is a guided practice you may wish to use alongside your Smoulder Stick. Find a comfortable space where you can sit and relax for a while, have a candle and lighter available and a heat proof dish for your stick. Enhance this practice with any of your favourite music, oils, blankets etc. You can use this guide whether you choose to light your stick or not.

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Life

A Reflection on Van Life

Wild Fen

It has been two years since we bought the empty van that has since become our home.

It is also two years since we left our home in the Fens behind and quit both of our full time jobs in a leap that was bigger than any we had taken before!

A few months back I wrote a post about running our small business from the van and I wanted to follow that up with some reflections on our experience of living in the van full time. I would stress here that this is very much our experience. Just like any lifestyle, it can vary massively depending on individual preference, budget, motivations, previous life experience and so on.

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Trees

The Magic of Hazel

Wild Fen

Hazel trees (Corylus avellana) along with Willow and Elder are associated with the festival of Imbolc, celebrated as the first signs of Spring appear at the beginning of February. If you have been lucky enough to spot a Hazel tree at this time, you will understand why. Their bright yellow catkins are one of the first dashes of colour to return to our woodlands after the muted colours of Winter. At the end of Summer, the Hazel trees become a busy place to be, as their nuts are feasted on by squirrels, dormice and birds aplenty.

Both Hazel and Willow have similar properties that we can embrace as we transition out of the Winter season. Their branches are particularly flexible, and they grow quickly and with ease before other trees begin to stir, making them wonderful trees to work with to support new beginnings and when we need to connect with courage to overcome challenges.

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